A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago found that sleep disorders are highly common in diabetes patients. They do not know for sure whether sleep problems worsen diabetes symptoms or it is the other way round, with diabetes symptoms causing sufferers to have restless nights. However, medical experts inform that a poor night's sleep decreases the control of blood-sugar levels in diabetes patients.

The study's first author was Kristen Knutson, research associate in the department of Health Studies at the University of Chicago. She pointed out that despite the fact that the exact association between sleep disorders and diabetes in patients has not been identified yet, the least that can be done for the victims of the severe condition is to improve their sleep and help them sleep tight throughout the night.

"Sleep is modifiable. We've known for some time that skimping on sleep can impair glucose tolerance even for healthy people. Now we have evidence connecting chronic partial sleep deprivation and reduced blood-sugar control in patients with diabetes. Although we can't be certain whether sleep loss makes diabetes worse or the diabetes interferes with sleep, it only makes sense for everyone, but especially patients with diabetes, to give themselves the opportunity to get enough sleep," stated Knutson.

The team highlighted the fact that short or poor sleep during nights has a negative influence on the insulin secretion and glucose control, affecting the whole metabolism. This leads to the idea that not getting enough sleep may worsen the symptoms of diabetes. This is why authors of the study strongly recommend diabetes patients suffering from sleep problems on a regular basis to seek help and treat the sleep-related disorders.

"Our findings suggest that short or poor sleep is associated with decreased blood-sugar control in patients who already have diabetes. The growing tendency to burn the candle at both ends may be a significant contributor to the current epidemic of diabetes. One way to slow down this epidemic may be to avoid building a chronic sleep debt," concluded senior author of the study Eve Van Cauter, Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago.