Institute for Continuing Education

Diabetes and Sleep

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Describe the epidemiology and bidirectional relationship between sleep disorders (particularly obstructive sleep apnea and insufficient sleep) and type 2 diabetes mellitus, including prevalence data and mechanisms of mutual influence.
• Explain the pathophysiological mechanisms linking sleep disorders to glucose dysregulation, including effects on insulin resistance, pancreatic beta-cell function, inflammatory pathways, hormonal regulation (cortisol, growth hormone, appetite hormones), and autonomic nervous system dysfunction.
• Identify the metabolic consequences of obstructive sleep apnea including intermittent hypoxia effects, sleep fragmentation impacts, and their contributions to metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, and progression to type 2 diabetes.
• Recognize how diabetes and its complications affect sleep quality and increase risk for sleep disorders, including effects of poor glycemic control, diabetic neuropathy, nocturia, and diabetes medications on sleep architecture and sleep-disordered breathing.
• Apply screening and assessment strategies for identifying sleep disorders in diabetic patients and diabetes risk in sleep disorder patients, including appropriate use of questionnaires, sleep studies, and metabolic testing.
• Describe evidence-based treatment approaches for obstructive sleep apnea in diabetic patients, including CPAP therapy effects on glycemic control, adherence optimization strategies, and integrated care models.
• Integrate the sleep technologist's role in diabetes-sleep care including patient education about metabolic-sleep relationships, recognition of diabetes-related complications during sleep studies, blood glucose monitoring considerations, and collaboration with multidisciplinary teams in managing patients with both conditions.

Course Information

In recent years studies have demonstrated that diabetes is likely to be associated with other problems and conditions which all add to the burden. They include disability, impaired cognitive function, reduced quality of life and sleeping disorders.

The IDF (International Diabetes Federation) consensus statement on sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes wants to raise awareness of the association between sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes. IDF calls on health decision makers to encourage further research into the links between the two conditions and urges healthcare professionals to adopt new clinical practices to ensure that a person with one condition is considered for the other.