Trying to work unconventional hours or longer without rest during the work week increases significantly the risk of diabetes of the 2nd type, say New York researchers.
People who sleep less than six hours a day, are more likely to develop the condition prior to the insidious onset diabetes, which has already become a worldwide epidemic. It is known as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).
Scientists say a six year study confirms the well-known fact in medicine, that less sleep has deep implications for human health.
2nd type diabetes occurs when the body produces insulin but the hormone is not used effective enough to reduce glucose levels in the blood. A springboard for this disease is IGT, which is when blood glucose levels are high, but still not enough to put a definitive diagnosis of diabetes.
The team of scientists from the University at Buffalo, New York, studied a group of volunteers for six years. They found that participants who slept and did not have more than six hours a night during the work week were 4, 65 times more prone to IGT compared with those who had a light regime and slept between six and eight hours. Role play in this respect tells the status of hormones and nervous system.
According to a recent study regular siesta can also increase the risk of 2nd type diabetes probably because, the afternoon sleep compensates for an insufficient night sleep, which changes daily rhythm of the body.
Another reason could be that the lack of a good night's rest leads to weight gain, which is one of the factors for the development of the disease, researchers explain.
There is evidence that inadequate sleep, literally works the hormones in the opposite direction provoking an increase in appetite, so one eats more and eats more of the wrong foods. Fatigue leads to hunger for sugar meaning hunger for high-calorie foods.
