According to a recent study, researchers found the “sweet spot” when it comes to getting the ‘best’ amount of sleep.
By Charlotte Smith
Scientists in China have discovered that sleeping too much can be just as harmful as not getting enough sleep, as both can affect blood sugar levels and potentially cause high blood pressure. The research showed that about seven hours and 18 minutes of sleep each night is considered the “sweet spot” and may be the optimal amount to lower the risk of insulin resistance, a warning sign of type 2 diabetes.
The researchers studied 23,475 adults, aged 20 to 80, from 2009 to 2023 in an observational study and found that if you sleep too little during the week, a couple of hours extra at the weekend was beneficial. But if you sleep around seven hours during the week, researchers say you should avoid sleeping in on the weekend.
The research was shared with viewers during today’s (March 4) episode of ITV’s Good Morning Britain. Presenter Susanna Reid shared that she “doesn’t get much sleep” during the week, and will often make up for it “with a nap”.
Sharing her point of view, she said: “[I’m told] you’re supposed to stick to your regular wake-up time. So sleep experts say that I should be waking up at 3.40am on a Saturday morning and a Sunday morning.”
Fellow presenter Ranvir Singh joked: “Great, so I’ll be texting you for a chat at 4am, the whole team.” Susanna added: “Funnily enough I don’t take any notice of those sleep experts’ advice, and I do, must admit, have a lie-in at the weekend.”
Getting seven hours and 18 minutes of sleep each night might be just right to help prevent insulin resistance, which can lead to type 2 diabetes, according to the study, published in the journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care. However, if you try to catch up on sleep during the weekend and sleep more than the ideal amount every night, it could increase the risk of having problems with how your body processes sugar, the study shows.
Insulin resistance happens when the cells in your muscles, fat, and liver don’t react the right way to insulin. This causes too much glucose to stay in your blood – an early sign of type 2 diabetes.
Researchers of the study said: “Importantly, there appears to be a bidirectional relationship between sleep and metabolism. For instance, poor glycemic status itself has been linked to a higher likelihood of both short and extended sleep durations, as well as sleep disorders. This creates a potential vicious cycle wherein metabolic dysregulation disrupts normal sleep patterns, and the resultant abnormal sleep (including extended duration) further aggravates metabolic health.”
How does sleep affect blood pressure and blood sugar?
Getting enough sleep is important for keeping blood pressure and blood sugar in check. When you get seven to eight hours of good sleep, your blood pressure can drop by 10 to 20%, and it helps your body maintain insulin sensitivity. But if you don’t sleep well and get less than six hours, it can raise your blood pressure because of stress hormones and make your blood sugar go up by lowering insulin sensitivity.
Diabetes UK says on its website: “Getting enough quality sleep is important for good health and wellbeing. For people living with diabetes, sleep problems can be common. And getting a good night’s rest can be easier said than done. Changes in your blood sugar levels can play their part in disrupting sleep, and diabetes complications such as neuropathy (nerve damage) and foot pain can also make it hard to sleep.”
The British Heart Foundation says: “It’s probably not a revelation to hear that sleeping well is good for you… Although it is not clear exactly how sleep benefits the heart, research suggests that disturbed sleep is associated with higher levels of a protein called CRP. This is a sign of inflammation, the process linked with heart and circulatory disease. Sleep can also have an indirect impact on heart health by affecting our lifestyle choices.”
A study by researchers at the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Centre found that getting a good night’s rest reduced the risk of coronary heart disease, which is the build-up of fatty plaques in the blood vessels supplying your heart. The study found that six to eight hours of sleep per night seemed to be the optimal amount for a healthy heart.
Dr Epameinondas Fountas, the study’s author, said: “More research is needed to clarify exactly why, but we do know that sleep influences biological processes like glucose metabolism, blood pressure, and inflammations – all of which have an impact on cardiovascular disease.”
Source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/health/sleeping-seven-hours-18-mins-36813114
