Blood sugar (or glucose) can have a significant impact on your sleep patterns. Did you know it could even be the cause of your sleep problems?
The relationship between sleep and blood sugar is bidirectional. In one direction, your sleep directly affects your blood sugar levels (the next day). In the other direction, your blood sugar levels before and during sleep influence your sleep.
Sleep and glucose: Why it matters
Blood sugar affects sleep , and sleep affects physical health. Short sleep duration—less than seven hours in a 24-hour period—can have significant health implications. This explains why adults who lack sleep have a higher risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.
So, getting your sleep habits under control will have a positive impact on your health and life expectancy. We'll show you how to achieve this by monitoring your blood sugar levels.
Sleep is important for your body's recovery process. If you don't get enough sleep, various changes occur in your body.
Sleep affects insulin levels
Sleep influences hormone levels and the circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm naturally controls your sleep-wake cycle by responding to things like light and darkness.
A small group of nerve cells forms the so-called "master clock" in your brain. This internal clock controls hormone secretion, temperature, eating habits, and digestion. For it to function optimally, a consistent day-night rhythm is necessary.
If your circadian rhythm is out of balance, your body's metabolism can deteriorate—and you increase your risk of diabetes.
Additionally, lack of sleep reduces insulin sensitivity, so the body must produce more insulin to stabilize blood sugar levels. This ultimately leads to glucose intolerance and diabetes.
Unfortunately, even a single night of insufficient sleep can impair your body's ability to use insulin effectively. For example, your body may react more strongly to certain foods or you may experience more cravings the day after a restless night.
Sleep regulates hunger hormones
Leptin and ghrelin are two hormones that regulate your appetite. Leptin has several functions in your body. Two of its main roles are long-term energy regulation and metabolism.
Let's look at the mechanism behind it and why it is related to sleep.
The fat cells in your body release leptin to tell your brain that you have enough energy. When it's released, it suppresses your appetite and makes you feel satisfied. When leptin levels are low, you feel hungry.
Several studies have shown that short sleep duration lowers leptin levels, leading to overeating and weight gain. The desire to eat more, in turn, leads to increased carbohydrate intake, which raises blood sugar levels.
Ghrelin has the opposite function of leptin: high ghrelin levels increase appetite and can be the result of sleep deprivation.
The increase in ghrelin levels triggers a feeling of hunger, which leads to eating more carbohydrates, which in turn increases blood sugar levels.
In short, less sleep leads to more cravings and overeating and can be the reason for weight gain .
Sleep influences the activity of the sympathetic nervous system
Lack of sleep, or even insufficient sleep, can increase the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, which controls the "fight-or-flight" response. Sleep deprivation can trigger this "fight-or-flight" mode throughout the day and night, releasing stress hormones like cortisol. Cortisol can lead to chronically elevated blood sugar levels. Long-term consequences of these high blood sugar levels include prediabetes, diabetes, or metabolic syndrome.
Sleep regulates inflammation
Research shows that sleep deprivation increases inflammation levels in the body. Similar to the effects on insulin levels, this effect can occur after just a single sleepless night. Inflammation is one of the body's defense mechanisms, providing valuable protection against viruses and bacteria.
Sleep affects brain function
Glucose fuels the brain. It provides the energy it needs to perform its functions. When sleep deprived, brain activity decreases significantly. You may have noticed that you can concentrate better after eating something sweet. At least for a while.
Sleep helps regulate body fat
As mentioned above, sleep contributes to weight maintenance in many ways, including by regulating hunger hormones and insulin levels. In addition to its hormonal effects, sleep deprivation also increases the level of free fatty acids in the blood. These high fatty acid levels reduce insulin sensitivity and impair the body's ability to metabolize fat.
We believe that these are enough reasons to underline the importance of sleep.
So let's take a look at your blood sugar levels when you sleep.
Blood sugar levels during sleep
In a healthy person, blood sugar levels rise and fall during sleep, which is normal. Some of the changes can be attributed to your sleep phases (usually lower during REM sleep), others to the glass of alcohol you had with dinner (large fluctuations), or they may be related to your circadian rhythm (your liver is most active between 2 and 4 a.m.).
In general, we have found that blood sugar levels tend to be lower during sleep than during wakefulness.
There are currently no general recommendations for nighttime blood sugar levels, but it seems safe that the healthy range during the night is between 70 and 100 mg/dl.
So, they may well be lower than the optimal range of 80-110 mg/dL. However, if you find yourself waking up several times during the night and your blood sugar levels are in the lower range, we recommend optimizing your eating and sleeping habits.
Another fascinating fact about sleep and blood sugar is the phenomenon of dawn.
The phenomenon of dawn is a process that occurs in every human being. In the early morning hours, certain hormones (growth hormone, cortisol, and catecholamines) cause the liver to release sugar into the bloodstream. This process can lead to a short-term rise in blood sugar levels. This is the body's "natural alarm clock."
For most people, the dawn phenomenon usually occurs between 4 and 8 a.m., depending on their sleep-wake cycle. Your blood sugar level should drop again within a few hours.
High blood sugar levels (>110 mg/dl)
High blood sugar levels before bedtime can affect the nervous system, making it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. This can trigger insomnia and increase cortisol and adrenaline levels, preventing the body from fully relaxing.
You may need to go to the bathroom more often, which disrupts your sleep. This is because your kidneys are trying to flush the excess glucose from your body.
High blood sugar can cause you to feel dehydrated and wake up from sleep to rehydrate with a glass of water.
They can also make you feel hot or irritable and restless, making it harder to fall asleep.
Low blood sugar (< 70 mg/dl)
Hypoglycemia can occur in both diabetics and non-diabetics. It can also severely disrupt your sleep. Your blood sugar levels can drop due to stress, alcohol, insulin resistance, etc.
Sleep disturbances caused by high/low blood sugar levels can lead to a problematic cycle of poor sleep and poor blood sugar control.
What does your sleep look like?
Your blood sugar levels can have a significant impact on how your body feels and functions. Therefore, maintaining stable blood sugar levels can be an important factor in your overall well-being.
Hello Inside lets you track your blood sugar levels over time using a continuous glucose monitor, helping you make decisions that promote your health.
Ready to take the first step? Take our quiz now to find out which Hello Inside program is right for you.
