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Night owls have a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes, says study. How can night-shifters control blood sugar? | Health and Wellness News

Diabetes News

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If you are at a desk job, move around or take a small walk every two hours during the shift. Don’t go near the vending machine and slot an exercise schedule in your functional cycle, says Dr Anoop Misra, Chairman, Fortis C-DOC Hospital for Diabetes and Allied Sciences

diabetes night owlsNight owls may need to pay more attention to their lifestyle because their chronotype may increase the risk for Type-2 diabetes (Source: Getty Images)

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Are you a night owl? Then you are likely to have a higher risk of developing Type-2 diabetes. A recently published study from the US shows that people with “evening chronotype” or those who prefer to be active in the evening, sleep and wake up late are 19 per cent more likely to develop diabetes, even after the researchers accounted for lifestyle factors. This means that unhealthy habits may explain away a large proportion of the risk but not all of it.

“Night owls may need to pay more attention to their lifestyle because their chronotype may increase the risk for Type-2 diabetes,” say the study’s corresponding author and associate epidemiologist from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Tianyi Huang. Chronotype refers to a person’s preferred timing of sleeping and waking up, which is partly determined by genetics, and cannot be changed easily. The study, based on data from over 63,000 women nurses, found that those who prefer to stay up and work at night are more likely to consume alcohol in higher quantities, have low-quality diet, smoke and have less physical activity.

Why does the evening chronotype increase the risk of diabetes?

First, the evening chronotype is likely to develop more unhealthy lifestyle habits. “Those who go to bed late at night are much more likely to snack after dinner. When they wake up, they are unlikely to have time for exercise before heading out for work or through afternoons and evenings when they are at work,” says Dr Anoop Misra, Chairman, Fortis C-DOC Hospital for Diabetes and Allied Sciences. Those with evening chronotype are also much more likely to have an irregular sleep pattern that leads to increased glucose intolerance.

The chronotype can also impact hormones. As Dr Misra explains, “The secretion of melatonin depends on the light. Exposure to a lot of light during the night is likely to reduce melatonin secretion, which is known to regulate insulin secretion. The sleep-wake cycle also affects the cortisol levels in the body, which in turn leads to insulin resistance and obesity.”

How can I protect myself?

Dr Misra says even those with evening chronotype can reduce their risk of diabetes by following a good routine and remaining disciplined. “If a person makes time for a workout in the evening, if they do not snack at night and follow a proper routine within their functional cycle, they can have a reduced risk of diabetes.” Those with evening chronotype may also try to retrain themselves by waking up and going to bed 15 to 30 minutes earlier each day, experts say.

The US researchers found the increased risk associated with evening chronotype in nurses who worked day shifts, not those who worked overnight shifts. “When chronotype was not matched with work hours, we saw an increase in Type 2 diabetes risk. That was another very interesting finding, suggesting that more personalised work scheduling could be beneficial,” say researchers.

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What can I do if I work on a night shift?

If you cannot avoid a night shift, Dr Misra suggests some practical ways you can remain healthy. If you are at a desk job, you should move around or take a small walk every two hours during the shift. He advises that people consume healthy snacks at night and avoid going to vending machines. People must avoid colas that may be more readily available at night than healthier beverages. Most importantly, those working night shifts should also make time for regular exercise in their routine.

“The good thing about the current study is that it has a big sample size. However, the study is based on a single questionnaire. Multiple questionnaires over a period of time would have given more details on whether the participants stuck to a particular lifestyle,” says Dr Misra.

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First published on: 14-09-2023 at 12:42 IST

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Tips to Help a Child With Diabetes

Tips

Do you have a child with diabetes? As a parent, it is your responsibility to help your child learn how to deal with their condition. Go over this article for some useful tips.

Prepare healthy meals for your child and pack some snack for them. Your child should not eat any kind of food that contains a high amount of sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Foods rich in fat, preservatives, sodium and other unhealthy ingredients should be avoided to. You need to design an entirely new diet for your child; make sure they eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fibers and drink plenty of water.

