Reduced insulin sensitivity is correlated with impaired sleep in adolescents with cystic fibrosis.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Prevalence of cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) rises sharply in adolescence/young-adulthood and is associated with increased morbidity/mortality. Sleep may be a modifiable risk factor for diabetes but its relationship with metabolic function has not been fully examined in youth with CF. The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between objectively measured sleep and glucose metabolism in youth with CF. METHODS: Adolescents (43 with CF and 11 healthy controls) completed 1-week of concurrent home continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and actigraphy. Fasting labs and an oral glucose tolerance test were obtained. T-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to test differences between actigraphy outcomes in CF participants and controls. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were used to test for correlations between actigraphy, CGM, and insulin sensitivity (IS) measures. RESULTS: All participants averaged insufficient sleep (mean = 7.5 hours per night) compared to the 8 to 10 hours recommended for this age group. CF participants had poorer sleep by actigraphy measures than healthy controls. Higher minimum daytime glucoses on CGM correlated with shorter total sleep time (TST) and worse sleep efficiency (SE). Reduced IS in CF participants with dysglycemia was correlated with shorter TST, longer sleep latency, more wake after sleep onset, and poorer SE. CONCLUSIONS: Poor sleep appears to correlate with higher blood glucose and lower IS in CF adolescents with dysglycemia. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms and directionality behind this relationship.