Updated on July 5, 2024
Do you have diabetes? If yes, do you know you can control diabetes with proper sleep at night? In the present world, many people have lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol and others. Today, most people are maintaining the wrong lifestyles, junk food eating habits, not getting enough sleep at night, and not doing physical activity needed for the body’s muscles.
Most people do not know they can control diabetes with proper sleep. In this article, you will find 5 expert tips to control diabetes with proper sleep. This post is based on a YouTube video by Dr V Mohan. You can watch the video at the bottom to learn more about the importance of sleep in controlling diabetes.
Work stress – Control Diabetes With Proper Sleep
We can’t blame people for all these because many people are working in an office environment with digital devices and are busy. Sometimes they have to work late at night depending on their work. Most working people have to travel daily and for that, they have to start their day early morning and after a busy day, again travel and reach home at night.
Apart from career-related work, working mothers have to take care of their families, children, and aged parents. due to their busy schedule, most people are unable to take their food timely and do not get enough sleep time. Workplace stress, problems in managing family, and other related problems create mental stress and other health issues.
How to control diabetes with proper sleep?
Whenever we talk about diabetes not being controlled people normally say about they did not follow the diet or have not been exercising at all. But most people are not aware of one of the commonest causes of diabetes not being controlled is not getting proper sleep. Are you wondering about what sleep got to do with diabetes?
Most of us think sleep only affects blood pressure. We don’t know about the importance of proper sleep to keep sugar under control. In fact, today it’s become a separate science called the science of Chronobiology. A lot of research on this is done and some very important papers have been published in the last couple of years.
How many hours should sleep?
The study was done in 21 countries with about 150000 people. The answer was very clear. If you sleep between six to eight hours a day, you remain healthy, your diabetes and blood pressure well controlled, and you don’t get heart attacks, in fact, people lived longer. If your body is not getting enough sleep, the body is not resting, blood pressure goes up, the sugar goes up, the heart starts failing and lots of problems come.
What if sleep for 9-10 hrs?
For a child, it’s okay to sleep for nine, ten or even eleven hours. But studies have shown that if you sleep more than eight hours, or if you really need more than eight hours of sleep, probably you’re having some disease which you have missed. Otherwise, why should an adult consistently need more than eight hours of sleep? Between six to eight hours is the best. Sleeping longer than that and shorter than that both are not very good.
What is the best time to sleep?
During the daytime, we are meant to be active and at night we are meant to rest and to have sleep. The day-night cycle is not only in human beings but also in animals, and plants everywhere. The whole of nature depends on this chronobiology.
Found in the research that people who went to bed between 10 p.m and 12 a.m midnight did the best. When people go to bed very late, like 2 a.m./3 a.m., the sugar is never under control. Some people get up in the night often or are disturbed most, often have some tension or some mental stress or worry or something which is disturbing them and that prevents them from sleeping and their diabetes gets out of control.
The message is that sleep is not given the importance that it should be given. If you have diabetes:
- Give the most important to sleep
- Get 8-10 hrs of sleep
- Get into bed between 10 p.m. – 12 a.m.
- Make that a routine
If you do that your chronobiology sets in such a way.
5 Tips To Control Diabetes With Proper Sleep Hygiene
If you follow these five tips for sleep hygiene it will definitely improve the quality and the quantity of your sleep.
- Try to get into bed at the same time every day
- Don’t get into bed within two hours after dinner
- Make your bedroom for sleeping only
- Avoid watching TV at least an hour before bedtime.
- Avoid mobile phones at least 30 mins before bedtime and keep them away.
Read How To Get Better Quality Sleep At Night
Try to get into bed at the same time every so that your brain is expecting that this person is going to sleep now.
Don’t get into bed within two hours after your dinner. Give enough time for digestion. Have an early dinner by 7.30 – 8.30 and sleep by 10-10.30. This will help to keep your sugar under control and also give you a good sleep.
Read What Are The Best Foods For Sound Sleep Through The Night
Your brain must think that your bedroom is a place meant for sleep. In your bedroom, avoid loud music, very bright lights, and other things that distract the brain. Make your bedroom calm.
Some television shows can disturb your sleep because they will keep on going in your brain in bed. Avoid watching TV at least an hour before your bedtime. If you watch, try to watch some funny, melody songs or shows giving happiness to your mind. Never watch shows that make you anxious or stressed at night which can distract your sleep.
