Sleep duration can make diabetics more vulnerable to blood vessel damage: Study

New Delhi: People with Type 2 diabetes who experience short or long sleep duration are more prone to microvascular disease, or damage to the small blood vessels, which can lead to serious complications in the future, according to a study on Friday.

The study by Odense University Hospital in Denmark showed that microvascular complications, such as retinopathy and nephropathy, are the top contributors to complications associated with diabetes.

Variations in sleep schedules can further heighten the risk of these complications, revealed the study.

The study included 396 participants, averaging 62 years with a high body mass index (BMI) and on antihypertensive medicine.

Of these 28 per cent of participants had long sleep duration, 60 per cent had ideal sleep, and 12 per cent had short sleep.

People with short sleep duration had a 38 per cent prevalence of microvascular damage. Those with optimal sleep had an 18 per cent risk, while the long sleep duration group had 31 risks.

People with the short sleep duration had a 2.6 times higher chance of developing the condition, while the long sleep group had a 2.3 times higher risk than the optimal sleep category.

Age was another factor, said the researchers. People under the age of 62, had a 23 per cent risk, and the number was nearly 6 times higher among the elderly.

"Both short and long sleep durations are associated with a higher prevalence of microvascular disease compared to optimal sleep duration at night. Age amplifies the association between short sleep duration and microvascular disease, suggesting increased vulnerability among older individuals," the team said.

They suggested lifestyle changes like good sleeping habits, but also stressed further studies. The study will be presented at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Spain.