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 This combination of risk factors - including high blood sugar, high
cholesterol, extra fat around the midsection, high blood pressure
and excess amounts of fats in the blood - is known as metabolic
syndrome.
“The 'short' sleepers should be aware of the risks of developing
metabolic syndrome, which could lead them to suffer from life
threatening and chronic diseases,” lead author Dr. Jang Young Kim of
Yonsei University in South Korea said by email.
Kim’s team followed about 2,600 adults for more than two years and
found that participants who didn’t get at least six hours of sleep a
night were 41 percent more likely to develop metabolic syndrome than
individuals who got six to eight hours of shuteye.
The findings are drawn from two lifestyle surveys that included
questions about sleep habits. The surveys were administered once
between 2005 and 2008 and again sometime between 2008 and 2011.
Study participants also underwent medical exams and shared their
medical history.
After an average follow-up of 2.6 years, about 560 people in the
study, or 22 percent of participants, developed metabolic syndrome,
according to the results in the journal Sleep.
Short sleep duration was linked to about 30 percent increased risk
of high blood sugar and excess belly fat, as well as 56 percent
higher odds of hypertension, compared to those who slept longer.
One shortcoming of the study is its reliance on participants to
accurately recall and report on their sleep habits, medical
conditions and lifestyle behaviors, the authors acknowledge. It also
lacked data on the quality of sleep.
Still, the findings are consistent with other studies that have
found an association between sleep duration, cardiovascular disease
and metabolic syndrome, said Kristen Knutson, a sleep researcher at
the University of Chicago who wasn’t involved in the study.
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“The strength of this study is that it is a prospective study, which
means short sleep was associated with the development of metabolic
syndrome,” Knutson said by email. “This is important because the
sleep duration was measured before the people had the disease.”
To avoid the ill effects of insufficient sleep, patients should take
a close look at their daily routines and make sure they allow enough
time in their schedule for rest, Knutson said. Some things like time
for work, school or childcare may not be optional, but other things
like time for television or movies might be replaced with more rest.
“We don’t know yet if it is possible to reverse the effects” of too
little sleep, Knutson added. “Still, adopting a healthy lifestyle
which includes appropriate sleep, a healthy diet and sufficient
exercise will be beneficial to your health.”
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1W6UdCS Sleep, online September 25, 2015.
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