Day-time sleep linked to diabetes, claims study

Day time sleepiness could increase the risk of type 2 diabetes in the elderly, a new study has found.

A self-reported cohort study in 19,567 Chinese men and women ages 50 years or older in the Guangzhou Biobank reported the prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 36 percent higher in participants who reported napping four to six times a week and 28 percent higher in those who napped daily.

The Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study was a collaboration between the Guangzhou Number 12 People’s Hospital and the Universities of Birmingham and Hong Kong.

The community-based study, which took place in Guangzhou, China, recruited participants between the ages of 50 and 93 years from 2003 to 2004 and 2005 to 2006.

There were 13,972 women with a mean age of 61.4 years and 5,595 men with an average age of 64.2 years in the study.

Over 67.2% took at least one nap per week. The 59.4% who took a nap daily actually slept slightly more at night than non-nappers.

Nearly two-thirds of the nappers took their nap within an hour after lunch for an average 60 minutes while another 16 took nap as a siesta in the afternoon.

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 13.5% in the cohort group. But the prevalence rose in a dose-dependent manner from 11.7% among never-nappers, 14.7% in those who napped four to six days per week, and 15.1% with hose who had daily napping.

The study also found those with longer naps appeared to have a more strong asociation with type 2 diabetes.

The researchers, however, felt that additional research is needed to determine if napping itself plays a causative role in the development of type 2 diabetes, or if other factors are involved.

Diabetes has become a major problem in India in recent years, especially after India started its rapind economic growth.

Type 2 diabetes is already an epidemic with 40 million type 2 diabetics in India.

India already has the largest number of diabetics in the world. In type-2 diabetes, glucose or sugar builds up in blood rather than getting used by the body. Obesity and sedentary lifestyle are said to be its leading causes.

The rapid urbanisation of India would play a major role in the spread of diabetes and heart diseases.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes mellitus is a  metabolic diseases characterized by high blood glucose levels.

Normally, blood glucose levels are controlled by insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Insulin lowers the blood glucose level.

When the blood glucose elevates after eating food, insulin is released from the pancreas to normalize the glucose level.

In patients with diabetes, the absence or insufficient production of insulin causes hyperglycemia.

Diabetes is a chronic medical condition and it lasts a lifetime.

If untreated diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney failure, and nerve damage in the long term. These diseases result from of damage to small vessels, referred to as microvascular disease.

Diabetes is also an important factor in accelerating the hardening and narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis), leading to strokes, coronary heart disease, and other large blood vessel diseases.

Diabetes affects approximately 17 million people (about 8% of the population) in the United States.

Diabetes is the third leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease and cancer.