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Are you a habitual nap-taker? Do you take long naps every day? A new report shows people who nap more than an hour each day are 45% more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes!
I will be honest with you. Being nocturnal, I stay up late to keep an eye on my surroundings. To make up for that, I take long naps during the day. This habit always worked for me until recently when I came across this new research out of Japan that suggests a link between long daily naps and Type 2 diabetes.
I always thought it was the diabetes that caused those long naps. Now they are suggesting the reverse could be true as well. Granted, Type 2 diabetes often results from lifestyle choices such as lack of exercise or absence of healthy eating habits. Could such a seemingly harmless habit such as taking long daily naps be a contributing factor to diabetes?
My first impression was, no way! I cannot live on without my lengthy daily naps. After a quick mortified moment, I carried on to read the details of what seemed a peculiar report- and here is what I found:
It’s possible, but not proven yet, that long naps could lead to Type 2 diabetes. In comparison with short naps or no napping at all, research found that the risk for the blood sugar disease may be 45 percent higher if your naps last an hour or more.
A Japanese team of researchers analyzed the findings on more than 300,000 people previously reported in 21 published studies and found that naps longer than an hour or more were related to a 45 percent increased risk for Type 2 diabetes. On the flip side, shorter naps had no impact on diabetes risk.
The good news!
The good news for those of us who love long daily naps is that shorter naps showed no impact on diabetes risk. Moreover, although the findings of this report are intriguing, they are not quite conclusive and are yet to be published in a peer-review scientific journal. Dr. Tohamide, the lead researcher of this study from the University of Tokyo, noted that “further studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of a short nap.”
My conclusion
The possible connection between long daily naps and a risk for Type 2 diabetes is certainly interesting and is worth investigating. Quiet frankly, it makes a lot of sense. Longer naps often results in less exercise and poor diet choices – the primary causes of Type 2 diabetes.
However, until further research is completed and conclusive, reliable results are published, I shall keep on taking my daily naps – but only shorter ones. I shall also spend more time exercising and paying more attention to my eating behavior.
The study was presented at a conference of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Munich, Germany.
As a Chief Security Officer (CSO), he prides himself on keeping Diabetic Outlet pest and rodent free, as well as giving each customer a warm welcoming “meow” at the door. He can be feisty at times, as a CSO must be, but if you know him well you also know it’s only a facade.
When he is confident security is tight, he occasionally blogs to fans, but honestly what he loves the most is a good refreshing nap.