A new study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, examined the connection between obstructive sleep apnea and diabetes. Existing studies already demonstrate that there are metabolic disturbances due to obstructive sleep apnea. This study looked at retrospective data from 1994 to 2010, finding that obstructive sleep apnea resulted in a 30 percent higher risk of developing diabetes.

An analysis of the study in WMBF News found that the research team controlled for other variables related to diabetes, including obesity as demonstrated by body mass index. The 30 percent increase in risk is for severe sleep apnea, while moderate sufferers have a 23 percent higher risk of diabetes.

Medline Plus describes diabetes as a disease in which a person’s blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high.  Glucose comes from the foods people eat.  Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose get into the cells to give them energy.  Having too much glucose in the blood can be damaging.   Over time, it can damage the eyes, kidneys, and nerves.  Diabetes can also cause heart disease, stroke and even the need to remove a limb.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute describes sleep apnea as a common disorder in which a person has one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while sleeping. It is a chronic, ongoing condition that disrupts sleep, making sleep apnea a leading cause of excessive daytime sleepiness.