The Causal Relationship Between Lack of Sleep and Diabetes Zorina Sun
Abstract: Sleep Deprivation refers to the state when an individual does not get an adequate amount of good sleep. It is common in this fast-paced society, as people are spending a lot of time on studying, working and leisure activity. Thus, it is very significant to note the possible effects of lack of sleep on individual’s health. This paper evaluates the causal relationship between chronic lack of sleep and diseases, specifically, Type 2 Diabetes. Introduction of Sleep Deprivation Sleep deprivation is very common in society today. There are several factors leading to this, including the increase in environmental light and electric light, use of electronic devices and the internet, and so on. According to the 2009 Sleep in America Poll, Americans are more likely to be working longer hours or multiple jobs, and concerned about personal finance, employment, and the economy, in the current economic climate.1 Thus, sleep deprivation is partly self-imposed, as people choose to leave less time for sleep. Data from recent laboratory studies indicates that significant sleep loss exists in one-third or more of normal adults.2 According to recent polls from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 29% of US adults sleep less than 7 hours per night, and about 60 million of them have chronic sleep and wakefulness disorders.3 People are sleeping less nowadays, and sleep disorders are on the rise.
Stages of sleep There are five stages of sleep, including rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and nonREM sleep (stages 1, 2, 3, and 4). In the non-REM sleep stage, stages 3 and 4 are the deeper stages, which are also known as slowwave sleep.4 Sleep has often been thought of as a “restorative” process for the mind and the body, and it also affects many metabolic and hormonal processes. Lack of Sleep and Diabetes There is a very close relationship between sleep deprivation and diabetes. As Dr. Carol Touma and Dr. Silvana Pannain found, “people with diabetic should be systematically assessed for obstructive sleep apnea, and patients with known obstructive sleep apnea should be screened for diabetes.”4 The relationships between lack of sleep and diabetes can be explained by glucose tolerance and glucose metabolism. 1) Glucose Tolerance Glucose tolerance plays an important role in this causal relationship. It refers to the ability to maintain euglycemia. Normal glucose tolerance depends on the ability of the pancreatic beta cells to produce insulin. Beta cells are cells that make insulin, a hormone that controls the level of glucose (a type of sugar) in the blood. When pancreatic beta cells fail to compensate for a decreased insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion increases to maintain normal glucose levels, and diabetes becomes manifest.4 A research article from Nedeltcheva, Kessler, Imperial, and Penev examined the effects of less-severe sleep deprivation in sedentary middle-aged men and women. The population of this study sleeps 5.5 hours per night for 14 nights. The lack of sleep is shown to decrease insulin sensitivity in the absence of adequate beta cell compensation. This causes a decrease in glucose tolerance and eventually leads to diabetes.5 The short 25
