How Much Sleep Do Diabetics Need?

When a diabetic person gets plenty of sleep, they may have an easier time controlling their blood sugar. Diabetics know how important this really is. Enough sleep can also help a diabetic person feel alert, energetic, and less stressed during the day, which can contribute to a better state of mind for monitoring and managing their diabetes and symptoms. Also, getting regular sleep allows people to stick to a regular daily schedule, and for diabetic patients, a regular schedule may be especially necessary.

Also, diabetic people can have potential complications with their sleep. If a diabetic person has high or low blood sugar, this can interrupt sleep significantly. Or if a person with type 2 diabetes doesn’t sleep well, they may be more insulin-resistant and have trouble controlling blood sugar levels. You might be thinking this can be quite serious for a diabetic person, and it really can be.

In addition to all that, it’s common for people with type 2 diabetes to have sleep apnea too, and neuropathy can cause leg pain that can keep diabetic people awake. Sleep apnea and neuropathy are issues we’re especially capable of helping with here at our clinic.

A diabetic person can control all those things and get the sleep they need, especially with the assistance of a sleep clinic like ours.

Sleep quality is definitely important for diabetics, and so is sleep quantity. According to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), a person’s chance of having diabetes, heart disease, or stroke is reduced with 6 to 9 hours of sleep each night. For patients with diabetes, sleep quantity is important, but there isn’t an exact number to aim for that’s different from non-diabetics. Aim for at least 7 hours like everyone else does, and focus on sleep quality too.

Before bed, relax. At least an hour of relaxation before bed can help your body get into sleep mode. Regular sleep habits can too, like going to bed the same time each night, even on weekends. Relaxation techniques like meditation, as well as making your room a perfect place to rest can help.

It can help people a great deal to avoid eating a big meal close to bedtime. This can be especially important for diabetics, but a small bedtime snack may be beneficial. It’s also important to check your blood sugar level at night, an hour before bedtime, and it may be a good idea for you to check your levels again at around 3 am. You can ask us about these things here at Koala® Center For Sleep & TMJ Disorders. And for help with issues like sleep apnea, neuropathy, and others, ask us about the treatments we can provide like oral appliance therapy.

If you’d like to learn more about our treatments and the kind of sleep you should be getting as a diabetic, then reach out to our clinic today. Koala® Center For Sleep & TMJ Disorders has multiple locations in Bloomington IL, Peoria/Dunlap IL, Mishawaka IN, Kansas City MO, El Paso TX and Wausau WI, so please see our Locations page for the one nearest you, or call us. We hope to speak with you soon!