Can just two nights of poor sleep make you insulin resistant?

Missing a few hours of sleep may leave you feeling groggy the next morning, but growing evidence suggests the effects extend far beyond fatigue. Research has increasingly linked even short-term sleep deprivation to changes in how the body processes glucose, raising concerns that just a couple of nights of inadequate sleep could temporarily reduce insulin sensitivity, a key risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. A 2022 systematic review published in Cureus analysed multiple studies on sleep deprivation and insulin resistance and found a consistent association between insufficient sleep and impaired insulin sensitivity. The review suggests that sleeping less than the recommended seven hours per night may trigger inflammatory responses, hormonal changes, and disruptions to the body's circadian rhythm, all of which can interfere with how insulin works.