Association Between Accelerometer-Measured Irregular Sleep Duration and Type 2 Diabetes Risk: A Prospective Cohort Study in the UK Biobank

Over 7 years of follow-up, 2,058 cases of diabetes were identified among 84,421 participants.

• Higher variability in sleep duration is associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes.
• Compared to a sleep duration variability of 30 minutes or less, those with variability of 61-90 minutes have a 54% higher risk, and those with variability of 91 minutes or more have a 59% higher risk.
• A nonlinear relationship suggests that individuals with a sleep duration variability greater than 60 minutes have a 34% higher risk of diabetes compared to those with 60 minutes or less.
• Adjustment for lifestyle factors and body weight reduced the strength of the association, but it remained significant.
• The association between irregular sleep duration and diabetes risk is stronger in individuals with a lower genetic risk for diabetes.

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