Discover the interconnectedness of sleep and glucose regulation. Learn about the causes and consequences of irregular blood glucose levels during sleep and how improving your sleep habits can lead to better metabolic health.

Key takeaways:

• Quality of sleep significantly influences blood sugar levels as part of the natural circadian rhythm cycle.
• A lack of adequate sleep is associated with chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
• Insufficient or excessive sleep can contribute to poor blood sugar control and elevated morning glucose levels.
• Continuous monitoring of blood glucose levels can help identify overnight glucose spikes and make necessary lifestyle modifications.

Sleep and health are intrinsically linked. The quality of your sleep directly affects your glucose levels, and vice versa. Every night as you sleep, your blood glucose levels rise and fall, influenced by the natural circadian rhythm cycle.

This cycle ensures the appropriate regulation of crucial hormones like insulin, leptin, cortisol, growth hormone, and ghrelin. These hormones are essential for metabolic health as they regulate body weight, cell generation and repair, and your metabolic rate.

Does lack of sleep affect glucose levels?

Does a lack of sleep affect glucose testing? Yes, sleep deprivation can cause higher than usual readings on a glucose test. Sleep deprivation can lead to impaired glucose metabolism and insulin resistance, contributing to high blood sugar levels.

When you're sleep-deprived, your body may release stress hormones like cortisol, which can elevate blood sugar levels. Moreover, insufficient sleep can impact the balance of hormones like insulin and glucagon that help regulate blood sugar.

Additionally, sleep deprivation can lead to changes in appetite regulation and increased cravings for carbohydrate-rich foods, potentially resulting in higher blood sugar levels.

What influences blood sugar during sleep?

The glucose processed from carbohydrates consumed during the day and stored in the liver are released into the bloodstream during sleep. The rise and fall of blood glucose levels overnight can be affected by factors like:

• Food choices during the day: food consumption during the day, especially carbohydrates, can significantly impact your blood glucose levels at night. Eating a heavy, carbohydrate-rich meal close to bedtime may cause an overnight spike in blood sugar levels.
• Exercise: the amount and timing of physical activity can affect your blood sugar. Regular exercise helps your body to use insulin more effectively and lower blood glucose levels. However, vigorous exercise close to bedtime may interfere with sleep and consequently glucose regulation.
• Stress: stress can increase your body's production of hormones such as cortisol, which can raise your blood sugar levels. Additionally, during the early morning hours, the body naturally releases hormones to prepare for waking up, this is known as the dawn phenomenon. This release can also cause a surge in blood sugar.
• Sleep quality and duration: quality and length of sleep can greatly impact blood glucose levels. Sleep deprivation has been shown to impair the body's glucose regulation and increase insulin resistance.
• Medications: certain medications can influence your blood sugar levels overnight. If these are not appropriately balanced or timed, they might lead to low or high glucose levels while you're asleep. Speak to your doctor about your medications.
• Alcohol: while alcohol can initially lower blood glucose, excessive consumption can lead to a rebound effect, causing high blood sugar levels.

Sleep deprivation and chronic disease

The average number of hours people sleep each night has declined over time, which has resulted in an increase in sleep deprivation. This lack of adequate sleep or insomnia, may be a significant contributor to the prevalence of chronic diseases. Conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and many other health problems have been connected to insufficient sleep.

Research indicates that irregular sleep patterns can negatively impact blood glucose control. This applies to both individuals already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and those at risk of developing the condition.

Blood glucose spikes while sleeping

Blood sugar spikes while sleeping may be caused by factors such as a high carbohydrate meal prior to bed, vigorous exercise before bed, medications, alcohol, or stress.

An increase in blood glucose levels during sleep can cause hyperglycaemia symptoms. Regardless of whether you're at risk of diabetes or have already been diagnosed, recognising the signs of poor glycaemic control while sleeping is vital. These signs may include frequent urination, sleep fragmentation resulting in insufficient sleep, blurred vision, dry mouth, headaches, difficulty breathing, and irritability. Please speak to your doctor if you are experiencing any of these signs or symptoms.

Low blood glucose levels overnight

Overnight low blood glucose levels, also known as nocturnal hypoglycaemia, can be influenced by several factors.

One common cause is overmedication. If there is too much insulin or other glucose-lowering medications in your system, your blood sugar levels can drop excessively. Please speak to your doctor about medications and your blood sugar.

Another contributor can be physical activity. If you engage in excessive exercise late in the evening, it can cause a delayed drop in blood sugar levels. This delay may result in lower blood sugar levels during the night.

Alcohol consumption and dietary factors can also play a significant role. For example, skipping or delaying meals, or not consuming enough carbohydrates, can result in a drop in blood glucose levels.

Common symptoms of low blood sugar include shakiness, sweating, hunger, irritability and blurred vision. Please speak to your health care provider about your symptoms.

Conversely, how does glucose affect sleep?

Glucose and sleep have a bi-directional relationship. Glucose can significantly impact sleep in a number of ways:

• Hyperglycaemia: high blood glucose levels can cause frequent urination and excessive thirst, leading to frequent waking during the night. This can disrupt your hours of sleep.
• Hypoglycaemia: low blood glucose levels can cause symptoms such as night sweats, or even waking up with a headache. These symptoms can cause poor sleep.
• Changes in sleep architecture: unstable blood sugar levels can increase the proportion of lighter stages of sleep while decreasing the proportion of the restorative stages of sleep, like REM sleep.
• Metabolic conditions: conditions such as type 2 diabetes, can increase the risk of sleep-related disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea.

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is a valuable tool for checking your blood glucose levels overnight. Accurate data provided by a CGM device can be used to assess your sleep schedule, eating habits, and exercise plan with your healthcare team. This collaborative effort can help maintain balanced sugar levels and optimise sleep.

Apps like Vively can offer additional support in managing your glucose levels. Vively can provide real-time feedback, aid in tracking your blood glucose levels, and even offer personalised advice on dietary and lifestyle adjustments for better glucose control. By combining good nights sleep, good dietary practices, regular exercise, and digital health tools like Vively, you can take a significant step towards improved metabolic health.