Warning to Brits who get under six hour sleep a night over serious condition

12 March 2024 , 05:00

907     0

Millions of Brits don't get enough sleep - but what impact does this actually have? (Stock photo) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Everyone knows getting enough sleep is important - but it's not just because you'll otherwise feel grouchy in the morning.

Millions of Brits struggle to get enough kip, with a 2017 poll finding that two-thirds of respondents suffer from disrupted sleep. In fact, 31 per cent of those surveyed believe they have insomnia.

But the impact this has on the body and our mind is often overlooked. Running off little sleep isn't just going to interfere with your concentration and mood - it could have a detrimental effect on your health. In fact, a new study has found an alarming correlation between a lack of sleep and a serious health condition.

Published in JAMA, researchers analysed the sleeping habits and diets of more than 247,000 adults in the UK. It found those who slept less than six hours a night had a 'notably higher risk' of developing type two diabetes compared with those who managed to get seven-eight hours of kip.

Scientists added that even participants who maintained a healthy diet (which was ranked from 0-5 and based on low red meat and high fruit and vegetable consumption) were still at a higher risk of developing the condition. This is a significant finding as obesity is considered a major factor in type two diabetes.

Woman tells of losing 29 kilos and becoming a bodybuilder in her 60s

"Further research is necessary to explore whether specific dietary patterns, such as time-restricted eating, can counteract or alleviate the adverse metabolic consequences associated with short sleep duration," the study concludes. "Future studies exploring the associations among adherence to a healthy diet, sleep duration, and the risk of developing type two diabetes would benefit substantially from including repeated and objective measures of both sleep and dietary habits."

Want the latest health news and fitness tips sent straight to your inbox? Sign up to our

Dr Nuha Ali El Sayed is the senior vice president of Health Care Improvement at the American Diabetes Association. Although he was not involved in the study, he has commented on its findings in an interview with Healthline.

"Sleep disturbances are categorized into long-term and short-term issues, each with different implications for health,” the expert said. "Long-term disturbances, such as insomnia, sleep apnoea, and restless leg syndrome, result in prolonged periods of inadequate or poor-quality sleep and have been linked to various health problems, including an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes."

Liam Gilliver