Does Diabetes Affect Your Sleep?

Diabetes is a condition that affects how your body metabolizes glucose, and it can cause several issues with your health, including blurry vision, bruises and cuts that heal slowly, weight loss, and increased hunger and thirst (via the American Diabetes Association). It can also cause sleep issues. You might not think about sleep when you think about diabetes, but the two are connected. Verywell Health explains that if your blood sugar is unstable, your sleep may be as well.

Being diagnosed with diabetes doesn't necessarily mean you will have trouble sleeping. However, if you have trouble getting a good night's rest, it could come down to a few conditions that are related to diabetes (via Verywell Health). For example, high blood sugar can cause frequent urination, which means waking up more often during the night to go to the bathroom. Low blood sugar levels might result in palpitations or night sweats, both of which can disrupt sleep.

Diabetes can cause other sleep problems, too. For instance, patients diagnosed with type 1 and type 2 diabetes often have sleep apnea, although it is more common in those diagnosed with type 2, according to Medical News Today. Patients with sleep apnea experience breathing interruptions, which can lead to a sleepless night. Restless leg syndrome is another condition commonly seen in people with diabetes. With this condition, a person's legs twitch while they sleep, which can make it difficult to sleep soundly. Experts think that diabetic neuropathy, or nerve damage, may be the culprit behind why some people with diabetes suffer from this condition (via Medical News Today).

If you have difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or if you wake up and are not able to get back to sleep after more than a few days, you could develop insomnia, according to the Mayo Clinic. And insomnia could potentially complicate diabetes. You should speak with your doctor about any sleep disorders you experience to avoid any additional problems.