How Sleep Can Affect Blood Sugar

While you sleep, your body is hard at work preparing for the next day while simultaneously shutting down most of your systems for rest. Because these effects are so diverse, many of them can have an impact on your body’s blood sugar regulation. Your body does the following while you sleep:

• Only during deep sleep can your body restore tissues and muscles.
• Replenish energy stores.
• Restore and balance hormones. 
• Your brain re-maps information learnt during the day, effectively preserving memories.

Because so many vital processes happen when you sleep, it is understandable that poor sleeping patterns might have a detrimental influence on your blood sugar and whole body.

Because sleep helps restore your hormones to baseline levels, a lack of sleep can have a negative impact on your insulin and cortisol levels, both of which are essential for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. 

If you follow a regular sleep routine, your blood sugar will normally spike in the morning, between 4:00 and 8:00 a.m. This is known as the dawn effect. Its impact can be reduced with certain measures such as dietary adjustments or supplementation. Lowsitol has been shown to help support healthy blood sugar levels and may help lessen morning spikes.

Not Enough Sleep

A lack of sleep can create a host of problems, not the least of which is difficulty maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Other issues can include:

• Difficulty Maintaining Blood Sugar Levels 
• Increase Risk of Type II Diabetes
• Obesity
• Increase Risk of Cardiovascular Health Problems 
• May Compromise Immune System Health and Function
• Increase Risk of Depression and Anxiety

Sleep deprivation can also trigger your sympathetic nervous system. This system is responsible for your flight-or-fight response, which increases cortisol production. High cortisol levels can result in elevated blood sugar because it tells your kidneys to produce additional glucose while retaining sugar in your bloodstream for a longer period of time.

Too Much Sleep

Oversleeping has risk factors that are comparable to insufficient sleep. All of the above risk factors are associated with both inadequate and excessive sleep. The risk factors for developing type II diabetes are also the same.

Aside from those risks, being inactive for an extended period of time can lead to chronic pain and a shorter life span. Spending too much time in bed means that your organs and other body components are not getting enough exercise.

Determining How Much Sleep You Need

In general, the recommended amount of sleep every night is seven to nine hours. This number might fluctuate depending on a variety of life circumstances. Working a physically demanding job, for example, may increase the quantity of sleep you require.

A variety of additional factors can influence how much sleep you should get. These factors include:

• Level of Activity 
• Age and Gender
• Medical Conditions 
• Quality of Sleep 

There are several sleep calculators available on the internet from reputable sites like the Sleep Foundation. If you have any of the following mitigating circumstances, you may want to visit a doctor to determine how much sleep you need each night.

Lifestyle Considerations

Those with an active or labor-intensive lifestyle may require more sleep than those who do not. The more you exert your body, the more rest you require at night. While highly active people usually sleep better and receive more deep sleep, their requirements are still higher.If you have trouble managing your blood sugar levels, sleeping about nine hours every night may help. You should also consider the quality of your sleep, as extra time doesn’t necessarily equal deep sleep.

Age and Gender Considerations

The general rule of thumb is that the younger you are, the more sleep you require. From the moment you are born until you reach old age, your cellular renewal rate gradually diminishes. Newborns and smaller children develop at a fast rate, requiring more energy and restorative care that happens during sleep.

Women tend to sleep longer than men, with an average difference of just under six minutes. Women, on the other hand, have a higher risk of experiencing sleep quality issues. The menstrual cycle, as well as external factors, may play a role in this.

Medical Considerations

Poor sleep quality can be caused by a variety of medical conditions. Among these are:

• Hormonal Imbalances
• Pain
• Sleep Apnea 
• Insomnia
• Depression or Anxiety
• Thyroid Imbalances

Diabetes can also lead to sleep issues for a variety of reasons. Low blood sugar levels might trigger nightmares and sleep sweats. High blood sugar can create kidney problems, which may lead you to wake up several times during the night to use the restroom. You may frequently wake up thirsty in the middle of the night too.Some of these conditions have been demonstrated to benefit from the use of Lowsitol. A daily supplement like Lowsitol, in addition to treatment from your doctor, might help reduce some of these impediments to restful sleep.

Quality of Sleep

Quality of sleep is tough because if you can’t sleep through the night or attain deep sleep, getting a few more hours of shut eye may not solve the problem. 

Because most of the body’s regeneration occurs during deep sleep, getting through REM sleep is critical for everyone, especially if you are struggling with insulin resistance. If you wake up frequently during the night or do not lay down for long enough, you may not be acquiring enough deep sleep. This can cause issues in a variety of areas or even general fatigue.

