Difficulty falling or staying asleep is linked to an 87% higher chance of dying from any cause in people with diabetes over the next nine years, according to a new study. A simple question can help clinicians identify patients who may need additional support to lower their risk, investigators say.
The researchers analyzed data from the UK biobank on more than 480,000 participants who were asked the following question: “Do you have trouble falling asleep at night or do you wake up in the middle of the night?” These participants were then followed over an average of nine years.
More than a quarter of the participants stated that they “normally” had trouble sleeping, and almost half had these symptoms “sometimes”. The risk of death was highest among those with diabetes and frequent sleep disorders, reported correspondent author Kristen L. Knutson, Ph.D., of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago.
Complaints about difficulty falling or staying asleep deserve medical attention, Knutson and colleagues concluded. “Frequent sleep disorders can be an important health indicator that clinicians should consider, especially for those with diabetes,” they said. “We have found that a single question is enough to determine the risk of mortality.”
Diabetes has previously been linked to insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke. Other studies have linked type 2 diabetes, poorer sleep quality, and higher hemoglobin A1c, suggesting poorer glycemic control, the authors say. That connection suggests that impaired glucose control may contribute to increased mortality, they said.
The full results were published in the Journal of Sleep Research.
Subjects:
Clinical Diabetes Diabetes Care Mortality Risk Sleep Disorders Sleep Quality