When blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be Type 2 diabetes these patients are classed as prediabetics with very high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Lack of sleep has been linked to increased risks for numerous health conditions such as obesity and diabetes; and evening preference has been linked to higher weight and risk for diabetes. This study was conducted to investigate relationships between morning/evening preference and BMI among prediabetics.
2,1333 prediabetic participants with an average age of 64 and average BMI of 25.8 kg per meter squared were enrolled for this study with preference for morning or evening assessed through questionnaires, average sleep duration was 7 hours per night. Subjects younger than 60 higher levels of social jet lag were associated with higher BMI; subjects aged 60+ with evening preference were found to have higher BMIs with the effect being partly due to having insufficient sleep but not social jet lag. Nightowls with evening preference were associated with higher BMI.
Social jet lag reflects a shift in sleep timing between weekdays and weekends, larger shift in sleep timing/social jetlag is known to be associated with higher BMI in some populations. Duration and timing of sleep are modifiable factors, aiming for more regular bedtimes and duration may help to reduce BMI and potential development of diabetes in high risk groups, according to the researchers.
