Diabetes and Sleep

"Sleep for a Good Cause

There are many reasons to get a good night’s sleep. If you have diabetes, there are even more. Learn how sleep affects your diabetes management.

A good night’s sleep can feel like a luxury. Balancing school, work, physical activity, and your family may cause you to go to bed later than you’d like. One in three US adults isn’t getting enough sleep, and over time, this can increase the risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and depression.

If you have diabetes, too little sleep negatively affects every area of your management, including how much you eat, what you choose to eat, how you respond to insulin, and your mental health.

Proper rest isn’t just important for your diabetes management—it may also put you in a better mood and give you more energy!

How Much Do You Need?

Being well rested is important for people of all ages to stay in good health. How many hours of sleep you need changes as you age. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend that adults should get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. Children and teens need more.

Learn more about how much sleep you need.

Complications From Lack of Sleep

If you get less than 7 hours of sleep per night regularly, your diabetes will be harder to manage. Too little sleep can:

• Increase insulin resistance.
• Make you hungrier the next day and reduce how full you feel after eating.
• Make you more likely to reach for junk foods—those that are high in carbs and sugar.
• Make it harder to lose weight.
• Raise blood pressure and seriously increase the risk of a heart attack.
• Make your immune system less able to fight infections.
• Increase your risk of depression and anxiety..."
  Diabetes and Sleep