Sleep deprivation in post-menopausal women could lead to diabetes

February 5, 2024

How INSOMNIA could lead to blood sugar woes

Friend, there’s more than one reason why they call menopause “the change.”

It’s NOT just the period of time when your cycle comes to a SCREECHING HALT…

Or when your female hormones take a NOSEDIVE. 

OTHER changes occur, too…

And some of them might come as a COMPLETE surprise. 

But fortunately, you’re not HELPLESS when it comes to how your body and your health evolve as you get older. 

You can REMAIN in the driver’s seat… as long as you’re aware of ALL the factors at play. 

Take type 2 diabetes, for instance. 

You might’ve had PERFECT blood sugar control in your younger years…

And NEVER worried about measuring your glucose… or keeping it from SPIKING too high or DIPPING too low. 

But as you get older, keeping blood sugar woes at bay increasingly RELIES on keeping up one nightly habit. 

I’ll share that with you in a moment… but first, a bit more about how this PERMANENT PAUSE could lead to the disease.

According to a recent study, postmenopausal women are particularly in the crosshairs for developing insulin resistance…

Which is a HALLMARK of diabetes. 

See, insulin is a hormone that your body makes that helps keep your blood glucose levels in PERFECT balance. 

Some diabetics don’t make ENOUGH insulin… which is why they find their blood sugar levels SOARING. 

But in far too many folks, their bodies are CRANKING OUT plenty of insulin to get the job done. Problem is, their bodies aren’t RESPONDING to the signals like they’re supposed to. 

It sometimes happens in women with PLUMMETING estrogen levels…

And the good news is, sometimes REPLENISHING their estrogen supply helps improve insulin sensitivity. 

However, there’s another factor at play here…

And that brings us to that nightly habit I mentioned earlier. 

If you’re otherwise healthy… and you’ve gone through “the change”… your risk for diabetes SKYROCKETS with sleep deprivation. 

I’m not talking about just one night of tossing and turning every now and again. That makes you feel MISERABLE… but it’s normal, and it happens to the best of us. 

I’m talking about CHRONIC lack of sleep… over the course of a LONG period of time…

Even if it’s only just by a little bit. 

In the study, subjects’ blood glucose and insulin resistance increased when they consistently slept just an hour and a half less than they normally do. 

That meant they got just 6.2 hours of sleep… which may not SOUND like insomnia. 

You may not even FEEL sleep deprived if you start going to bed just 1.5 hours later than normal (and of course keep getting up at the same time in the morning). 

But it adds up, friend. 

And the more sleep you LOSE… the more glucose starts SURGING through your bloodstream. 

When that happens, your body starts PUMPING OUT more insulin… which has to work HARDER to try to NORMALIZE your blood sugar…

And that’s when you run the risk of your body becoming DESENSITIZED to the insulin. 

Don’t let it get that far. 

According to Johns Hopkins, post-menopausal women need between seven and eight hours of quality sleep per night. Clearly, shaving even a little bit off of that could do some MAJOR damage. 

Set a regular bedtime and do your best to stick to it. Turn off all your screens at least an hour before bed… and cut out late-night snacks (especially sugary or carb-y ones, which can keep you up at night). 

Get plenty of exercise during the day to make sure you’re plum tuckered out at night…

And if you need a little extra help at bedtime, aromatherapy features many calming essential oils that can help you “shut down” for the evening…

And even become a “good sleeper.”

For better health,

Dr. Marc S. Micozzi, M.D., Ph.D.

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