Sleep Apnea Treatment Reduces Nighttime Blood Sugar
LA JOLLA, Calif., Dec. 15 -- Patients with type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea who used continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) saw improved glycemic control during the night, researchers here said. Mean nighttime glucose levels decreased to 102.9 mg/dL after an average of 41 days of CPAP therapy, from a baseline mean of 122.0 mg/dL in 20 patients (P=0.03), reported Arthur Dawson, M.D., of the Scripps Clinic, and colleagues in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. Also reduced was the mean standard deviation in nighttime glucose values for individual patients, from 20.0 to 13.0 mg/dL (P=0.005), indicating more stable glycemia levels during sleep, Dr. Dawson and colleagues said. "Our findings suggest that screening type 2 diabetics for obstructive sleep apnea and treating those with moderate to severe sleep-disordered breathing could improve the management of their hyperglycemia and might favorably influence their long-term prognosis," the researchers wrote. But they noted that the study excluded patients with poor compliance with CPAP -- a perennial problem with the treatment -- and hence may not be generalizable to all patients with sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes. The study does add, though, to the evidence that treatment of sleep apnea can lead to improvement in conditions that frequently accompany it. Besides type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea is often associated with obesity and cardiovascular disease. Patients in the trial were on a stable diabetic treatment regimen and had overnight oximetry data suggesting moderate to severe sleep apnea. All were newly diagnosed with sleep apnea and had never used CPAP. A total of 28 were initially enrolled, but three were subsequently excluded because they were unable to sleep at least four hours per Continue reading >>
Lack Of Sleep And Its Effect On Blood Sugar Levels
More than 29 million Americans suffer from diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with millions more falling into the “prediabetes” range. Keeping blood glucose levels under control is essential to good health, both for people with diabetes and those who do not have the disease. Although most people know that dietary choices and exercise affect blood sugar levels, many do not realize that sleep can also have a dramatic effect on glycemic control. Failing to get enough sleep or getting poor quality sleep can have serious effects on your blood sugar. This is unhealthy for all individuals but particularly dangerous for those with diabetes or prediabetes. How the Body Regulates Blood Sugar Levels Glucose, a type of sugar, is the body’s primary energy source. Cells throughout your body depend on glucose to continue operating. When you eat a meal, your stomach breaks carbohydrates down into glucose molecules. This glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream, where it circulates throughout your body. The body prefers for blood sugar levels to be kept within a tight range. To achieve this, a hormone called insulin is released by the pancreas into the bloodstream. Insulin tells your body’s cells to increase their uptake of glucose from the blood, resulting in lower blood sugar levels. If blood sugar levels dip too low -- such as after an intense bout of exercise -- another hormone signals the liver to release its excess glucose stores to restore balance. People with diabetes have a difficult time responding properly to insulin. Those with type 1 diabetes are unable to produce insulin, making them unable to keep their glucose levels under control. Individuals with type 2 diabetes gradually become insensitive to insulin over time, making it dif Continue reading >>
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Makes It Hard To Control Blood Sugar
A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago has shown that obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) adversely affects glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Lead author, Renee S. Aronsohn, instructor of medicine at the University of Chicago, said that study "demonstrates for the first time that there is a clear, graded, inverse relationship between OSA severity and glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes." The study also confirmed other reports that undiagnosed Obstructive Sleep Apnea is very common among patients with type 2 diabetes, indicating that it is largely unrecognized additional medical risk factor in these patients. Dr. Aronsohn and colleagues consecutively recruited patients with type 2 diabetes from outpatient clinics to participate in the study. The participants were interviewed to assess their diabetes history, medical history and medications, and level of physical activity. Height and weight measurements were also taken, and each participant's sleep/wake cycles were monitored for five days using wrist actigraphy and self-reported sleep logs. Finally, participants underwent an overnight polysomnography test for OSA , and glucose control was assessed by obtaining a blood sample for hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) measurement, the main clinical marker of glycemic control in diabetes In total, 60 patients were included in the study’s final analysis. More than three-quarters (77 percent) of participants had OSA, but only five had been previously evaluated for the disease, and none were undergoing treatment. Of the study sample, 38 percent (23) were classified as having mild OSA, 25 percent (15) had moderate OSA and the 13 percent (8) had severe OSA. The researchers found that more severe OSA was associated with poorer gl Continue reading >>
