Poor Sleep Linked to Insulin Resistance

More about the importance of sleep. I’ve thought not needing a lot of sleep was kind of a good thing, until I wondered about recovery and building muscle. Well, here’s another reason to try to improve your sleep. This shows a link to insulin resistance as well.

…In a small study published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers found that not getting enough sleep hurts the ability of fat cells to respond to insulin efficiently.

Researchers found that getting inadequate sleep reduces the ability of lipid-storing fat cells to respond to insulin efficiently.

… Participants in the study who on four nights were in bed for 4.5 hours had fat cells that were 30% less responsive to insulin than the cells were after four nights of 8.5 hours in bed.

… The study adds fuel to the larger scientific debate over the purpose of sleep. Sleep deprivation has been shown to reduce attention, slow reaction times and impair learning. This study shows it can be harmful to the metabolism, as well.

The study “substantially challenges the traditional views that the primary purpose of sleep is confined to restorative effects on the central nervous system…”