The content in this article should not be taken as medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare provider regarding your individual health needs.
If you snore, feel tired all day, or wake up frequently at night, you might have sleep apnea—a condition where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. This disruption leads to frequent wake ups, poor rest, and added stress on the heart. But beyond impacting sleep quality, sleep apnea can also interfere with glucose regulation, creating a harmful cycle of poor sleep and elevated blood sugar.
While sleep apnea can affect anyone, it becomes more common with age, and its severity depends on how frequently your breathing stops. Left untreated, sleep apnea can cause serious health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and even type 2 diabetes.
The connection between sleep apnea, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes
If you have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea can make managing your glucose levels even trickier. When you’re not getting quality sleep, your body becomes more resistant to insulin, a hormone that helps regulate glucose. This resistance can make it harder to keep your blood sugar at optimum levels.
Sleep apnea can also affect your mood, motivation, and memory. This can interfere with essential parts of glucose management, like physical activity, meal planning, and managing stress.
It's estimated that 7 out of 10 people with type 2 diabetes also have sleep apnea. Having both conditions can create a cycle where each can worsen the other. The good news is that treating sleep apnea can help improve your glucose management and overall health.
How to treat sleep apnea
Treating sleep apnea usually involves keeping your airway open while you sleep. The most common treatment is CPAP therapy, which uses a mask to deliver steady air pressure. Other options include lifestyle changes, like weight management, quitting smoking, or adjusting your sleep position. Additionally, using a glucose biosensor, like Stelo, can help track sleep activity by monitoring changes in glucose levels overnight. This data can be shared with your healthcare provider to gain deeper insights into how sleep apnea and related treatment affect your glucose levels.
Since about 80% of people with sleep apnea are undiagnosed, it’s important to recognize symptoms and seek treatment to improve both sleep quality and glucose health. You can start with your primary care provider. They’ll assess your symptoms, discuss potential lifestyle changes, and possibly suggest you participate in a sleep study to get more detailed information about your breathing and oxygen levels.
Sweet dreams, steady glucose
Recognizing the link between sleep apnea and glucose levels is important for managing your overall health. Sleep apnea doesn’t just disrupt your rest—it may also increase insulin resistance, making glucose management more difficult, especially for those with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. By addressing sleep apnea, you can break the cycle of poor sleep and elevated glucose to help improve your energy, mood, and long-term wellness.
Curated & reviewed by: Kayce Sol
MA, RN, BSN, CDCES
MA, RN, BSN, CDCES
Kayce Sol is a registered nurse and certified diabetes care and education specialist.
