Blood sugar double risk you didn’t know about: How black coffee and no sleep can push up levels

 Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/health-wellness

Getting less than six hours of sleep regularly can interfere with your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar.

A young patient of mine reported that her blood sugar levels were not quite in range despite keeping herself active and eating clean. We had suggested lifestyle correction as the first step to control her body weight but she said her regular exercises were tiring her out. Meanwhile her blood sugar levels showed an uptick. What was going wrong?

Then I asked her if she was sleeping enough. “Honestly, I sleep about five hours a night, sometimes less. I have a lot of daily deadlines to meet, so I rely on coffee — maybe five or six cups a day — to stay alert,” she told me. There lay my answer. Poor sleep and caffeine are bad news for blood sugar.

Sleep and blood sugar spikes

Getting less than six hours of sleep regularly can interfere with your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar. Poor sleep stresses the body. This means your body produces more cortisol, a stress hormone. Cortisol makes it harder for the sugar-regulating hormone insulin to do its job, which means your blood sugar levels can rise. Even if your diet doesn’t change, sleep deprivation can push your blood glucose up. Your body becomes less sensitive to insulin, and your liver might release more glucose into the bloodstream thinking you’re in stress mode.

But isn’t black coffee good for diabetes?

Only in moderation. One or two cups a day usually don’t cause problems. But having five or six cups can backfire, especially when you’re not sleeping enough. High caffeine intake increases adrenaline and cortisol levels, just like lack of sleep does. Together, they create a double impact on your glucose control. So, caffeine indirectly raises your blood sugar, too.

Plus, excessive caffeine can lead to poor sleep quality — even if you do manage to get to bed on time. It becomes a cycle: less sleep, more coffee, more stress hormones, and higher blood sugar.

Studies suggest that in some people, especially those with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, high caffeine consumption can reduce insulin sensitivity. This means that their bodies require more insulin to bring blood sugar levels down after meals, putting extra strain on the pancreas and increasing the risk of hyperglycemia.

Sleep is essential for glucose metabolism. And caffeine, though helpful in small doses, should be limited—especially if you’re using it to compensate for inadequate rest.

The ideal combination

Start by aiming for at least seven to eight hours of sleep per night. Try reducing your caffeine to two cups a day — preferably before 2 pm. Then monitor your blood sugar. You’ll likely see improvement within a week or two. These small lifestyle changes can go a long way in protecting your health — especially if you’re at a risk for diabetes or already managing it.