Could daytime napping or poor sleep habits at night lead to an increased risk of developing elevated blood sugar? Believe it or not, the answer is yes.

A study¹ published earlier this month in the journal Diabetes Care found that individuals who napped less than an hour a day increased their risk of developing elevated blood sugar by 23% and those who napped for more than one hour a day increased their risk by a whopping 55% compared to people who did not take daytime naps. When researchers looked at night sleeping, they found that people who slept on average less than five hours a night increased their risk of developing elevated blood sugar by 46%. The authors concluded that day napping and short night sleeping are associated with increased risk of elevated blood sugar.

Another study² presented earlier this year at the Diabetes United Kingdom Annual Professional Conference in Glasgow further supports that napping can adversely affect blood sugar levels. Researchers from the University of Birmingham studied the sleeping habits of over 16,000 people and found that individuals who napped, even only once a week, had an increased risk of developing elevated blood sugar by 26%.

How could such a simple pleasure be so harmful to your health? Researchers have noted that waking up from a nap activates hormones with certain mechanisms in the body that prevent insulin from working effectively. Additionally, people who take naps tend to get less exercise than those who do not nap. It is well known that regular exercise has been medically proven to help inhibit elevated blood sugar. Also, naps can disrupt night time sleep which can lead to impaired glucose tolerance.

I have to be honest, I love to take a nap on a Saturday afternoon, but I'm going to seriously rethink this. Like so many other people in this country, I frequently do not get enough sleep. Aside from elevated blood sugar, inadequate sleep can lead to impaired immunity, poor concentration and an increased risk of accidents from decreased alertness. Ideally, you should get at least seven or eight hours of sleep per night. For me, this typically happens only once a week.

If you're like a lot folks struggling with sleep, there are some important nutrients that I recommend to help bring on and maintain sleep. Probably one of the best known nutrients is melatonin. Another excellent product is L-tryptophan. This nutrient is a precursor of serotonin which is critically important, not only for helping with sleep, but also mood. Both of these products are offered by Nutraceutical Sciences Institute® (NSI®) and the product reviews are excellent. So stay away from the naps and focus on getting a good night's sleep.

1. Xu Q, Song Y, Hollenbeck A, et al., Day napping and short night sleeping are associated with higher risk of diabetes in older adults, Diabetes Care, October 2009.

2. Taheri S, et al., Study details as presented in the article Napping Increases Risk of Diabetes, BBC News, Published online March 9, 2009.