Today smartphone addiction is so strong. Avoid using mobile phones at least 30 mins before bed because the reflectance is giving you a lot of radiation. This is very bad for the brain and that’s one of the most important reasons why people don’t sleep.
Do you know Smartphone Addiction Is More Dangerous Than Drug Addiction?
If you follow sleep hygiene, definitely both the quality and the quantity of your sleep will improve. For people with diabetes, it will be a major step forward to get their sugars under good control.
Learn How To Get Better Sleep At Night
How does sleep relate to actual sugar going up?
When you start sleeping irregularly or not sleeping enough, changes occur. Because from the brain itself, the hypothalamus, there are a number of signals going down. And all your hormones go completely out of control. Most of the hormones in the body except insulin increase the sugar. Adrenaline, noradrenaline also called epinephrine and norepinephrine, cortisol and growth hormone all are hormones which tend to increase the sugar.
There is only one hormone which decreases sugar and that is insulin. So all these hormones are actually opposing insulin, not allowing the insulin to work. So if they increase, the insulin is pushed out, and the insulin production also goes down, the way it is secreted is altered, and its action is also impaired. And that is why sugar levels start going up. This happens when you have stress also.
Along with your diet and exercise add the ultimate sleep routine to your list. You will find that your sugars come down very easily. In those who have pre-diabetes, you will even be able to reverse diabetes. Lifestyle plays a very important role not only in controlling your diabetes but also in preventing your diabetes and also in the reversal of your diabetes.
5 Tips to control diabetes with proper sleep – Dr V Mohan
Dr Mohan’s videos educate people to lead a healthy life free of diabetes. In this video, you will find how lack of sleep causes diabetes and 5 tips to control diabetes with proper sleep
About Dr.V Mohan
Dr. V. Mohan is an internationally acclaimed Diabetologist with vast experience of over 40 years. He is the founder of the ‘Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre’ chain that boasts of over 50 diabetes clinics across India. He is also the President and Director at Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MRDF).
After his postgraduate medical education from Madras Medical College, Chennai, Dr.Mohan practiced his research work abroad and has published over 1,460 papers in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. V. Mohan has received over 180 awards, including Padma Shri, the B. C. Roy National Award by the Medical Council of India, and the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Centenary Award. As an added feather to his crown, he also holds the prestige of being the first Indian to receive the Harold Rifkin Award for Distinguished International Service in the Cause of Diabetes.
Read How Can Decrease Belly Fat With Proper Sleep?
Diabetes – Key Facts – WHO
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose. Hyperglycaemia, also called raised blood glucose or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body’s systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.
Health impact
Over time, diabetes can damage the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves.
- Adults with diabetes have a two- to three-fold increased risk of heart attacks and strokes (2).
- Combined with reduced blood flow, neuropathy (nerve damage) in the feet increases the chance of foot ulcers, infection and the eventual need for limb amputation.
- Diabetic retinopathy is an important cause of blindness and occurs as a result of long-term accumulated damage to the small blood vessels in the retina. Close to 1 million people are blind due to diabetes (3).
- Diabetes is among the leading causes of kidney failure (4).
- People with diabetes are more likely to have poor outcomes for several infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
Prevention
Lifestyle measures have been shown to be effective in preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes. To help prevent type 2 diabetes and its complications, people should:
- achieve and maintain healthy body weight;
- be physically active – doing at least 30 minutes of regular, moderate-intensity activity on most days. More activity is required for weight control;
- eat a healthy diet, avoid sugar and saturated fats; and
- avoid tobacco use – smoking increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Source: WHO – Diabetes
Final Thoughts
Hope you found the above expert tips to control diabetes with proper sleep useful. If you have diabetes, follow the advice of your doctor and also have a healthy routine lifestyle. You can surely control diabetes by following guidelines from health experts, controlling your diet, regular exercises and proper sleep. Never ignore diabetes or any diseases. Always consult a doctor and get a health check-up done. Learn to overcome workplace stress. It is better to reprogram your subconscious mind before you sleep. Proper sleep is very important for good health. Remember, you can control diabetes with proper sleep, a healthy diet and simple regular exercises.
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References and credits: YouTube Video – Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Speciality Centre
Mathukutty P. V. is the founder of Simply Life Tips. He is a Blogger, Content Writer, Influencer, and YouTuber. He is passionate about learning new skills. He is the Director of PokketCFO.
He lives with the notion of “SIMPLE LIVING, CREATIVE THINKING”. He Believes – “Sharing is caring.” and “Learning never ends.”