Insomnia With Short Sleep Duration Is A Risk Factor For Diabetes

Individuals with insomnia and objective short sleep duration are at increased risk for developing diabetes, according to a research abstract that will be presented on June 9, at Sleep 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

Results indicate that compared with people who slept six hours or more while being monitored in the sleep laboratory, individuals with insomnia who slept for five or fewer hours had the highest risk of diabetes (odds ratio of 2.95); people with insomnia who slept for five to six hours also had an elevated risk of diabetes (odds ratio of 2.07).

The study gathered data from 1,741 men and women who were randomly selected from Central Pennsylvania; participants were studied in a sleep laboratory. Diabetes was defined based on either fasting blood sugar or treatment. Insomnia was defined by a complaint of insomnia with a duration of at least one year, while "poor sleep" was defined as a complaint of difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or early final awakening. Polysomnographic sleep duration was classified into three categories: people who slept for six or more hours, those who slept five to six hours and those who slept for five hours or less. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios for diabetes...more