Total Sleep Duration and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Evidence-Based On Clinical and Epidemiological Studies

Increasing incidences of type 2 diabetes make it necessary to have a better understanding of the risk factors for its prediction. Taking a note of resilience in risk factors, dynamics of the emerging factors other than traditional ones are showing a great interest in recent years which imprints a significant contribution in the occurrence of diabetes. Of different factors, sleep duration was acknowledged as a most common risk factor for diabetes.

Adhering to the state of information available, studies recruited between 2010- 2016 a total of seven prospective studies including systematic review and meta-analysis were used to establish the relationship between sleep duration and type 2 diabetes. Studies were identified from Medline and Scopus. Studies included in this review was considered based on the different aspects such as maximum follow-up period, number of participants, including both sexes along with similar reference criteria of sleep duration.

With U-shaped association between sleep duration and the onset of diabetes, both short and long-term sleep duration was found contributing to the development of type 2 diabetes. Additionally, studies on the sex-related difference and pervasiveness of diabetes have also reported a profound relationship between short and long sleep hours and risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Our study supports other studies on the relationship between total sleep duration and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This review emphasizes the importance of total sleep duration, sleep quality as a risk marker in monitoring type 2 diabetes.