Men Who Have Problems Sleeping Are at a Higher Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

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High incidence of diabetes in men with sleep complaints or short sleep duration: a 12-year follow-up study of a middle-aged population, by L. Mailon and colleagues. Diabetes Care 28:2762-2767, 2005.

What is the problem and what is known about it so far?

Many people who have a hard time regularly falling asleep and staying asleep have diabetes. Likewise, many people with diabetes often have a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep.

Why did the researchers do this particular study?

Previous studies have shown that people who have sleep problems are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease (heart-and-blood-vessel disease). Heart-and-blood-vessel disease is the most common and most dangerous complication of diabetes. Therefore, the researchers of this study wanted to look at the relationship among sleep complaints, like having a hard time falling asleep; how long somebody stays asleep; and type 2 diabetes.

How was the study done?

A questionnaire was sent to nearly 2,700 people who were between the ages of 45 and 65 years and lived in Sweden. The questionnaire included questions about sleep problems, how long they stayed asleep, income and education levels, their lifestyle, if they had any medical problems, and if they suffered from depression. About 70% of the people responded. Twelve years later, in 1995, a new questionnaire with almost identical questions was sent to all the survivors (about 1,600 people), and the questionnaire was answered by more than 1,200 of the survivors.

What did the researchers find?

Men who got diabetes between 1983 and 1995 more often reported short sleep duration (meaning that they got less than 5 hours of sleep each night) when the study began. They also had a harder time of falling asleep and staying asleep than men who didn't get diabetes.

Women who got diabetes between 1983 and 1995 more often reported longer sleep duration (more than 9 hours each night) when the study began than women who didn't get diabetes. There was no link between sleep problems and the risk for diabetes in women.

What were the limitations of the study?

This study had a pretty small "sample" size: only 38 women and 50 men developed diabetes between 1983 and 1995.

This study relied on"self-reports," or the patients' responses to a survey. This method to gather data isn't the most accurate method.

This study wasn't able to control and account for other risk factors, such as family history of diabetes and lack of exercise.

What are the implications of the study?

In this study, men who had trouble falling and staying asleep were at a higher risk of getting diabetes. The most common and harmful diabetes complication is heart-and-blood-vessel disease, and previous studies have shown that people who have problems sleeping are at risk for heart-and-blood-vessel disease. This study provides further evidence that disturbed or shortened sleep is linked with harmful health effects in men.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Sleep disturbance and onset of type 2 diabetes, by N. Kawakami and colleagues. Diabetes Care 27:282-283, 2004

Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease Toolkit

Diabetes A to Z, 5th edition, by the American Diabetes Association