Sleep loss over a period of months can make a person more susceptible to serious health conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes. If you use the weekends for catching up on lost sleep, however, you may be able to avoid the higher risk of diabetes associated with chronic sleep deprivation.
Sleep Deprivation Messes Up Insulin Response:
A small study of 19 healthy young men showed that after four days of sleep deprivation they had lower insulin sensitivity and were less able to control blood sugar levels. Presumably, a continued lack of sleep would have made the problem even worse.
Catching Up on Lost Sleep:
Testing after two days in which they caught up on their sleep showed a quick recovery to normal levels of insulin sensitivity. During each catch-up night, the men snoozed almost 10 hours on average.
What We Learn from This Little Study:
The study shows that even short-term sleep loss has negative metabolic consequences, but this can be reversed so long as the lack of sleep is not sustained for too long. The scientists point out that the participants in the study were young, healthy and lean. No one knows if people with pre-diabetes or metabolic syndrome would react in the same way.
