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Inadequate sleep as a contributor to type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents
1Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Insights
Short sleep duration and poor sleep quality in children and adolescents are linked to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) biomarkers. More research is needed to understand sleep
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Sleep Medicine
- Metabolic Health
Background:
- Sleep deprivation is a significant, modifiable health risk in humans.
- Short sleep duration and poor sleep quality are prevalent in children and adolescents, with a notable decline in sleep duration over recent decades.
- This demographic shows a concerning trend in sleep patterns, potentially impacting long-term health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a comprehensive overview of existing literature on sleep and its association with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) biomarkers in pediatric populations.
- To synthesize findings from observational and experimental studies examining the relationship between sleep characteristics and T2D risk factors in children and adolescents.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a narrative review of 23 studies, including 21 observational and 2 experimental studies.
- Analyzed data focusing on sleep duration (objective and subjective), sleep architecture, and sleep quality in relation to T2D biomarkers.
- Considered potential confounding factors such as adiposity, maturity, sex, and age.
Main Results:
- Compelling evidence suggests an association between sleep duration and architecture with T2D biomarkers in children and adolescents, though results are sometimes conflicting and influenced by adiposity, maturity, sex, and age.
- Suppression of slow-wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep is linked to insulin resistance.
- Limited studies on sleep quality found associations with insulin resistance that were dependent on adiposity levels.
Conclusions:
- Despite conflicting findings, a link exists between sleep duration/architecture and T2D biomarkers in the pediatric population.
- Further experimental research is crucial to elucidate the mechanisms connecting insufficient sleep with T2D development.
- Developing effective strategies to improve sleep hygiene in children and adolescents is essential for better health outcomes.
Abstract:
Lack of sleep is a modifiable risk factor for adverse health in humans. Short sleep duration and poor sleep quality are common in the pediatric population; the largest decline in sleep duration over the past decades has been seen in children and adolescents. The objective of the present narrative review was to provide for the first time an overview of the literature on sleep and its association with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) biomarkers in children and adolescents. For this narrative review, 23 studies were retained (21 observational and 2 experimental studies). Notwithstanding the conflicting results found in these studies and despite being attenuated by adiposity level, maturity, sex and age, there is still some compelling evidence for an association between sleep duration (for both objective or subjective measurements of duration) and architecture with one or more T2D biomarkers in children and adolescents. The majority of the studies reviewed did focus on sleep duration and one or more T2D biomarkers in children and adolescents, but sleep architecture, more precisely the suppression of slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep, has also been shown to be associated with insulin resistance. Only two studies looked at sleep quality, and the association between sleep quality and insulin resistance was not independent of level of adiposity. Future experimental studies will help to better understand the mechanisms linking insufficient sleep with T2D. Work also needs to be carried out on finding novel and effective strategies aimed at improving sleep hygiene and health outcomes of children and adolescents.
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