Diabetes mellitus is a leading cause of disability and premature death. In addition to traditional lifestyle factors, new evidence is shedding light on a potential link between sleep quality and quantity, glycaemic control and insulin sensitivity. However, there is a current lack of data substantiating this claim.

In this context, Dr Gloria Aguayo, Scientist within the Deep Digital Phenotyping Research Unit of DoPH, compared the potential of objective and subjective measures of sleep to predict dysfunctional glycaemic control in a general adult population. To do this, Dr Aguayo and her team analysed data from the “Observation of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Luxembourg” (ORISCAV-LUX2), a study including 1,558 participants from the general population in Luxembourg. The study collected results from periodic surveys about physical and mental health parameters, a self-reported questionnaire, as well as sleep measurements obtained via an accelerometer that participants agreed to wear for one week. Sleep parameters were then divided into both subjective and objective measures.

The analysis showed that better sleep quality was associated with better levels of HbA1c, a marker of glycaemic control reflecting a period of 2 to 3 months. “This study highlights that objective and subjective measures of sleep are key complementary factors to consider, as they provide relevant additional information on subgroups of the population,” explains Dr Aguayo. When comparing subjective versus objective markers of sleep, objective markers, measured with accelerometers, were more frequently associated with glycaemic control. Interestingly, the study results also suggest that the association between sleep characteristics and impaired glycaemic control are stronger in men and in people suffering from depression or who are overweight.