Diabetes Health In The News: Treating Sleep Apnea Benefits Blood Sugar & Heart Health
A study done on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) shows that treating the disorder can benefit blood sugar levels and heart health. Dr. Jonathan Jun and his team from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore conducted the study, which shows that those who do not regularly use a CPAP machine to assist with breathing may be more at risk of diabetes and heart issues. There were 31 participants in this study, all of whom had at least moderate OSA, used a CPAP machine regularly, and were categorized as obese. This was a change from previous studies in which some participants may not have used a CPAP machine during the study. Researchers had participants sleep for two nights in a lab. During one night, they used a CPAP machine, while they did not the second night. Blood samples were obtained regularly throughout the night, providing real-time data. During the night patients did not use the CPAP, the amount of oxygen in the blood was lower and the levels of sugar, fatty acids, and cortisol were elevated. These results advance the theory that OSA and other conditions may influence diabetes and heart diseases rather than simple obesity. These findings were published in Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism on June 8, 2017. I think that it’s safe to say that none of us were happy when we first found out that we had diabetes. The words “you’re a diabetic” or “you have diabetes” can sound like a death sentence and while we … Dear Nadia, Is marijuana used to lower high blood sugar? if so, does this mean I have to refrain from the munchies to get the benefits? Leah Dear Leah: The new Marijuana industry is still at its infancy in terms … Continue reading >>
How Sleep Affects Your Blood Sugar
Your sleep habits can affect many things about your health -- your weight, your immune system, even how well your brain works. But it also plays a key role in controlling your blood sugar (or glucose), which affects your chances of getting diabetes. It’s tied to whether the hormone insulin, which removes glucose from the blood, is working the way it’s supposed to. Blood sugar levels surge while you’re sleeping, usually around 4 to 8 a.m. for someone with a normal sleep schedule. (It’s called the dawn effect.) In a healthy person, insulin can handle the surge by telling muscle, fat, and liver cells to absorb the glucose from the blood, which keeps your levels stable. For people who have diabetes or who are likely to get it, insulin can’t do that job very well, so blood sugar levels will rise higher. While diet and obesity are big contributors to your odds of having diabetes, studies have found that sleep habits are, too, probably because over time, they can affect how well your cells respond to insulin. In one study, more than 4,000 people reported the amount of sleep they got each night. Those who got less than 6 hours were twice as likely to have cells that were less sensitive to insulin or to have full-blown diabetes. This was true even after the researchers took other lifestyle habits into account. Other sleep disruptions and disorders, such as sleep apnea, also seem to raise a person’s odds of having diabetes. But the risk goes up at the other end of the spectrum, too. For reasons that aren’t clear, people who sleep too much -- more than 9 hours a night -- might also have higher chances of getting diabetes. It’s hard to know for certain. Many studies have suggested that short sleepers (those who get less than 6 hours per night) have irregular eating Continue reading >>
Sleep Apnea And Diabetes
Tweet Sleep Apnoea, also called sleep apnea, is a common breathing disorder that affects many people whilst they sleep, could be an early warning that diabetes development is underway. Numerous medical studies have linked obstructive sleep apnoea with greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. According to experts, side effects directly related to sleep apnoea could influence the metabolism of people as they sleep. The condition is surprisingly common, to the extent that sleep apnoea has been termed: ‘the silent epidemic’. Sleep apnoea affects as many as one-tenth of middle-aged men, and manifests itself as an interruption of breathing during the hours of sleep. The correlation between sleep and diabetes is well-proven, with interruptions to deep sleep a key part of diabetes risk. Obesity makes both diabetes and sleep apnoea more likely. Why does sleep apnea damage the body and lead to greater risk of diabetes? Sleep apnoea is thought to be dangerous because it affects the concentration of oxygen within the bloodstream. It also plays havoc with sleep patterns, and can lead to daytime fatigue in more serious cases. The actual mechanism that causes sleep apnoea to influence oxygen If I have sleep apnea, am I a diabetic? Not necessarily, but having sleep apnoea does mean an increased risk of developing diabetes. Is OSAS the same as sleep apnea? OSAS stands for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome. What are the symptoms of Sleep Apnea? Sleep Apnoea occurs when an obstruction gets in the way of air entering the lungs. These short periods of stopping breathing are generally limited to a less than 10 seconds, and can occur often during the night. Generally, the brain works the sleeping person up when apnoea occurs, often with a snore or snort. How serious is Sleep Apnea? Exp Continue reading >>
