Sleep Apnea Increases Diabetes Risk In Older Patients

Earlier this month, a study came out linking sleep apnea to an increased risk of chronic depression. Now, new findings link it to an increased risk of diabetes.

Insufficient sleep is increasingly recognized as a public health problem, with sleep problems resulting in issues from fatal car crashes to increased risks for certain chronic illness. For sleep apnea in particular, those dealing with the problem may frequently stop breathing during sleep , sometimes marked by abrupt, loud snorts or chocking sounds, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Those with sleep apnea are also more at higher risk for certain health issues, such as cardiovascular issues and weight gain from metabolic changes that may occur during short sleep duration. 

"Recent evidence suggests that diabetes patients have a higher prevalence of sleep disturbances than the general population," lead author Linn Beate Strand said in an email via Fox News.

"However, less is known about whether symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later, especially in older adults," added Strand, of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

In this recent study, researchers studied 6,000 U.S. adults who were followed up with for 10 years. They recruited participants from all across the United States between 1989 and 1993--all of whom were 65 or older. At the beginning of enrollment, none of the participants had been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes.

Every six months throughout this period, researchers asked spouses or friends to report if they had seen the affected individual experience any sleep apnea episodes or if he or she seemed excessively sleepy during the daytime. The participants' insulin levels were also measured early on in the study, as well as their fasting blood sugar levels, according to Reuters. 

Findings revealed that older adults who reported sleep apnea, snoring or daytime sleepiness were more likely to have higher fasting blood sugar levels when compared to normal sleepers. They were also more likely to have insulin resistance.

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