Blood Vessel Damage: The Surprising Ways Your Sleep Affects Diabetes Health

Abnormal sleep patterns, particularly shorter or longer than the optimal 7-9 hours, are linked to increased microvascular disease risks in people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, suggesting a need for targeted sleep interventions.

New research to be presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) (Madrid, September 9-13) shows that people recently diagnosed with diabetes who experience short or long sleep duration are more likely to experience microvascular disease (damage to the small blood vessels), which could ultimately lead to more serious complications. The study is by Mette Johansen and Thomas Olesen, Steno Diabetes Center Odense, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark, and colleagues.

Study Details and Methodology
Microvascular complications, such as retinopathy and nephropathy, are major contributors to complications associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Increasing evidence suggests that variations in sleep duration may influence the risk of developing diabetes-related complications. This study aimed to explore the relationship between sleep duration and the presence of microvascular disease in individuals newly diagnosed with T2D.