Lack of sleep and its effects
Our current lifestyle has substantially changed our sleep habits. Sleep duration has decreased in recent decades, from 8 to 6.5-6 hours, which inevitably leads to a chronic lack of sleep. And the most worrying part is that we underestimate the negative effects of lack of sleep and do not realize how affected we are by fatigue.
Irregular sleep, shift work and time travel lead to disruption of circadian rhythms and asynchrony between the main hypothalamic clock and pacemakers in the peripheral tissues. Moreover, obstructive sleep apnea (ODS) syndrome, which affects 4-15% of the population, is not only characterized by impaired sleep, but also by repetitive hemoglobin imbalances during sleep. Epidemiological studies have identified impaired sleep as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular causes. More recently, sleep abnormalities have been causally linked to impaired glucose homeostasis, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes.
Recent studies have summarized current knowledge on metabolic changes associated with the most common sleep disorders, ie short sleep duration, shift work and ODS. Further analysis of various endocrine and molecular mechanisms underlying the associations between inadequate sleep quality, quantity and timing with impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance and pancreatic dysfunction were analyzed.
In summary, this latest research provides endocrine and molecular explanations for the associations between common sleep disorders and the onset of type 2 diabetes. A sufficient and restful sleep is an essential element to increase the quality of life, and it can be influenced in a way positive of a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet, like the one you can find in the Dahna app.
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