Preliminary evidence of insulin resistance in young adults with impaired sleep

Objective: Impaired sleep is associated with insulin resistance (IR), a precursor to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but is poorly understood in young adults. This cross-sectional study examined sleep characteristics, risk factors for T2DM, and IR in college students. Participants: Thirty-two college students (18-25 years) with either short sleep or poor quality sleep were assessed. Methods: Participants completed self-report measures of sleep and T2DM risk factors. One week of objective sleep was measured with wrist actigraphy. IR was calculated from fasting serum glucose and insulin concentrations. Results: The sample slept on average 6.6 hours/night, and over half had IR. Of those with IR, 44.4% had normal body mass index (BMI), 72% had normal fasting glucose concentrations, and all but one had T2DM risk test score indicating they were not at risk. Conclusions: IR was found in over half of participants; however, many typical T2DM risk factors were not present in those with IR.