Skip to main content

Night night, beta cells....

This originally ran in late 2007, but with some of my latest sleep-deprived nights and reflection on this topic, I thought it'd be an appropriate time to run it again.

I'd posted a note at one point opining that if sleep deprivation was a cure for diabetes, I would be well on my way - a notion that drew praise and thumb ups from fellow D-bloggers. Well, then comes this news bit: A new study shows sleep deprivation is pushing the diabetes epidemic, leading to more cases. Published in the Dec. 1, 2007 issue of a journal called SLEEP. How appropriate is that.

As outlined in the article, they even have some tips:
• Follow a consistent bedtime routine.
• Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.
• Get a full night’s sleep every night.
• Avoid foods or drinks that contain caffeine, as well as any medicine that has a stimulant, prior to bedtime.
• Do not go to bed hungry, but don’t eat a big meal before bedtime either.
• Avoid any rigorous exercise within six hours of your bedtime.
• Make your bedroom quiet, dark and a little bit cool.
• Get up at the same time every morning.

Well, there you go. We've solved the universal D-riddle on "why...." that leads to finger-poking, insulin-craving lifestyles: Our pancreas is tired. Beta cells are catching some Zs, therefore sleeping on the job and letting the big, bad, burglar "D" get the jump on our immune system. Just like bad security guards letting thieves into the shop.

Thanks to the before bedtime Low that caused me to eat, or the High that made me hungry, my sleep is off. Or because it's not quiet thanks to the beeping pump or CGM. Or the scattered morning routines, thanks to glucoastering. It all feeds the problem, apparently.

So, if I improve my sleeping practices, what happens - am I closer to a cure? Experts in the scientific community point out that beta cells seem to sometimes regenerate, even in Type Is, but they aren't sure - the JDRF's been looking at that one for awhile now. Maybe sleep's the key. Sleep it off.

What if that was the answer - just staying in bed and sleeping as much as possible? Wonder if there's any research project studying that - if so, I'm ready to sign up for whatever the pay is.

So there it is. Call it what you will - thought-provoking or crazy ramblings of a sleep-deprived diabetic?

Ponder that, while I leave you for a inpromptu date with my pillow.
Labels:

Comments

Dawn @ Sugar Free Candyland said…
Yeah, thats one of those research articles, amongst many I've read out there, that I can honestly say, I have lots of questions and some doubts about.
March 2, 2011 at 4:50 AM
Sysy said…
during my depressed with diabetes days I slept about 15 hours a day and all I got was more high blood sugars LOL

I've read in other places that lack of sleep AND too much sleep both increase type 2 diabetes risk. So "everything in moderation" has some merit here too, eh?
March 2, 2011 at 12:11 PM
Renata said…
And what about all those children who are on bed time schedules. I guess I can see how sleep deprivation can cause issues, yes the body needs time to repair. And maybe a PWD's body takes on a lot of mileage in one day...so I guess I can see the leap. If you, you know, look under the covers and around the corners you can make it work.
March 2, 2011 at 6:45 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome to the End of the World?

Well, did anyone think this is what 2020 would look like? Global pandemic and worldwide public health emergency, everything shutting down and a potential economic collapse on the horizon. Holy fuck. ' A "Pandemic (in Quarantine) Playlist on my Spotify is now a thing, and my own remote worklife now in its 8th year has taken on an eeerie new spin. As are my watchlists full of dystopian and post-apocalyptic TVs and movies for streaming in these strange times. All of my work travel and conferences for the spring have been nixed, and we're all watching closely to see what the impact may be for summer events. What about my "underlying health condition" that is type 1 diabetes? So far, so good. No signs of anything astray. As I've shared over on DiabetesMine, I have been using the Tandem t:slim X2 device since mid-October 2019. That followed three-and-a-half years of Multiple Daily Dosing with pens and Afrezza inhaled insulin insulin. I starte...
62 comments
Read more

A Writer's Pen

A writer carries a pen. That is the way it is. For as long as I recall, that's how it has been. Moments have appeared, of course, where that vow failed. Where I did not have a pen to write with. Where the pen was in my hand, but it didn't write. Moments in history are marked by the written word. Journalists know and live this truth*.... ( yes, truth matters. Facts matter. Alternate versions of both do not **.) ... [ the fact that we have to emphasize this in 2020-21 is ridiculous, but the reality exists ]. I carry a pen. Because I'm a writer. Because the written word matters. Because facts and details matter. Context is everything. Painting a picture with my words is what I've done, professionally and personally, for so long. Words have painted a picture, opened a portal into the heart and mind. I've read what others have written with their own pens, even if those pens aren't physical but mental and those words have materialized from digital tools. The idea of w...
33 comments
Read more

Flapping the Gums

No time for my chatty-typing fingers to engage you today. I'm off to the dentist's office for a dreaded appointment. Thanks to the wonders of D-enduced periodontal disease, this should be a visit full of poking, prodding, pain, and likely some bleeding. Great times. Not looking forward to this visit. Or the next more painful one. I see soup in my future. Maybe Easy Mac. But, I digress. That's all fodder for a future blog post. In the meantime today, talk amongst yourselves. Flap those online gums in the blogging world. And remember to brush and floss.
40 comments
Read more