US researchers said that deep, restful sleep is very important for keeping type 2 diabetes away,
Research said that slim, healthy young adults who were deprived of the deepest stage of sleep known as slow-wave sleep developed insulin resistance after just three nights. The research demonstrates that the importance of deep sleep not only for the brain, but for the rest of the body
The effect was comparable to gaining 20 to 30 pounds.
“It turns out deep sleep also has implications for glucose metabolism and diabetes risk,” said Van Cauter, whose study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
After three nights of disturbed sleep, eight of the nine volunteers had become less sensitive to insulin, without increasing the production of insulin.
Since insulin tells the body it has consumed energy, this deficiency can lead to weight gain and diabetes.
Reduced sleep often results from obesity and age. While most young adults spend 80 to 100 minutes per night in slow-wave sleep, this decreases to just 20 minutes for adults over 60.
"Any condition that involves a decrease in deep sleep is linked to an increase in diabetes risk. That is the case for aging and sleep apnea. This study really demonstrates a causal link," Van Cauter said.
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