Waking Up to the Importance of Sleep in Type 2 Diabetes Management: A Narrative Review.

For the first time, the latest American Diabetes Association/European Association for the Study of Diabetes (ADA/EASD) consensus guidelines have incorporated a growing body of evidence linking health outcomes associated with type 2 diabetes to the movement behavior composition over the whole 24-h day. Of particular note, the importance of sleep as a key lifestyle component in the management of type 2 diabetes is promulgated and presented using three key constructs: quantity, quality, and timing (i.e., chronotype). In this narrative review we highlight some of the key evidence justifying the inclusion of sleep in the latest consensus guidelines by examining the associations of quantity, quality, and timing of sleep with measures of glycemia, cardiovascular disease risk, and mortality. We also consider potential mechanisms implicated in the association between sleep and type 2 diabetes and provide practical advice for health care professionals about initiating conversations pertaining to sleep in clinical care. In particular, we emphasize the importance of measuring sleep in a free-living environment and provide a summary of the different methodologies and targets. In summary, although the latest ADA/EASD consensus report highlights sleep as a central component in the management of type 2 diabetes, placing it, for the first time, on a level playing field with other lifestyle behaviors (e.g., physical activity and diet), the evidence base for improving sleep (beyond sleep disorders) in those living with type 2 diabetes is limited. This review should act as a timely reminder to incorporate sleep into clinical consultations, ongoing diabetes education, and future interventions.

Replacing sedentary time with sleep and physical activity: associations with physical function and wellbeing in Type 2 diabetes.

AIMS: To examine the associations of substituting sedentary behaviour (SB) for sleep, light physical activity (LPA) or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with physical function and wellbeing. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from 808 adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, (T2DM) were included. 24-hour behaviours were ascertained through accelerometery. Isotemporal substitution was used to estimate the theoretical substitution of SB for other 24-hour behaviours on associations with physical function and wellbeing markers. RESULTS: Reallocating 30 min of SB to sleep was beneficially associated with 1.0% (95% CI: 0.1-1.9) higher sit-to-stand-60 (STS60) and 1.2% (0.1-2.3) Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) scores, 3.6% (1.5-5.5) lower Patient Hospital Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9) and 1.9% lower (0.1-3.7) Diabetes Distress scores. Whilst substituting SB with MVPA was associated with 3.8% (2.2-5.4) higher STS60 and 3.9% (2.0-5.9) DASI scores, and 4.7% (0.3-9.0) lower PHQ9 score. Replacing SB with LPA was associated with 4.1% (1.0-7.1) lower PHQ9 score. CONCLUSION: In adults with T2DM, theoretically replacing SB with sleep and physical activity, particularly MVPA is beneficially associated with markers of physical function and wellbeing. For wellbeing, associations for sleep were comparable (depression), or greater (diabetes distress), than for MVPA.