Abstract
The life-style of people from developed countries has substantially changed over the last century. The changes are mainly for the better, but one that is being proved not to be so positive is the shorter duration of sleep and more frequent disturbance of natural regular sleep patterns.
The consequence of sleep disorders according to the mounting evidence of many studies is not only the deterioration of cognitive functions but also impaired appetite control and glucose homeostasis, higher cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Among the recognised metabolic pathways linking sleep disorders with impaired glucose homeostasis are the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and sympathetic nervous system, as well as changed levels of various hormones.
Disruption of the circadian clock, e.g. because of shift-work, also leads to impairment of glucose homeostasis via changed gene expression. The treatment of sleep disorders is thus becoming the object of interest not only of neurologists and psychiatrists but also of diabetologists, endocrinologists and internists in general.