Risk For Type 2 Diabetes Increased in Women Suffering From Insomnia

Suffering from insomnia is already one difficult situation to contend with. For some women, this  can just add up to another health issue as chronic sleep problems are known to increase their risk of suffering from Type 2 diabetes.

The latest study published in Diabetologia journal, involving 133,000 women in the U.S., found that those who suffer from sleep problems have an increased risk of 45 percent to suffer from Type II Diabetes, according to Philly.

"Women with sleeping difficulty, especially when also having other conditions, should be aware of potential higher risk of diabetes," Dr. Yanping Li said, lead researcher and scientist from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.h "Doctors should pay more attention to the potential diabetes risk of women who have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep." 

WebMD also featured the study. The Clinical Diabetes Center director at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, Dr. Joel Zonszein, said that the study did not establish a cause-and-effect between sleepless nights and diabetes. It rather establishes a certain association between the two.

"Not sleeping well affects the circadian rhythm regulated by hormones that are so important for metabolism and involved in the control of blood sugar," Dr. Zonszein said. "Thus, it is not surprising that sleep disorders are associated with obesity and diabetes."

Zonszein also mentioned that those people who get to sleep well are healthier compared to those with no sleep issues. He emphasized that this is common in the present industrialized society.

"Many people don't get a good sleep as they are watching TV, or are in front of a computer, or a smartphone screen all day and all night. " According to him, men have lost the natural sleep patterns where work is carried out during the day and sleep and relaxation at night.