Have you found it difficult to sleep at night? Are you struggling with higher blood glucose levels overnight or in the morning? There is a link between your sleep and diabetes management.

Sleep is essential for the health of our entire body. Having a good night sleep helps with maintaining a healthy weight and regulating appetite. Poor sleep or less sleep can cause high blood glucose levels in people with diabetes. In addition, it raises the risk of developing insulin resistance in those that don’t have diabetes. Let’s look at this closer.

Cortisol on your blood glucose levels

When you don’t get enough sleep, cortisol can become irregular. Cortisol is a hormone that is released in response to stress and can keep your body awake.

• When cortisol disrupts your sleep cycles, glucose goes into the blood from the liver.
• High cortisol over the long term means there is more glucose going into the blood leading to increased blood glucose levels.
• It also stops insulin production, so the glucose won’t be stored, but it will be available for immediate use which will show in your blood glucose levels.
• Cortisol also stimulates hunger, resulting in increased desire for snacking.

Lack of sleep on eating behaviours

• Sleep deprivation raises levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and decreases leptin, the hormone that makes us feel full.
• To compensate for lower energy levels, people who sleep poorly may be more likely to crave foods that cause blood glucose levels to rise quickly.
• These types of foods are often high in added sugars, which lead to large spikes in blood glucose levels, and also lead to weight gain.
• Lack of sleep will affect our mood and motivation and potentially prevent us from being physically active.
• Lack of sleep can also prevent us from making appropriate food and meal preparation decisions.

Strategies to improve sleep and stabilise cortisol and blood glucose levels

• Set up a structured sleep time – Set yourself a bedtime and waking-up schedule. Stick to this every day.
• Go screen-free. Stop using all devices for at least 30 minutes before bed
• Be active every day. Physical activity not only helps improve insulin sensitivity by encouraging muscle cells to take up blood glucose for energy but is also associated with better sleep.
• Clean up your sleep hygiene. Keep your room dark, cool, and quiet to prepare for a restful night (and waking up less). Eliminate noise that may disrupt your sleep.
• Find your wind-down routine. Use relaxation activities such as a hot shower, meditation, reading a book or journaling before bed to unwind.
• Drink smart. Limit caffeine and alcohol at least before bedtime. Both can cut into sleep quality.
• Avoid having a heavy meal. Not only can heavy meals impact your blood glucose levels, but eating close to bedtime can keep your blood glucose levels high overnight
• Adjust your basal insulin. If there are patterns of high levels during the night and in the morning. Speak to your Diabetes Healthcare Team if you need support adjusting your insulin.
• Try something new. Try an app such as Smiling Mind, Headspace or Simply Being.

Getting a good sleep is an important part of diabetes management. Set yourself up for success by making small changes to your sleeping routine that promote healthy sleep habits.

If sleep is something you would like to improve this year, pick one of the strategies above and begin working on this change. Once you feel that has become well-established you can begin to add more.

Karen Jameson RN, CDE