Diabetes And Sleep Apnea How Treating Apnea Helps You Fight Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes and sleep apnea combine to make a killer disease. They lead to obesity and heart disease, fatigue and high blood sugars. But you can do something about both. Type 2 diabetes and apnea are two very different conditions that are often found together. You could be diabetic and have obstructive sleep apnea without knowing you have either one. Most of us had insulin resistance for years before we were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Both diabetes and sleep apnea lie hidden in far too many of us. How does this happen? You might think you are sleeping well the whole time that obstructive sleep apnea is making your diabetes worse. One third of men with type 2 diabetes also have sleep apnea. In men older than 60 the number becomes almost two thirds. Among women the number is about one half. If you snore at night and you are observed to stop breathing and then gasp for air or cough, that is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) at work. Several things can cause your airway to close when you sleep. Being overweight is number one because losing weight improves and often ends sleep apnea. During sleep your throat muscles relax so that a large uvula, the thing that dangles at the back of your throat, blocks your windpipe. Your tongue also falls back into your throat as you sleep. Overweight people have larger tongues. The more fat stored around your neck and abdomen, the worse the sleep apnea is likely to be. Because you can have sleep apnea without knowing it, OSA often goes for years untreated. That is why it is a silent killer. Legionella Testing Lab - High Quality Lab Results CDC ELITE & NYSDOH ELAP Certified - Fast Results North America Lab Locations legionellatesting.com Apnea means you go for a few seconds to several minutes without breathing. This puts a strain on your heart Continue reading >>
Restless Sleep, Restless Blood Sugar
Kristen Knutson, PhD, recently added to the growing body of research from the University of Chicago on the long-term consequences of skimping on sleep. She found that diabetics who sleep poorly have a harder time controlling their insulin and glucose levels than diabetics who sleep well. The research was published in the journal Diabetes Care. We conducted an extended interview with Kristen Knutson about her research, and below are some of the highlights. Q: Why study diabetes and chronic sleep problems? A: Many of our laboratory studies, led by Dr. Eve Van Cauter, have shown that restriction of sleep is associated with alterations in glucose metabolism. Usually, these lab studies are a week. But we wonder about the long-term effects of being a chronic short sleeper. We think that chronic poor sleep could put people at risk of many health problems, including diabetes. Q: How did you design your study? A: We used data from an epidemiologic study called CARDIA (coronary artery risk development in young adults). It started in 1985, and has been going on for more than 20 years. We gave the participants wrist activity monitors—it’s like a wristwatch that measures the subject’s sleep duration. The participants wore the activity monitors for three nights in a row. A year later, they wore the monitors three more nights. So we had a total of six days of data. We also asked them about their sleep. Did they wake up frequently during the night, three or more times per week? Did they have trouble falling asleep? To get the measurements of their fasting blood glucose and fasting blood insulin, we used the data from the CARDIA study, in which the participants gave fasting blood samples. Their fasting blood glucose and insulin give us an estimate of insulin resistance. Q: Explain Continue reading >>
Link Between Sleep & Diabetes: Everything You Need To Know
According to National Sleep Foundation, 63% of American population do not get enough daily sleep. Do you also know that most people who suffer from diabetes often have poor sleeping habits? This includes irregular sleeping schedule, difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. And although little has been mentioned about caregivers and parents of diabetes patients, they are more likely to acquire poor sleeping habits and have a higher tendency to suffer from sleeping problems and consequently develop Type 2 diabetes themselves. So if you have diabetes or are currently caring for someone who has diabetes, this article will educate you more about how sleeping disorders can affect your health and how you can get better sleep. This article will cover the following topics: Relationship Between Sleep and Diabetes Your health and sleep go hand in hand. When you do not sleep enough, your body does not get the needed time to repair. As a result, you tend to be unfocused and irritable, and you suddenly have the urge to eat. If this scenario sounds too familiar to you, maybe you should rethink about the relationship between sleep and your diabetes. The Missing Link — Hormones Sleep plays a crucial role in restoring our body cells. Under healthy conditions, after eating, the pancreas secretes insulin to signal fat cells and muscles to absorb the glucose from food to be used for energy creation and prevents the body from using fat as energy source. This chain of reaction causes the blood glucose levels to resume normal. And to prevent the individual from feeling hungry, the body produces the hormone leptin to depresses the appetite. However, when it comes to diabetes individuals, the muscle and fat cells fails to respond to insulin. This causes a high glucose level in the bloodst Continue reading >>
