Bad Sleep = Diabetes and Weight Gain?
Sleep has become a precious commodity in the Gloyeske household. Anyone with a baby or young child can relate, I’m sure. The list of reasons a good night’s sleep is important is LONG, so I can sum it up. It’s when all the good stuff happens (along with fasting for periods of time, which we all know I’m a fan of). One particular topic I want to draw attention to is the profound impact a lack of sleep, even just ONE night, can have on our risk of diabetes and weight gain. Not to mention the other co-morbidities associated with those conditions. There have been several studies conducted on sleep and diabetes. One study that caught my eye showed that just one night of 4 hours of sleep reduced insulin sensitivity by up to 25%. In other words, your ability to deal with sugar metabolically is reduced by 25%, EVEN if you DON’T have diabetes! Another study showed that being in a state of sleep deprivation for an extended period can decrease glucose clearance time by up to 40%. This means your blood sugar stays elevated for 40% longer compared to that good night of sleep! That’s not good for anybody. So what can we do about this? Here’s some tips: 1. On days you don’t get the greatest night of sleep, it might be wise to avoid sugar if possible. 2. Walk for 10 minutes or more after each meal. This helps lower postprandial blood glucose much quicker than sitting in a food coma on the couch. 3. Consider a sleep supportive agent. We like to use Pure Encapsulations Cognimag, which is a specific type of magnesium that can be taken at night to aid in a good night sleep. It is allegedly the only type of magnesium that can penetrate the blood brain barrier. CBD is another great sleep aid and we sell various forms in the office. 4. Limit screen exposure at night on electronic devices. 5. Get sunshine in the MORNING. Without sunglasses. Yes, this helps you sleep and aids regular circadian rhythm. 6. Shameless plug...get adjusted! Sure, there’s no definitive studies showing chiropractic makes people sleep better, but I’m a huge fan of all the anecdotes of better sleep we get weekly with patients reporting improved sleep days following a chiropractic adjustment. Feel free to pass this information along! Could help someone you care about!
