Good sleep duration could lower the risk of diabetic kidney disease: Study
A new study published in the journal of Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome showed that the lowest possible risk of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is linked to sleep durations between 6.0 and 7.9 hours.
Growing research indicates that lifestyle variables, especially sleep length, may potentially affect renal outcomes in individuals with diabetes, even if classic risk factors including glycemic management, hypertension, and diabetes duration are well-established. Renal injury can result from metabolic dysregulation, systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, and disrupted circadian rhythms, all of which have been linked to both short and lengthy sleep lengths. Sleep disorders may worsen sympathetic hyperactivity and blood pressure fluctuations, hastening the deterioration of renal function.
Since sleep is a potentially changeable activity, it is therapeutically useful to understand the relationship between sleep length and DKD. By elucidating this link, comprehensive, lifestyle-based methods for preventing or delaying the course of diabetic kidney disease might be informed and at-risk individuals could be identified earlier. Using a sizable, nationally representative dataset from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 2005 and 2020, this study sought to determine the association between sleep duration and the risk of DKD.
6,804 people with diabetes who were 20 years old and had a full sleep duration were included. After controlling for potential confounders such as age, sex, race, body mass index, education, marital status, waist circumference, hypertension, smoking, drinking, and coronary artery disease, sleep duration was divided into quartiles and the risk of DKD was determined using logistic regression analysis.
47.8% of the participants were female, and their average age was 61.1 years. 26.0% of people had DKD. Age, ethnicity, education level, marital status, waist circumference, smoking, drinking, hypertension, and coronary heart disease were all substantially correlated with DKD, according to univariate regression analysis.
A U-shaped link between sleep duration and DKD risk was shown using multivariate regression analysis, with people who slept 6.0–7.9 hours a day showing the lowest risk. Overall, these findings indicate that the lowest risk of diabetic kidney disease is associated with a sleep duration of 6.0–7.9 hours. The results highlight sleep length as a potentially modifiable aspect of diabetes management.
Source:
Niu, D., Zhang, L., You, Q., & Zhao, S. (2026). Association between sleep duration and diabetic kidney disease: a cross-sectional study based on the National health and nutrition examination survey database (2005-2020). Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13098-026-02087-2
