Exploring the Link Between Snoring and Diabetes
Chances are good that you already know that diabetes has to do with blood sugar levels and insulin. What you may not know is that sleep problems and diabetes go hand-in-hand.
Sleep loss can be caused by diabetes, and not sleeping well increases your risk for developing this condition. Snoring is a symptom of diabetes, but snoring can also be a contributing factor.
The Connection Between Poor Sleep and High Blood Sugar
If you are tired when you wake up or throughout the day, you are more likely to not only eat more, but choose sugary, high-calorie foods for a burst of energy. Of course, if you are a heavy snorer, you are not getting quality sleep every night. So, you are at higher risk for high-blood sugar levels.
It is suggested that a pre-diabetic state can be caused by sleep deprivation. The way your body reacts to sleep loss resembles insulin resistance, which is a precursor to diabetes. Insulin helps your body turn glucose into energy.
When you experience insulin resistance, your cells do not use this valuable hormone correctly and high blood pressure is resulted. These high levels build up to a dangerous level where they can damage your heart, kidneys, eyes, and nerves.
Also, snoring increases your risk for weight gain, and carrying around extra pounds makes you more vulnerable for type II diabetes. Then again, if you are overweight with diabetes, this can increase your risk for snoring. Wearing anti snoring devices may at least help you control blood sugar levels.
Lastly, people with type II diabetes commonly develop obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This can increase your risk of high blood pressure, stroke, or heart attack. So, it is important to take measures to control your snoring and diabetes before they get to this point.
One possibility is to begin using a snoring mouth guard like SnoreRx to control sleep loss BEFORE it contributes to a diabetic condition.
