1 in 3 Americans are sleep-deprived, and approximately 67% of adults surveyed in 12 countries around the world described sleep disturbances at least once a night [1, 2]. At the same time, almost 9 in 10 adults are metabolically unhealthy [3].
Sleep is foundational to your metabolic health — that’s why it’s one of our Four Pillars. A lack of sleep or irregular sleep can have a significant impact on glucose levels, insulin sensitivity, weight, and hormones.
But it also works the other way: elevated glucose levels from late-night meals, lack of exercise, stress, and drinking alcohol can disrupt healthy sleep patterns. Without visibility into your sleep phase data, it’s hard to pinpoint where you can improve.
So we’re connecting the dots by partnering with the brand that knows sleep better than anyone: Oura.
With sleep insights powered by Oura Ring — a sleep lab on your finger — you can see exactly how your glucose levels affect your sleep and how your sleep affects glucose regulation down to the sleep stage level.
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Everyone’s metabolism is unique and one size definitely does not fit ALL. So gaining a precise understanding of the interactions between diet, glucose levels, biometrics, and sleep is a powerful tool to optimize the behaviors that work for you. Reinforcing those behaviors with data helps you optimize performance and build healthy habits. Your body has a voice - you just need to listen to it!
Armed with these insights, you’ll be able to sleep better, increase your energy levels, and improve your metabolic health.
Sleep and metabolic health
While missing out on sleep every once in a while is okay — and will probably just mean you’re groggy the next day — consistently experiencing poor sleep hygiene can take a significant toll on basic metabolic functions.
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Sleep and metabolic health go hand in hand. When the opportunity arose to partner with a company so deeply focused on getting the precision and science of sleep right we couldn’t pass it up. With Oura Ring, we’re bringing the key biomarkers of sleep stages, heart rate, and glucose together for the first time to paint an even more holistic picture of metabolic health to unlock an unprecedented level of insight.
Studies involving total sleep deprivation, where subjects were kept awake for 24-120 consecutive hours, reported increased fasting glucose, reduced glucose tolerance, and decreased energy metabolism [4]. In the most extreme cases of sleep deprivation, subjects exhibited muscle metabolism similar to people with prediabetes.
Another study where people experienced two nights of partial sleep deprivation resulted in decreased glucose tolerance, and decreased insulin response — which resulted in higher blood glucose [5]. These studies show us that a few nights of missed sleep can start to affect your metabolic functions, and a week of sleep deprivation can begin to have significant impacts on metabolic health.
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Sleep deprivation is one of the most prevalent problems we face today in our fast-paced society, which has a multitude of adverse downstream health effects. Poor sleep quality or quantity is well-known to affect appetite regulation and glucose homeostasis, both of which play a vital role in our metabolic health. Bringing Oura Ring sleep insights together with glucose levels empowers our users to better optimize their rest so that they can successfully achieve their health and wellness goals.
New research suggests that it’s not just lack of sleep affecting your glucose levels. An irregular sleep schedule and varying sleep times can also increase the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, and elevated blood glucose levels. Each hour of inconsistency in bedtime and waking time can lead to a ~30% increase in the likelihood of an abnormal metabolic health response [6].
By showing you the impact that your sleep is having on your metabolic health, and how your glucose levels affect the quality of your sleep, you can become empowered to make the lasting changes that you need.
How it works
With our direct integration, users can seamlessly receive their Oura Ring data. Sleep events will be added automatically, including sleep stages and nighttime heart rate data, so you can see exactly how your glucose levels affect your sleep.
You can now see your deep, REM, and light sleep stages alongside your glucose levels to better understand your sleep patterns.
We believe in seeing objective data from your body so you can make the best decisions for your metabolic health. By seeing exactly how your glucose levels fluctuate throughout the night, you’ll be able to draw conclusions about the ways meal timing, diet, heart rate, exercise, and even chronic conditions like PCOS affect your sleep. Understanding the link between these factors lets you make impactful adjustments to your sleep routine and lifestyle accordingly.
But that’s only one side of the equation.
Uncovering how sleep quality affects your glucose regulation the next day is critical to make changes that restore your body’s glycemic response and insulin sensitivity. This is because the same foods can have a completely different impact on your glucose levels after a poor night’s sleep (which can make you more insulin resistant).
Want to discover your sleep insights and improve your metabolic health? Join Veri to get started on your health journey.
Already a Veri user? Here’s how to get started.
Don't have an Oura Ring yet? Shop Oura Ring and save $40 with this exclusive link.
References:
- https://sleepeducation.org/cdc-americans-sleep-deprived/
- https://www.usa.philips.com/c-dam/b2c/master/experience/smartsleep/world-sleep-day/2019/2019-philips-world-sleep-day-survey-results.pdf
- https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/met.2018.0105
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3018785/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16227462/
- https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/42/8/1422/36074/Cross-sectional-and-Prospective-Associations-of
