That Health Rules

Sleep debt has been considered one major risk factor for developing Diabetes. Stress hormones apparently are increased during times when one is awake instead of being asleep.  Other studies have shown that not only is quantity important but also the quality of sleep.

A study done by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) involving more than 54,000 participants in 14 states, published in the SLEEP journal, October 2013....showed that sleep duration is critical to the development of disease.

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Study Objective:

To examine the effects of obesity and frequent mental distress (FMD) on the relationship of sleep duration with coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, and diabetes.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting:Population-based surveillance.

Participants: There were 54,269 adults age 45 y or older who completed the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey in 14 states.

Results:

Nearly one third (31.1% or an estimated 11.1 million) of respondents age 45 y and older reported being short sleepers (≤ 6 h), 64.8% being optimal sleepers (7-9 h), and 4.1% being long sleepers (≥ 10 h) in a 24-h period. Compared with the optimal sleep duration, both short and long sleep durations were significantly associated with obesity, FMD (mental health was not good ≥ 14 days during the past 30 days), CHD, stroke, and diabetes after controlling for sex, age, race/ethnicity, and education. The U-shaped relationships of sleep duration with CHD, stroke, and diabetes were moderately attenuated by FMD. The relationship between sleep duration and diabetes was slightly attenuated by obesity.

Conclusions:

Sleep duration had U-shaped relationships with leading chronic diseases. Further prospective studies are needed to determine how mental health and maintenance of a normal weight may interact with sleep duration to prevent chronic diseases.

Citation:

Liu Y; Wheaton AG; Chapman DP; Croft JB. Sleep duration and chronic diseases among US adults age 45 years and older: evidence from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. SLEEP2013;36(10):1421-1427.

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The study showed that the optimal number of hours of sleep should be 7-9 hours. Short sleepers averaged six hours or less, while long sleepers and averaged 10 hours or more of sleep.  There was an increased prevalence of being overweight and obese and higher rates of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and stroke among the short and long sleepers. 

The study further proves that sleep indeed is a time for the body to regenerate and that rest is key to wellness.