Encourage your child to exercise. If your child is overweight, helping them get in shape is a priority. You could play sports together or find another activity they enjoy; think about taking them to a dance class, the swimming pool or simply going for walks. Your child does not need to work out or follow a fitness program. Being active should be enough.

Teach your child how to protect their feet and develop an excellent oral hygiene. Diabetes increases the risks of developing gum disease and can cause infections to spread very quickly. Make sure your child always wears protective footwear and knows how to keep their toenails clean. Teach them to brush their teeth and use floss every day. Your child should not be scared of developing a complication, but they should be aware that they are at risk for health issues because of their diabetes.

Your child needs to learn about nutrition. Take them grocery shopping with you and teach them to recognize healthy foods from bad nutritional choices. Your child needs to know about the five food groups and have a good idea of which foods are rich in whole grains, fibers and sugar. You could also prepare food with your child. Choose simple recipes they will be able to remember and prepare again by themselves. Consider going to a cooking class together if you do not feel confident about your own cooking skills.

You need to give your child more responsibilities so they get into the habit of managing their diabetes by themselves. Show them how to use their test stripes and monitor and let them check their sugar level by themselves. You could for instance get them a watch on which you can set up an alarm to remind them to check their sugar level.

Let your child prepare their meals and snacks too, but do not hesitate to double check to make sure they picked healthy foods. Give your child more responsibilities as they get older. They should be able to manage their diabetes alone by the time they are teenagers. Be available and offer to help if they need you.

These tips will help you provide your child with the guidance they need to take control of their condition. Do your best to help them and encourage them to become independent at the same time.

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Work to Prevent Diabetes

Prevention

Although diabetes is a very common disease, it is actually preventable in most people. Even if you’re genetically predisposed diabetes, living a healthy lifestyle should help you to avoid contracting it. Generally, as long as you haven’t contracted childhood diabetes, you should be able to avoid adult onset diabetes, but it does take some hard work.

With a fast food restaurant on every corner and a new box of cheap treats on the grocery store shelves every week, it takes a lot of willpower and control to not gain weight. On top of that, most of us live busier lifestyles that really leave no time for exercising. But if you want to avoid diabetes, you have to make time to exercise properly, and you have to eat healthy items. Put down that garbage and eat healthier food, and make sure you’re always staying active.

The more physically active you are, the better your body is able to metabolize sugars. Physical activity will increase your body’s ability to make its own insulin, and this is going to help you keep balanced levels of blood glucose. You don’t have to start training to become Mr. Universe; you just have to remain active and exercise regularly. You’ll look better, feel better, and you can avoid contracting diabetes.

If you’re at an annual checkup and your doctor notices that your blood sugar is too high, you may be prescribed some type of medicine to help you level out. This type of medicine is essentially helping your body produce insulin, while still allowing your body to promote its own natural insulin. And you should also be aware that some medications you take, like steroids, can increase your blood glucose levels.

If you’re genetically predisposed to contracting diabetes, this is something you should find out about. Talk to different members of your family to find out if diabetes runs along the tree. If it does, this means your body is more likely to stop producing its own insulin. It doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to contract diabetes; it just means you’ll have to work a little harder in order not to. Stay away from the treats and exercise more.

The average person is always dealing with minor ailments. Over time, however, things you think are minor could end up being major. This goes beyond only diabetes; you should be visiting your doctor at least once a year to see if there’s anything you need to be aware of or alarmed about. Having yearly checkups may just save your life.

No matter if you’re trying to stop smoking, lose weight, or to get in better shape, having a buddy alongside you for the ride just makes it a lot easier. Going to the gym with someone and eating healthy food with someone else makes the process easier. You don’t have to do things by yourself. Find someone to go out on the journey with you.

Diabetes is usually preventable, especially if you’re serious about staying in great shape. You may still end up unlucky here, but it’s always better to stay in great shape.

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