Sleep disturbance may be fatal for women with diabetes: study

Washington: Women suffering from diabetes, need to give a look!

Sleep disturbance in female diabetes patients can give way to elevated blood sugar levels, neuropathic pain and fatigue, a recent study has suggested.

In a study, conducted on 90 women with type 2 diabetes, these life threatening conditions were found even after controlling factors such as age, diabetes duration, depressive symptoms, and distress.

Senior author at Chicago College of Nursing Dr. Cynthia Fritschi said, "Sleep disturbance in patients with diabetes is common and may negatively affect blood glucose".

The findings suggest that a comprehensive sleep evaluation for diabetes patients should also include tests on symptoms such as neuropathic pain and fatigue.

"A thorough sleep assessment, especially in female adults, must include a symptom assessment. To do otherwise limits our ability to treat sleep disturbance effectively in this population", Dr. Cynthia added.

This study first appeared in the Journal of Advanced Nursing.