Poor Sleep Quality May Worsen Emotional Burden in T2D

TOPLINE:

Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) who experienced sleep impairments, including short sleep duration, snoring, and insomnia symptoms, were more likely to face an increased risk for diabetes distress. In particular, daytime coping difficulties due to sleep problems showed a notably prominent association with diabetes distress.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers in Norway conducted a cross-sectional study to explore the association between sleep impairment and diabetes distress in 1954 participants with T2D (mean age, 67.3 years; mean duration of diabetes, 12.1 years) recruited from an ongoing longitudinal population-based study.
• Diabetes distress was self-reported using the five-item Problem Areas in Diabetes Questionnaire; a total score of 8 or above denoted high levels of diabetes distress.
• Sleep impairments were assessed using the sleeping HUNT (The Trøndelag Health Study) Questionnaire that included questions on snoring, sleep apnoea, insomnia, daytime functioning, and restless legs; the number of hours of sleep at night was assessed using a different question.

TAKEAWAY:

• Participants who reported sleep impairments were more often women; had lower socioeconomic status, higher mean BMI, and elevated systolic blood pressure; were current smokers; and exercised less frequently.
• Difficulties coping during daytime due to sleep problems showed the strongest association with diabetes distress (regression coefficient [β], 2.6; 95% CI, 1.7-3.6), followed by trouble falling asleep (β, 1.4; 95% CI, 0.8-2.2) and early morning awakening (β, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.7-1.8).
• Short sleep duration (≤ 7 hours), snoring, nighttime awakenings, and having restless legs were also associated with higher levels of diabetes distress.
• Associations between sleep impairments and diabetes distress were similar between men and women.

IN PRACTICE:

“The assessment of sleep quality should be part of routine diabetes care in people with T2D. Efforts need to be made to raise awareness towards the relationship between sleep impairments and diabetes distress, which further may encourage these individuals to prioritize sleep and seek help when needed,” the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Hilde K.R. Riise, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway. It was published online on July 25, 2025, in Diabetic Medicine.

LIMITATIONS:

The study population was predominantly Caucasian. The cross-sectional design of the study precluded causal inferences between sleep impairment and diabetes distress. Moreover, sleep impairment data were self-reported without clinical verification and were collected at a single timepoint.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was supported by the Swedish Research Council and Helse Vest. Some authors reported receiving honoraria for lectures and lecture fees from certain pharmaceutical companies.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.