The links between sleep duration, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus
With the surging rates of Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), an increasing prevalence of sleep deprivation and sleep disorders could also be observed. Hence having a know-how of the associations between sleep, obesity and diabetes could offer better and enhanced treatment prospectives. Sleep restriction is associated with B-cell function, insulin resistance and homeostasis. Samiul Mostafa and colleagues thereby put forth a review titled “The links between sleep duration, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus”, the summary of which has been given below.
Objective:
To review the evidence linking sleep duration to Obesity and T2DM along with their associated mechanisms and also investigating the influence of changes in sleep duration on these two conditions.
Method:
A literature review was conducted using sources such as Medline, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL and PsycINFO from initiation to 31 August 2021. The review was focused on cohort and international studies.
Findings:
Shorter sleep duration disturbs the usual homeostasis since it leads to increased appetite. Studies have revealed that the tendency to consume carbohydrate rich foods or foods high in glycemic index increases, coupled with a decline in physical activity which paves the way for obesity. Changes in ghrelin, leptin and GLP-1 hormones as well as inflammation are contributory factors that serve as triggers to the disease. Thereby it could be observed that multiple mechanisms are associated with changes in energy homeostasis, insulin resistance and beta-cell function. Research evidence from previous studies suggests that sleep manipulation has a desired impact on weight loss in accordance with other lifestyle measures. However, it’s impact on T2DM patients need to be analyzed.
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