Unexpected danger of long sleep for kidneys revealed

Long-term sleep may be associated with an increased risk of kidney damage in people with type 2 diabetes. This conclusion was reached by scientists at Juntendo University in Japan. The study results were published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society (JES).

Researchers studied data from 678 people with type 2 diabetes who were followed for about six years. The researchers assessed participants' sleep duration and tracked the development of diabetic nephropathy, a disease in which elevated blood sugar levels gradually damage the kidneys.

It turned out that people who typically slept longer were more likely to develop or progress to diabetic nephropathy. This association was especially strong among older participants and patients who already had signs of kidney dysfunction.

These signs include small amounts of protein in the urine and decreased ability of the kidneys to filter blood. Diabetic nephropathy occurs in about 30 to 40 percent of people with diabetes and can lead to kidney failure in severe cases, researchers say.

Scientists suggest that prolonged sleep may not be a cause of kidney damage, but a sign of other health conditions that increase the risk of diabetes complications.

The authors emphasize that the study was observational and does not prove that prolonged sleep directly harms the kidneys. Therefore, you should not reduce sleep duration based on these results.