Sleep Apnea Spikes Blood Sugar, Blood Pressure, And Stress Hormones
We know that sleep apnea can significantly impact your health. When your body stops breathing at night, all your systems are affected. Sleep apnea treatment controls these impacts so that you can avoid serious health problems. Now a new study shows how skipping just one night’s treatment can cause serious disruption of your body’s metabolic function. It also shows that sleep apnea’s health impacts aren’t secondary to diabetes or high blood pressure. Instead, diabetes and high blood pressure get worse because of sleep apnea. Real-Time Metabolic Effects Study authors said that their research is one of the first studies looking at the real-time impact of sleep apnea on the body’s metabolism during the night. They looked at 31 obese patients with an average age of 51. As they slept, all patients were monitored either while they were using their CPAP machine or as the third consecutive night without treatment. During the night,researchers measured levels of: Blood fatty acids Insulin Blood sugar Stress hormone cortisol The levels of these measures rose in people who didn’t use their CPAP machine. And the rise was most severe for those with the most severe sleep apnea. Blood pressure was tested after each night sleeping. It also rose in people who weren’t getting their treatment. Independent Effects of Sleep Apnea This study shows, among other things, that sleep apnea is not secondary to diabetes or high blood pressure. Instead, it showed that the effects of sleep apnea can independently increase blood sugar, blood pressure, and stress hormone levels. This makes sleep apnea an independent health risk, not just something that goes along with obesity and shares its risk factors. Treat Sleep Apnea All Night Every Night This study also shows us why having a sleep ap Continue reading >>
The Diabetes-sleep Apnea Link
By Marianne Wait Maybe your bedmate has noticed that you snore loudly and stop breathing for seconds or even minutes at a time, and then start again with a loud snort or gasp. Or perhaps you’re inexplicably tired during the day despite getting a solid seven or eight hours of sleep. If this sounds like you, you may have sleep apnea. What is Sleep Apnea? People with sleep apnea stop breathing or have periods of very shallow breathing while sleeping, usually multiple times a night. It’s no wonder they wake up exhausted. The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea, in which the airway collapses or becomes blocked during sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea is more common in people who are overweight, but it can affect anyone. Central sleep apnea is less common. It occurs if the area of the brain that controls breathing fails to send the right signals to the breathing muscles. Symptoms of Sleep Apnea Most people who have sleep apnea don’t know they have it. Other signs and symptoms include morning headaches, dry mouth, or a sore throat; difficulty concentrating; irritability or depression; and waking up often to urinate. If your doctor suspects sleep apnea, he or she may refer you to a sleep specialist. That expert may prescribe a sleep study, either at home using portable monitors or in a sleep lab, to help make the diagnosis. How Diabetes and Sleep Apnea are Connected People with type 2 diabetes are at much higher than average risk for sleep apnea—and in a vicious cycle, having untreated sleep apnea can raise blood glucose levels. On the positive side, if you have type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea, treating your sleep apnea may help you manage your blood sugar levels and could even improve your insulin sensitivity, according to the American Academy of Sl Continue reading >>
Untreated Obstructive Sleep Apnea Could Worsen Heart Health And Blood Sugar Levels
Untreated obstructive sleep apnea could worsen heart health and blood sugar levels Untreated obstructive sleep apnea could worsen heart health and blood sugar levels Proper treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) could have benefits for the heart and blood sugar levels , according to new research. People with OSA, a condition more likely to be experienced by people with type 2 diabetes , often suffer interrupted breathing as a result of airways becoming blocked during sleep . Scientists now say that those who do not use CPAP machines, which help keep airways open, could experience declining heart health and blood sugar control. However, the research team from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, US, say they could not be sure whether their findings applied to people with milder sleep apnea . Lead author Dr Jonathan Jun said it has been for difficult for researchers to conclude whether obesity increases the risk of sleep apnea, or vice versa. That's why in this study they compared patients who were known to regularly use their CPAP machines, and assessed how this effective their health outcomes. A total of 31 people with moderate-to-severe OSA were recruited. They spent two nights in the laboratory, using their CPAP on only one of the nights. The researchers collected blood samples from the participants every 20 minutes while they slept. On the night without CPAP, the patients had low levels of oxygen in their blood, poor sleep and an increased heart rate . Their blood samples showed an increase in the stress hormone cortisol , and fatty acids, while increases were observed in blood pressure and arterial stiffness, indicating a risk of heart problems. "These were obese patients and patients with relatively severe sleep apnea. They also had other medical problems," Continue reading >>
