The exact amount of time you need to sleep each night to avoid silent killer REVEALED

IT’S often hard to know exactly how much sleep you should be getting. 

Experts claim most healthy adults need seven to nine hours per night – but this is hardly exact, and it also depends on age and individual needs. 

Now, scientists have suggested that getting less than seven hours could raise the risk of “silent killer” type 2 diabetes.

Chinese researchers, who tracked more than 23,000 US adults, found the optimal length of sleep to avoid insulin resistance – a precursor for the condition – was seven hours and 19 minutes per night.

But, sleeping in longer at the weekend could increase the risk of insulin resistance, suggesting that attempting to catch up later in the week cannot always compensate for sleep deprivation.

The findings should act as a reminder that “consistent, adequate sleep” plays an important role in health, the scientists said.

HEALTH CHECK

Is your child’s ADHD a treatable sleep disorder? Cases could be being mistaken

SHEET DREAMS

Exactly why you can’t sleep at night & it’s NOTHING to do with your phone

Other experts cautioned, however, that given the study was observational. its results “must be interpreted with some caution”.

Previous research has linked a lack of sleep to a higher risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and even strokes. 

For the study, the scientists assessed participants’ estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR), a marker of insulin resistance.

The lower the eGDR level, the greater the insulin resistance.

This is calculated by examining a person’s blood sugar levels after fasting, their waist circumference and their blood pressure.

People involved in the study reported an average of seven and a half hours of sleep during the week.

Just under half (48 per cent) said that they also had catch-up sleep at the weekend.

The optimal length of sleep was seven hours and 19 minutes for avoiding insulin resistance, they found.

Any more or less had an impact on eGDR.

Further analysis showed that getting extra sleep on the weekend was beneficial for insulin resistance, but only in moderation.

For those sleeping more than the optimal weekday sleep, coupled with more than two hours of weekend catch-up sleep was associated with a lower eGDR – indicating a greater risk of insulin resistance.

The authors concluded that weekend catch up sleep is “beneficial only in moderation and specifically for those with weekday sleep debt, whereas it may be detrimental for those who already sleep sufficiently”.

Writing in the journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care, they added: “The findings advocate for more personalised sleep guidelines in clinical practice and public health, encouraging consistent, adequate sleep over weekend compensation, and highlight the need for research into the mechanisms behind sleep patterns and metabolic risk.”

Profesoor Naveed Sattar, an expert in cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, who wasn’t involved in the study, also said: “There is plenty of evidence showing that shorter sleep – typically less than seven hours a night – is linked with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

“Poor sleep disrupts appetites, meaning people often eat more after a poor night’s sleep, and simply being awake for longer creates more opportunities to eat.

“In addition, inadequate sleep may directly affect key hormones, including stress hormones, that influence glucose levels.

“The current study adds to this body of research, although it is observational, so we must interpret the findings with some caution.

“That said, genetic studies also suggest that people predisposed to shorter sleep are at higher risk of future diabetes, strengthening the likelihood of a causal link.

“The practical message is that people should work hard at developing a good sleep hygiene: going to bed at consistent times, creating a wind‑down routine, and reducing screen use – particularly mobile phones – in the hour before bed.

“The easy access to digital distractions is likely contributing to declining sleep quality and duration, which may in turn contribute to more obesity and diabetes. “

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body doesn’t make enough insulin or the insulin it makes doesn’t work properly. 

This hormone is needed to bring down blood sugar levels.

Having high blood sugar levels over time can cause heart attacks and strokes, as well as problems with the eyes, kidneys and feet. 

Sufferers may need to overhaul their diet, take daily medication and have regular check-ups.

Symptoms of the condition, which is diagnosed with a blood test, include excessive thirst, tiredness and needing to urinate more often. But many people have no signs.

Almost 4.3million people were living with diabetes in 2021/22, according to the latest figures for the UK.

And another 850,000 people have diabetes and are completely unaware of it.

Approximately 90 per cent of diabetes cases are type 2 diabetes, which is linked with obesity and is typically diagnosed in middle age, rather than type 1 diabetes, a genetic condition usually identified early in life.