Sleep as Self-Care

Preventing Diabetes 

​The longer you stay awake the more challenging it gets for the insulin producing pancreas gland to function well. Already getting less than 7 hours sleep a night, on a regular basis forces the glucose-insulin system beyond its limits as there is too little time for maintenance. Without proper rest glands wear out, causing serious problems.

​Without insulin your blood sugar level goes up, causing stress from head to toe. Acute symptoms include headaches, trouble concentrating and blurred vision. ​​Over time, you risk getting serious trouble such as type 2 diabetes, degrading vision and kidney failure.

​At night, one way to keep awake is snacking. However, fighting tiredness with energy rich food and drinks easily exceeds your needs. Eating 100g chips or candy gives 300 calories, while during the evening, if you sit, you burn only about 100 calories per hour. Extra food requires the body to produce more insulin, forcing the pancreas gland to work over time.

​Another reason to snack at night is feeling hungry. After a meal, it takes about 4 hours for the stomach to get empty and start secreting Gherlin, a hormone, making you feel a need to eat. Therefore, if you had a dinner at 7 pm, by 23 pm you most probably feel a growing need to fill your stomach. Again, too much food forces the body to increase insulin production beyond its ability.

​Moreover, constantly high insulin levels can cause your body to become resistant to its effects. As a result, more and more insulin is needed. People who have insulin resistance have extra issues to deal with, including high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, cancer and dementia.

​Getting Better Sleep​

If you have any questions, please leave a comment.

Sleep well!

Oliver