Diabetes goes beyond tracking sugar levels. It is a multifaceted condition that involves inflammation, metabolism, gut health, muscle mass, activity, sleep, emotional health, mindset, faith, belief system, and much more.
One of the crucial pillars to focus on is sleep. In fact, it all starts with a good night of rest. If you have diabetes, it's not okay to skimp on sleep or be sleep-deprived. Even medical science shows the correlation between one night of sleep deprivation and blood sugar levels, says Luke Coutinho, Integrative Lifestyle Expert. He adds that one can eat the best low GI foods, but if you aren't sleeping well, you'll have irregular blood sugar levels. Chronic sleep deprivation leads to insulin resistance and worsens type 2 diabetes.
Here’s how sleep affects diabetes, according to Coutinho.
Inflammation: Diabetes is an inflammatory disease and even medical science attests to that. The more sleep deprived we are, the more inflammation exists in our body. You can take curcumin supplements. But even these won't help if you don't get enough sleep.
Cravings and all-over-the-place appetite: Ghrelin and leptin are two appetite hormones that balance when we sleep well. Ghrelin is an appetite-stimulating hormone, and leptin is a satiety hormone. When sleep-deprived, ghrelin levels rise, and leptin falls. It results in unexplained cravings.
Elevated cortisol and hormonal imbalance: If you are sleep-deprived, you are likely to have elevated levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. When cortisol levels are high, it has a cascading effect on several other hormones in our body, including insulin. It triggers the state of fight or flight, prompting our body to pump in more glucose into the blood for energy in an honest attempt to prepare us for this response. While our body is doing the right thing, unfortunately, it doesn’t work for us in the longer run if we are chronically sleep-deprived.
If you are sleep-deprived, you are likely to have a hormonal imbalance because hormones balance when our body is in a state of sleep. And, if you have a hormonal imbalance, you also have an imbalance in insulin since insulin is also a hormone. And keeping insulin levels low is key to keep diabetes, fat loss, metabolism in check.
A drop in motivation leading to missed workouts: A night of inadequate sleep often results in low motivation levels to engage in physical activity. Fatigue, grogginess, and overall lethargy become barriers to regular workouts. Considering how important regular workout is in managing blood sugar levels and building lean muscle, sleep deprivation becomes a big obstacle to effective diabetes management.
Dampened metabolism: Diabetes is a manifestation of metabolic dysfunction. Inadequate sleep disrupts the metabolic processes, contributing to insulin resistance and impaired glucose metabolism. Fix your sleep. This is non-negotiable. Your hormones (including insulin) balance in a state of complete rest.
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