The recommended amount of sleep for optimal health is 7 to 9 hours per night, but about one-third of Americans sleep less than the recommended minimum number of hours. Most often, women, more often than men, believe that they do not get enough sleep.

A new study conducted at Columbia University showed that reducing sleep time by just 90 minutes for six weeks increases insulin resistance in women who are used to a good night’s sleep, writes News.ro. The effect was even more pronounced in postmenopausal women.

The findings show for the first time that a slight lack of sleep that persists for several weeks causes changes in the body that increase the risk of diabetes in women.

Previous studies showing negative effects on insulin sensitivity included mostly men and focused on the effects of very severe sleep restriction over a short period of time.

Women and sleep

The new study looked specifically at women because research shows that poor sleep can have a greater impact on cardiometabolic health in women than in men.

“Over the course of a lifetime, women experience many changes in their sleep habits due to childbirth, child-rearing and menopause,” says study leader Marie-Pierre Saint-Onge, professor of nutritional medicine and director of the US Center of Excellence for Sleep and Circadian Research. Columbia University.

It is difficult to study the impact of chronic lack of sleep on health. Some laboratory studies have shown that a short period of complete or partial sleep deprivation affects glucose metabolism. But such studies do not reflect the typical experience of mild sleep deprivation, which means getting about six hours of sleep over a long period of time.

Study design

To analyze the effects of mild and chronic sleep deprivation, researchers recruited 38 healthy women, including 11 postmenopausal women, who typically slept at least seven hours each night.

In the study, participants completed two phases of the study in random order.

In one phase, they were asked to maintain adequate sleep; in another, they were asked to delay their bedtime by an hour and a half, reducing total sleep time to about six hours.

Each of these phases lasted six weeks.

Notably, all study participants were able to reduce the duration of nighttime sleep during the severe six-week sleep restriction phase.

Sleep adherence was measured using portable devices.

During the study, scientists measured the level of insulin, glucose and fat in the body.

Research results

A study found that reducing sleep by 90 minutes over six weeks increased fasting insulin levels by more than 12% overall and by more than 15% in premenopausal women.

Insulin resistance increased by almost 15% overall and by more than 20% among postmenopausal women.

Average blood sugar levels remained stable for all participants throughout the study.

“Over a long period of time, constant stress on insulin-producing cells can cause them to fail, eventually leading to type 2 diabetes,” explains Professor St-Onge.

Although increased abdominal fat is a key factor in insulin resistance, the researchers found that the effect of sleep loss on insulin resistance was not associated with increased fat.

These results, independent of any changes in body fat, a known risk factor for type 2 diabetes, demonstrate the effects of moderately reduced sleep on insulin-producing cells and metabolism, the researchers say.

The bottom line is that getting enough sleep each night can lead to better blood sugar control and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, especially among postmenopausal women.

Next steps

In recent years, epidemiological studies have shown that people whose sleep varies from day to day also have a higher risk of developing diabetes.

Next, the research team aims to find out whether stabilizing sleep patterns among people with variable sleep schedules improves blood sugar control.

Further studies will examine whether restoring sleep to habitually sleep-deprived individuals can improve glucose metabolism.

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