News

Sleep apnea check a must in Diabetes, Hypertension

Jun 18 2013...

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is advising anyone with Type 2 diabetes or hypertension to be evaluated for sleep apnea by a board-certified sleep medicine physician.

“Type 2 diabetics and people with hypertension are much more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea than other people, and as a result should immediately discuss their risk for sleep apnea with a sleep specialist,” said M. Safwan Badr, MD, president of AASM. “Diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea from a board-certified sleep medicine physician will promote improvement in these conditions – including improved insulin sensitivity, blood pressure and cholesterol." READ MORE>>

Study links diabetes risk to melatonin levels

Apr 03 2013...

Millions of Americans are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, yet the exact causes of diabetes still puzzle scientists. Now, new research from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) finds that the amount of melatonin a person secretes during sleep may predict their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

"This is the first time that an independent association has been established between nocturnal melatonin secretion and type 2 diabetes risk," said Dr. Ciaran McMullan, a researcher in the Renal Division and Kidney Clinical Research Institute at BWH. "Hopefully this study will prompt future research to examine what influences a person's melatonin secretion and what is melatonin's role in altering a person's glucose metabolism and risk of diabetes." READ MORE>>

Circadian clock linked to obesity, diabetes and heart attacks

Feb 25 2013...

Disruption in the body's circadian rhythm can lead not only to obesity, but can also increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

This is the first study to definitely show that insulin activity is controlled by the body’s circadian biological clock. The study, which was published on Feb. 21 in the journal Current Biology, helps explain why not only what you eat, but when you eat, matters. READ MORE>>

Increasing teen’s sleep could lower diabetes risk

Nov 15 2012...

A new study of 245 healthy high school students suggest that increasing the amount of sleep that teenagers get could improve their insulin resistance and prevent the future onset of diabetes.

Results indicate that higher insulin resistance is associated with shorter sleep duration regardless of race, age, gender, waist size and body mass index READ MORE>>

Lack of sleep may cause overeating

Nov 01 2012...

A new study of 27 normal weight, 30- to 45-year-old men and women examined the association between sleep duration and hunger. Results indicate that increasing the amount of sleep that adults get could lead to reduced food intake, but the hormonal process differs between men and women.

Short sleep increased the total level of ghrelin, a hunger-stimulating hormone, in men but not women and reduced the level of GLP-1, a hormone that makes you feel full, in women but not in men, a sex difference that has not been reported before. READ MORE>>

Poor sleep linked to problems in young diabetics

Jan 20 2012...

A new study suggests that young diabetics may be struggling to get a good night’s sleep. As a result, they have worse control of their blood sugar, poorer school performance and behavioral problems.

The study tracked the sleep health of 50 Type 1 diabetics, ages 10 to 16. Researchers then compared the data with a similar control group. They found that the young diabetics spent more time sleeping in a lighter sleep than youth without diabetes. This lighter sleep was linked to compromised school performance and higher blood sugar levels. READ MORE>>

Rotating Night Shift Work and Type 2 Diabetes in Women

Dec 12 2011...

A new study found that the longer women worked rotating night shifts, the greater their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Researchers also found that extended years of rotating night shift work was associated with weight gain. The weight gain may have contributed to the increased risk of type 2 diabetes. READ MORE>>

Did Sleep Medicine Help Boost U.S. Life Expectancy?

Mar 17 2011...

Life expectancy hit an all-time high in 2009, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An American born in 2009 can now expect to live about 78 years and two months, a two month increase compared to 2008. READ MORE>>