- Country: Hong Kong
- Official Title: Professor
- Department: Department of Medicine and Therapeutics
- Institute: Chinese University of Hong Kong
- E-Mail: alicekong@cuhk.edu.hk
Speech Title
Sleep disorders and Cognitive Impairment in Older People with Type 2 Diabetes
Updated guidelines have included adequate sleep as one of the key elements of lifestyle therapy in diabetes management due to the amassing evidence supporting the link between sleep and glycemia (Garber AJ, 2020). My team and other researchers across the globe have demonstrated a U-shaped relationship between sleep duration and glycemia, as well as clinical outcomes in people with and without diabetes (Kong AP, 2017; Wang C, 2019). Not only sleep duration matters, regularity of sleep habits and sleep quality are also important in the regulation of glucose homeostasis (Kong AP, 2017; Ding C, 2019).
Many places across the globe are facing major challenges brought on by a rapidly ageing population and an increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes. The management of diabetes in older adults are unique deserving special attention, as well as requiring multi-disciplinary approach (American Diabetes Association, 2024). Older adults with diabetes have higher rates of comorbidities and complications notably stroke, coronary heart disease leading to functional disability and polypharmacy. They are also at risk of cognitive impairment and sleep disorders. Insomnia, one of the most common sleep problems, is commonly under-recognized in the management of older adults. Insomnia impacts negatively on glycemic control of people with type 2 diabetes (Ding C, 2019), insomnia may also increase the risk of development of cognitive impairment (O CK, 2023).
This talk will review the current literature related to the association between insomnia and cognitive impairment, and the impact of sleep disorders on the diabetes management of older adults.