Not Getting Enough Shut-Eye May Increase Your Risk of Diabetes

An inadequate amount of sleep, coupled with lack of exercise and poor diet, may increase your risk of developing diabetes.

The results of a new study by the University of Chicago confirm that the ability to regulate one's blood sugar is dependent on how much sleep the person gets.

Five men and six women volunteered for the study. All were middle-aged, little overweight and exercised rarely. The study consisted of two 14-day periods: one where they were allowed to sleep 8.5 hours nightly and one where they were restricted to 5.5 hours of shut-eye a night. The volunteers were not allowed to exercise and junk food was made available to them.

When sleeping too little, the volunteers' blood sugar was higher on a glucose tollerance test and they became less sensitive to the blood sugar hormone insulin.