There are several reasons why you may be experiencing sleeping difficulties. Some examples include:

• Low Blood Sugar
• High Blood Sugar
• Medical Condition (e.g., Sleep Apnea)
• Partner who Snores Loudly
• Uncomfortable Bed or Sleep Environment
• Pain
• Caffeine Excess
• Eating or drinking too Close to Bedtime
• Medication Side Effects

It’s critical to determine why you are unable to sleep through the night and to address the issue. Because the restorative deep sleep that you may be lacking helps regulate blood sugar levels, doing so may help with managing insulin resistance.

You might also want to try the following to help manage sleep: 

• Avoid Eating/Drinking too Close to Bedtime
• Consider a Metabolic Cleanse (may help you sleep better by supporting hormone balance) 
• Go to Sleep and Wake Up at the Same Time (even on weekends or days off)
• Consider a Supplement like Lowsitol. The inositol and d-chiro inositol in this supplement may help with blood sugar regulation, mood, and sleep quality.

Improving your sleep quality may help with better managing blood glucose levels. You may, at the very least, feel better and more rested during the day.

Sleep Apnea and Its Effects on Blood Sugar

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is one of the most common causes of sleep disruption, and it affects more than half of type II diabetics. In addition to creating diabetic problems, research indicates it may be an underlying cause of type II diabetes owing to its influence on hormones. The following are warning signs that may indicate you have OSA:

• Your partner complains that you snore a lot and/or loudly.
• You never feel rested, even if you sleep longer than usual.
• You are regularly startled awake. This could be from either the volume of your snoring or your body’s panic response to a lack of breathing.
• You often feel depressed or irritable for no discernable reason.
• You wake up with a headache, particularly after sleeping longer than usual.

All of these are compelling reasons to get checked for sleep apnea. This can be accomplished with a polysomnogram, which is a sleep study performed at a local hospital. While you sleep, leads are attached to your head so your vitals and brain waves can be monitored while you sleep.

There are special considerations for blood sugar levels if you have sleep apnea. When you do not get enough deep sleep, your hormones are not adequately restored and balanced. This includes hormones like insulin and cortisol, which help maintain blood sugar levels in the body.

When you have little energy, it might be difficult to take care of yourself. It is especially important to focus on the fundamentals, like diet and lifestyle routines, to help regulate blood sugar when you’re exhausted. This can help support healthy energy levels and get you back on track. It’s simple to dismiss it when you’re tired, but that’s the worst thing you can do for yourself. You might also want to consider a CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) machine, which will help you breathe normally while you sleep. This device might be annoying at first, but most users report a significant improvement in restorative sleep once they acclimate.

Circadian Rhythm and Insulin Resistance

According to research, there may be a link between regular circadian rhythm disturbance and increased risk of insulin resistance. 

Today’s society has radically altered how we sleep, and most individuals do not take the circadian rhythm into consideration. Sleeping and waking according to the sun’s timetable is a thing of the past thanks to alarm clocks, artificial lighting, and a 24-hour culture. Furthermore, blue lights from technology are shown to disrupt the circadian rhythm.

Researchers discovered that those who slept unusual hours or worked third shift jobs had higher blood sugar averages, which increases the risk of type II diabetes or insulin resistance.

You may be able to better manage your circadian rhythm by doing the following:

• Every day, go to sleep and wake at the same time.
• Get some morning sun first thing in the day. 
• Use blue blockers when using screens to lower the risk of disrupting the effect of melatonin  
• Sleep in a completely dark room 

If you follow these steps, you should see a noticeable improvement, especially in how simple it becomes to get out of bed in the morning.

Final Thoughts

One of the most essential steps you can take to support optimal health is getting quality sleep. Unfortunately, it is also one of the first things that many people abandon in order to complete other tasks. While you may be checking items off your to-do list, your health may suffer as a result.

To support whole body health and notice a positive influence on your blood glucose levels, aim for eight hours of quality sleep every night. To work with your circadian rhythm rather than against it, try to sleep and wake up at the same. As your body adjusts to a better sleeping pattern, you may start to notice several health benefits!

Sources

• The 4 Stages of Sleep
• What’s a CPAP Machine, and How Does It Work?
• Polysomnography (sleep study)
• Sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes
• Physical Side Effects of Oversleeping
• Sleep Calculator
• Sleep Apnea Can Make Managing Diabetes More Difficult: What You Need To Know
• Insomnia
• How Sleep Affects Fitness
• Here’s What Happens When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep (and How Much You Really Need a Night)
• What Is the Purpose of Sleep?
• Impact of sleep and sleep loss on glucose homeostasis and appetite regulation
• An emerging connection between circadian rhythm disruption and type 2 diabetes mellitus
• Impact of lifestyle and technology developments on sleep