Lack
of Sleep 'Could Cause Diabetes?'
Lack
of sleep could trigger diabetes and obesity, an expert claims.
Doctor
Derk-Jan Dijk, a senior lecturer in chronobiology at the
University of Surrey, also says that poor sleep over a long period
of time makes people up to 40 per cent more likely to suffer heart
disease. And Dr Dijk
confirmed that eight hours of sleep each night beginning at 11pm
was "ideal" to rest the body.
Dr
Dijk said: "It is getting more and more important to evaluate
how much people sleep because of the effects on their health and
their alertness and performance at work.
"Our
society is getting busier and people are working at all times of
the day. "However,
the majority of people still work during the day and need around
eight hours sleep.
"If
our body clock is used to us being awake in the day and sleeping
at night then we need eight hours sleep, beginning at 11pm.
"This is because we secrete a chemical called
melatonin in the evening and throughout the night, which makes us
go to sleep."
Referring
to nightshift workers, he said: "A night shifter who goes to
sleep at 6am or 7am is less likely to sleep as well as somebody
beginning their sleep at 11pm.
"This is because of melatonin and the body clock which
doesn't normally allow the body to rest for more than six hours in
one go.
"The
body feels like it's supposed to be awake, not asleep. But in the
long term, even a night-shifter's body clock can become accustomed
to a change in sleeping patterns just as we do when we suffer jet
lag on holiday.
"However,
humans are by nature day-active and the major sleep episode occurs
during the night."
Commenting
on the effects of sleep deprivation, Dr Djik added: "Several
studies have been made looking into the physical effects of sleep
deprivation. "One
effect is that people develop a reduced glucose tolerance, which
means their blood-sugar levels take much longer to get back to
normal after eating. "Because
of this phenomenon, researchers have linked sleep deprivation with
diabetes and also obesity.
"Another
effect is that people, particularly night workers like those
working on oil rigs, have cardiovascular problems." 2dayuk.com
newsfeed
Did
You Know:
New
research indicates that many adolescent girls who have Polycycstic
Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
are going undiagnosed for years, a problem that can lead to
diabetes at an early age. Adolescents
fall between the cracks when it come to PCOS diagnosis, they are
too old for many pediatricians and too young for most internists.
More information will be presented this week at AACE in
Chicago.
