Sleeping for over an hour a day could be a sign of having type-2 diabetes, according to researchers at the University of Tokyo.
A study conducted by the scientists at a large scale revealed that sleeping for more than an hour can make one 45 percent more prone to type-2 diabetes. The study involved participation of more than 300,000 people.
However, there was no such link established for the people napping for less than 40 minutes. This study was presented in Munich at a meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, according to media reports.
According to the researchers, napping for long hours can be an outcome of disturbed sleep at night, which is caused by a serious sleeping disorder called Sleep Apnea. People who snore loudly and experience tiredness despite having a full night's sleep are diagnosed by this disorder.
Professor Naveed Sattar, who teaches metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, UK, told bbc.com that there was now a lot of evidence of some kind of link between sleep disturbances and diabetes.
"It's likely that risk factors which lead to diabetes also cause napping. This could include slightly high sugar levels, meaning napping may be an early warning sign of diabetes," he stated.
Despite these revelations, a much more detailed trial needs to be done in order to determine whether sleeping patterns affect real health outcomes, Sattar added further.
