Being diagnosed with diabetes does not necessarily mean that you will have poor sleep habits. Nor do poor sleep patterns on their own cause diabetes.
However, there is an interplay between the two.
Diabetes symptoms can interfere with healthy sleep patterns, and poor sleep habits can contribute to behaviors that add to the risks of developing type 2 diabetes.
If your symptoms are poorly managed, you could end up having difficulty getting quality sleep. Here are some reasons as to why.
1) High blood sugar levels can induce frequent urination, therefore, getting up several times at night just to urinate can indeed affect sleep.
2) If your blood glucose levels rise, your body is more likely to draw water from your tissues. This creates a feeling of thirst. If you have these feelings at night, chances are you’ll be getting up more often and this can certainly affect your sleep.
3) If you are hypoglycemic, which means your blood sugar runs lower than the normal range, you may feel dizzy. This most usually affects insulin-dependent (type 1) diabetics. Other symptoms of hypoglycemia include shaking and sweating and these can make it too hard for you to sleep too.
Practice Good Sleep Habits to Improve Blood Sugar Regulation
The human body loves routines. Therefore any disruption to the body’s routine can have an adverse impact on your overall health. If the risks of diabetes are to be reduced, you need to establish healthy routines. If you haven’t been paying attention to your sleep routine, now is the time to do so.
Below are some tips to help you start establishing healthy sleep patterns and thereby reducing your diabetes risk.
If you have sleep apnea, act now, take action!
One way to do this is to use a CPAP machine (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). This is a device that helps ensure you get enough oxygen every night while you sleep. Studies have already shown that those who use CPAP were able to improve their glycemic control.
Stick to a schedule – Go to bed early!
Make it a habit to go to bed early. Your body needs sleep for so many important reasons! Create a bedtime and morning wake up routine and stick to it.
Don’t use mobile devices before bed or in bed.
The light emitted from your tablet or smartphone sends signals and messages to your brain that it’s not yet time to sleep. Plus, if you keep on using your mobile devices once you’ve got into bed, you’re not giving your brain a chance to unwind. You are stimulating your brain, rather than making peace with it.
Avoid drinking too much fluid before going to bed.
This is to avoid having to urinate a couple of times in the middle of the night. Avoid alcoholic drinks and caffeinated beverages, as these contribute to headaches, poor sleep quality, and the need to urinate frequently.
Check your sleep environment.
It has to be cool or warm enough to promote feelings of relaxation. If it’s noisy, do something about it by blocking the sound coming into your bedroom. If you can’t because the sounds are out of your control, you may like to try wearing ear-plugs.
Daytime napping required? Keep your daytime naps short.
If you need to nap during the day, they shouldn’t last for more than 20 minutes. If they do, you run the risk of staying awake past midnight. This is because your body feels that it has already been through it’s sleep mode.
If you follow these steps to get good quality sleep, your body will thank you in so many ways. It will also reduce your risk of developing or worsening type 2 diabetes and also help keep your blood glucose levels within a healthy range. These are only suggestions, which, for some have proven to be essential steps in controlling their Diabetes. We might suggest you try, implementing any of these, try one at a time, take note of their effects.