New Study Links Blood Sugar Levels With Sleep Apnea
Researchers have found an association between obstructive sleep apnea and increased blood sugar levels, with severity of the sleep disorder being linked with increased levels. Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by brief pauses in breathing during sleep, causing daytime fatigue; it’s also been linked with a number of health problems, including heart disease, depression, and weight gain. The findings, published in the European Respiratory Journal, included 5,294 people without diabetes who were part of the European Sleep Apnoea Cohort. Researchers examined the severity of their sleep apnea, and also measured their blood levels of glycosylated hemoglobin, or HbA1c (an indicator for the average blood sugar level over time). People with diabetes are known to have higher levels of HbA1c than people without diabetes; higher levels are also an indicator of poor blood sugar control and an increased risk for heart disease. Researchers found an association between HbA1c levels and sleep apnea severity. Specifically, the people in the study with the least severe sleep apnea also had the lowest HbA1c levels, while people with the most severe sleep apnea had the highest HbA1c levels. The findings held true even after taking into account factors including obesity, sex and daytime sleepiness. The findings add to research suggesting a link between sleep apnea and diabetes. A recent study presented at the ATS 2012 International Conference showed that moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea predicted Type 2 diabetes, and that sleep apnea was associated with HbA1c levels. Continue reading >>
The Link Between Sleep Apnea And Diabetes
The American Diabetes Association estimates that nearly 30 million Americans live with diabetes. Even more concerning, diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the U.S. The condition can be caused by an autoimmune problem, where the body attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin to keep blood sugar levels in check. This is known as type 1 diabetes. Or, the condition can be type 2 diabetes which arises from insulin resistance–where the body doesn’t respond to insulin and blood sugar remains at abnormal levels. Type 2 diabetes is more common and is not an autoimmune disease but rather a “lifestyle disease” once known as adult-onset or noninsulin-dependent diabetes. There is no cure for type 2 diabetes, but it can be managed and prevented. Type 2 diabetes is often associated with obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease, but recent research has pinpointed another condition that is linked as well: sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is more than just an issue with sleep quality. Sleep apnea is the interruption of breathing, typically caused when tissue in the back of the throat collapses into the airway, blocking the breath, and is associated with a host of health issues. Experts have grown certain that the disorder increases cardiovascular (heart) risk, for example. There’s also mounting evidence that sleep apnea may contribute to problems like insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and type 2 diabetes. “If you have hypertension (high blood pressure), you’re more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea; and if you have sleep apnea, you are more likely to have hypertension,”says Said Mostafavi, M.D., the Chief Medical Officer for Advanced Sleep Medicine Services, Inc. and a sleep specialist. “In the same way, if you have diabetes, you’re mor Continue reading >>
Sleep Apnea Can Make Managing Diabetes More Difficult: What You Need To Know
Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy Do you snore? Do you feel fatigued every day? Do you wake up frequently throughout the night? It may be that the shallow breathing or breaks in breathing caused by sleep apnea are the reason. If you have diabetes, it is critical to manage your sleep apnea . According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), approximately 18 million people have sleep apnea, with up to 80 percent of people undiagnosed. If you have diabetes, sleep apnea can make it more difficult to manage your diabetes. This is because when your breathing pauses while you sleep, there is an increase in carbon dioxide in your blood. This leads to: Insulin resistance so that the body doesnt use insulin effectively. This causes more sugar in the blood stream leading to high blood sugars. A higher incidence of heart problems or cardiovascular disease. Inadequate rest or sleep can also lead to lack of motivation to exercise or plan meals. This often leads to irritability, which can affect relationships with family, friends and coworkers. Sleepiness also can cause people to forget to take their medications and lead to further diabetes complications. Sleep apnea may be genetically linked and it is most commonly found in those who are overweight or obese, people who smoke and are over the age of 40. There are different types of sleep apnea, one of which is obstructed sleep apnea (or OSA), which is when breathing is interrupted by a physical block to airflow. With OSA, snoring is common. The NIH reports that 12 million Americans have OSA, and for people with type 2 diabetes it is a common condition to have. Research shows that an increa Continue reading >>
