Metabolic health and sleep are closely related with most experts acknowledging a two-way relationship; however, most of the existing scientific evidence is for the effect of sleep on glycemic control. Studies show adequate (i.e., ~7 hours or more) sleep per night is associated with better glycemic control and metabolic health in adults without diabetes. While more research is needed, short sleep duration (i.e., ~6 hours or less) negatively impacts glucose because inadequate sleep is thought to lead to insulin resistance through increases in inflammatory markers, and possibly through circadian misalignment.
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Singh T, Ahmed TH, Mohamed N, Elhaj MS, Mohammed Z, Paulsingh CN, Mohamed MB, Khan S. Does Insufficient Sleep Increase the Risk of Developing Insulin Resistance: A Systematic Review. Cureus. 2022 Mar 26;14(3):e23501. doi: 10.7759/cureus.23501. PMID: 35494895; PMCID: PMC9036496.