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Type 2 diabetes has always been a concerning lifestyle disorder since it affects an increasing number of people around the globe. A recent study revealed shocking details about the connection between staying up late and an increased risk of developing diabetes.
The research was conducted at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the results were published on September 12 in the journal, Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers found that going to bed late and waking up late could increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Are night owls at higher risk for diabetes?
According to the research, the evening "chronotype," or going to bed late and waking up late could increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by as much as 19%. One of the authors of the study, Tianyi Huang, MSc, ScD, an associate epidemiologist in the Brigham’s Channing Division of Network Medicine said:
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“Chronotype, or circadian preference, refers to a person’s preferred timing of sleep and waking and is partly genetically determined so it may be difficult to change.”
Huang also added:
“People who think they are ‘night owls’ may need to pay more attention to their lifestyle because their evening chronotype may add increased risk for type 2 diabetes.”
The night owl sleep study on type 2 diabetes
Data was obtained from 63,676 female nurses from the Nurses’ Health Study II collected during 2009-2017 and the questionnaire included self-reported chronotype (whether they consider themselves morning persons or night owls), diet, weight, and BMI (body mass index), sleep timing, smoking behaviors, alcohol use, physical activity, and family history of type 2 diabetes.
This data was analyzed by experts using various statistical and analytical methods to get to the conclusion they published.
In the study, about 11 percent of participants said they had a "definite evening" chronotype, and about 35 percent said they had a "definite morning" chronotype. The remaining population was considered as "intermediates," which means neither of the two categories.
Why does staying up late increase the risk of diabetes?
The first author of the study, Sina Kianersi, DVM, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow in Brigham’s Channing Division of Network Medicine said:
“When we controlled for unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, the strong association between chronotype and diabetes risk was reduced but still remained, which means that lifestyle factors explain a notable proportion of this association.”
From this study, it was concluded that several lifestyle factors contribute to the risk factors. Not getting enough sleep, and sleeping at the wrong time can result in hormonal imbalances, insomnia, and various related conditions.
The researchers are further interested in the genetics of chronotype and its association with cardiovascular disease along with type 2 diabetes. Staying up late or bad sleep might increase diabetes by altering the metabolic balance or hormonal levels. Further studies are required to find out more.
Indranil Biswas is a nutritionist and personal trainer with a diploma in dietetics and personal training with a specialization in sports nutrition and strength training.
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