Does Sleeping Too Much Raise Your Risk for Diabetes?
Many of us love sleeping, taking naps, sleeping in over the weekend, especially during the cold winter months. It just feels good because sleep lets us relax and recharge. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American sleeps 8 hours and 45 minutes a day and the recommended amount of time to sleep is between 7 and 8 hours. But, does sleeping too much put you at risk for Type 2 Diabetes?
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A recent longitudinal Nurses’ Health Study found that increasing sleep duration over time may raise the risk for type 2 diabetes in middle-aged and older women. Researchers analyzed 59,031 women to assess the relationship between long-term changes in sleep duration and changes in energy balance and their risk for type 2 diabetes.
Most of the women, about 49% reported getting about 7 to 8 hours of sleep and 15% slept 6 or fewer hours, and about the same proportion slept 9 or more hours. Compared to those women whose sleeping patterns didn’t change, those increases or decreases of 2 hours or more had a higher body mass index (BMI), got less exercise and had a poorer diet. They were also more likely to snore, smoke, take antidepressants, have hypertension, high cholesterol and a family history of diabetes.
