Boston (eCanadaNow) - A new study has shown that having trouble sleeping at night may lead to an increased risk of developing diabetes.

A team of U.S. researchers has been looking at volunteers tried to determine if having a disturbed night's sleep was at all linked to the development of diabetes.  They found that those who were woken up or disturbed right before falling into a deep sleep developed insulin resistance.  

This could lead to high blood sugar levels, weight gain, and type 2 diabetes.

The study has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Nine healthy men and women were looked at for two nights in a row to see sleep patterns.  Over the next three nights they were watched and woken up with a loud noise after they were in a deep sleep.  Researchers found that eight out of the adults were less sensitive to insulin following the disturbance.

Lead researcher Dr. Ersa Tasali stated that "We had shown previously that restricting sleep duration in healthy young adults results in decreased glucose tolerance.  The current data further indicate that not only reduced sleep duration but also reduced sleep quality may play a role in diabetes risk."