Sleep is an overlooked healthy practice that often gets sacrificed for many of life’s other priorities. Unfortunately, good sleep is one of the most important component of good health and cannot be offset by other healthy habits in the long run. The loss of sleep can lead to many other metabolic and health derangements.

In a study published JAMA Network Open, researchers from Uppsala University found that those who sleep less than 6 hours a day dramatically upped their risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who sleep 7 to 8 hours.

This was a cohort study that analyzed data from 247,867 adults from the UK biobank.

More surprisingly, though a healthy diet decreased the risk of diabetes overall, the short sleep duration continued to increase the risk in the participants who had healthy eating habits.

In other words, healthy habits don’t particularly offset each other. One cannot sacrifice sleep and eat healthy or just eat healthy and not exercise. This is particularly true for sleep and it’s role as a pillar of a healthy life.

Habitual short sleep duration, diet, and development of type 2 diabetes in adults. JAMA Network Open (2024). doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.1147