The relationship between diabetes, stress and sleep problems in the light of the Hungarostudy 2013 research data

Abstract

Introduction: The problem of diabetes worldwide raises increasingly serious public health issues in Hungary. In recent years, the emphasis on obesity as a primary cause of diabetes has been driven by a complex understanding of the causes of civilization: the role of sleep problems and stress in the development of the disease and the aggravation of the condition has been proven and supported. Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between stress, sleep problems and diabetes in the representative Hungarostudy 2013 survey. Method: In the cross-sectional questionnaire study, 2000 adults participated. Mean of age was 46.9 (SD = 18.24) years. The average BMI was 26.0 (SD = 4.97) kg/m2. Measures: socio-demographic data, question about the presence of treated diabetes, symptomatic list, Perceived Stress Scale. Results: The frequency of diabetes treated one year before the date of the survey was 8.2%. The levels of stress experienced by diabetic patients were significantly higher than those experienced by participants not treated with diabetes (t(1944) = -2.586, p = 0.010). After adjusting potential background variables, perceived stress shows a marginally significant relationship with diabetes (OR = 1.03, p = 0.052). 26.0% of the respondents reported sleep problems last month, while 40.2% of them reported fatigue and energy shortages. The presence of sleep problems (χ2(2) = 61.108, p<0.001) and feeling of fatigue or lack of energy (χ2(2) = 51.061, p<0.001) are significantly more frequent among people with diabetes. Treated diabetes also predicts the presence of sleep problems (OR = 1.77, p = 0.003) as well as fatigue and lack of energy (OR = 1.88, p = 0.004) under the control of potential background variables. Conclusion: Our results show that, according to trends in other parts of the world, both sleep problems and stress play a significant role in the development of diabetes in Hungary. This draws attention to the need for effective screening and treatment of these factors in the prevention and treatment of diabetes in accordance with international protocols. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(47): 1872-1880.