Sleep Apnea and Diabetes: Sleep, Stress, and Blood Sugar

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been correlated with a number of serious diseases and health conditions, including high blood pressure, heart attack, and osteoporosis. However, one of the most serious and common conditions that researchers have tied to sleep apnea is Type II diabetes. Could your diabetes be aggravating your sleep apnea, and could your sleep apnea be affecting your blood sugar levels at the same time? Let’s take a closer look at the relationship between sleep apnea and diabetes.

Diabetes and Sleep Apnea Studies

We still have much to learn about the relationship between sleep apnea and diabetes. However, scientists have uncovered an increasing amount of information that allows us to better understand the connection and better treat both disorders. While a number of small studies have confirmed a link between diabetes and sleep apnea, a large study out of the University of Toronto is the most conclusive and convincing. The sleep apnea study, which examined 8,678 participants from 1994 to 2010, found that those with moderate to severe sleep apnea had a 30 percent higher chance of developing Type II diabetes than those with mild sleep apnea or no signs of sleep apnea. The study was corrected for a number of factors, including age, sex, body mass index, neck circumference, smoking, and income status. In another important study examining sleep apnea and diabetes, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute in Los Angeles found that disrupted sleep patterns in the early morning hours caused an elevation of fatty acids, which in turn increased insulin resistance. The study closely followed the sleep patterns and fatty acid levels of 19 healthy men over four nights. The conclusion? Sleep apnea makes it harder for those with diabetes to control their blood sugar levels.

A More Complex Relationship?

The relationship between diabetes and sleep apnea doesn’t stop at disturbed sleep, nocturnal fatty acid levels and insulin resistance. As anyone with both OSA and Type II diabetes knows, the two diseases can feed off of each other exacerbate each other in a large number of ways:

• Your lack of sleep ups your stress levels, which affects your hormones and your glucose levels.
• Your daytime fatigue makes it more difficult to exercise and therefore keep your blood sugar better managed.
• Your sleep apnea affects your ability to process oxygen, which makes it more difficult to exercise.
• Your diabetes may make it difficult to control your weight, which aggravates your sleep apnea – and vice versa.
• Your daytime drowsiness may increase your appetite, which affects your weight and your diabetes management.

Surgical Solutions for Sleep Apnea

Could permanently and successfully treating your sleep apnea help you control your diabetes? At Surgical Sleep Solutions, multiple patients have reported that undergoing bimaxillary advancement surgery has helped them regain their health in a large number of ways, including helping them control their blood sugar levels. Patient report losing weight, gaining the ability to exercise, and being able to cut back their diabetes treatments.

To learn more, call our team today at (855) 560-7378 or request more information below.

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