Diabetes can have a dire effect on your sleep quality. Everything from nocturnal hypo episodes to sleep apnoea and snoring to insomnia can put a serious dent in your sleep. For diabetics, the impact of disrupted sleep goes beyond the usual lethargy and tiredness during the day. Recent research shows that diabetes and sleep patterns are closely linked. A 2010 study found that diabetics who did not sleep well had:

· Higher levels of blood glucose in the morning

· Higher resistance to insulin

· Greater difficulty in managing their diabetes

· Reduced quality of life.

This paints a pretty grim picture for restful sleep. But there’s a bright side. The same 2010 study suggests that improving sleep quality in diabetics would come close if not equal to the benefits yielded by common diabetes medication. But how can you re-establish a healthy sleep pattern if you are diabetic? Rest assured — it can be done.

An excellent way to get you back on the road to great quality sleep is to get elevated. Much research has been – and continues to be – done regarding the health benefits of elevated sleeping. For example, keeping your head elevated while you sleep can go a long way to curtailing many of those sleep disruptors— sleep apnoea and snoring to name just a couple — that often come hand in hand with diabetes. Keeping your head elevated while sleeping has been found to decrease apnoea and snoring by bringing your tongue forward so it can’t drop back and obstruct your airways.

Dealing with sleep apnoea and snoring through elevated sleeping will contribute to an overall better night’s sleep. Better yet, there are plenty of remote controlled and electronic innovations out there to make elevated sleep effortless.

So wake up to a better night’s sleep by minimising diabetes-related sleep challenges.

References

Cross-Sectional Associations Between Measures of Sleep and Markers of Glucose Metabolism Among Subjects With and Without Diabetes. Kristen L. Knutson, Eve Van Cauter, Phyllis Zee, Kiang Liu, Diane S. Lauderdale. Diabetes Care May 2011, 34 (5)

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