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Association between insomnia symptoms and hemoglobin A1c level in Japanese men

Yuko Kachi1, Mutsuhiro Nakao, Takeaki Takeuchi

  • 1Department of Hygiene and Public Health, School of Medicine, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan. katti@orange.zero.jp

Plos One
|July 13, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Insomnia symptoms like difficulty maintaining sleep and early morning awakening are linked to higher hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels in men. This association shows a dose-response relationship, highlighting sleep quality

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Limited evidence exists on the association between insomnia symptoms and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels.
  • Previous studies have yielded inconclusive results regarding this relationship.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of specific insomnia symptoms on HbA1c levels in Japanese men.
  • To determine if difficulty initiating, maintaining, or early morning awakening impacts HbA1c.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study of 1,022 male workers (aged 22-69) with no prior diabetes diagnosis.
  • Insomnia symptoms (difficulty initiating/maintaining sleep, early morning awakening) were assessed based on frequency (lasting >2 weeks, sometimes, seldom/never).
  • High HbA1c was defined as ≥6.0%, with adjustments for potential confounding factors.

Main Results:

  • The prevalence of high HbA1c was 5.2% among the study participants.
  • Difficulty maintaining sleep and early morning awakening showed a positive, linear association with high HbA1c.
  • Specifically, difficulty maintaining sleep (lasting >2 weeks or sometimes) and early morning awakening (lasting >2 weeks) were significantly associated with high HbA1c.

Conclusions:

  • Insomnia symptoms, particularly difficulty maintaining sleep and early morning awakening, are closely associated with elevated HbA1c levels.
  • A dose-response relationship was observed between the severity/frequency of these insomnia symptoms and HbA1c levels.
  • These findings underscore the importance of addressing sleep disturbances in managing glycemic control.
Abstract

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