Unhealthy Sleep Habits Increase Risk of Diabetes

It’s no news that sleeping 6-8 hours is healthy for humans. What is news, according to a study by the New England Research Institute, is that not sleeping 6-8 hours a day triples the risk of developing diabetes. That’s right—sleeping less than 6 hours a day or more than 8 hours makes us 3 times more likely to develop diabetes.

Because dogs and cats are physiologically similar to people, diabetes is more likely in pets sleeping more or less than normal. So how much do dogs and cats normally sleep? Dogs sleep 10-16 hours a day, and cats 13-16 hours a day. The very young and the very old normally sleep much more and may be active for only a few hours a day.

To prevent a tripling of your pet’s odds of developing diabetes, help it sleep the proper amount of time. How can you ensure your dog has at least 10 hours of sleep and your cat has at least 13 hours? Address the following:

• pain
• anxiety
• itching
• stomach and intestinal irritability
• medications
• senility

Pain is frequently caused by bone and joint disease, such as arthritis and hip dysplasia. It can also be caused by tooth decay, anal sac inflammation, and irritable bowel disease.

Anxiety is caused by fighting among family members and pets. It’s also caused by illness, death, or birth. Anxiety is often triggered by moving, traveling, and holidays, such as the 4^th of July.

Itching is most often caused by fleas, but it can also be caused by food allergies and contact allergies. Contact allergies are common if a pet is sensitive to the wood in its dog house, the deck on the house, or perfume in the soap used to wash its bedding. Food allergies often cause pets to bite their feet, chew their nails, and lick the itching skin around the ears and rectum.

Stomach and intestines, called the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, are sensitive to changes in diet, water, or the presence of parasites. These may cause GI irritability, diarrhea, and painful gas.Provide bottled or filtered water to avoid parasites such as giardia and Cryptococcus. Treat for intestinal parasites including whipworms, hookworms, tapeworms, and roundworms.

Senility is accompanied by confusion and pets can wander at night rather than sleep. Senile pets can also be restless because they are anxious or have arthritic pain. Help senior pets maintain healthy brain function with Omega 3 fatty acids and supplements that support brain function, such as algae.

Just as insufficient sleep is unhealthy, too much sleep is unhealthy. What two major factors make pets sleep too much?

• Boredom
• Medications

Boredom is a major problem with many house pets whose greatest stimulation is from playing with us or from eating. This leads to sleeping during the day when we’re at work. Help your pet stay active by providing interactive toys. Consider the Kong toy that releases chew toys stuffed with treats every hour or two. Take your pet to playcare or give your pet a job—working dogs are often the most fit and healthy of pets and the least likely to engage in oversleeping. Give your cat a play gym or access to a sheltered area outdoors.

Medications that may make pets sleep excessively include antihistamines, corticosteroids, antibiotics, and anticonvulsants. Give the lowest dose of medication that is effective and give the medication early in the day rather than at bedtime if possible.

To help your pet enjoy every minute it spends sleeping, provide a bed that is soft, but supportive. Place it where your pet can feel part of the pack. Sleeping is one of the pleasures of life, and your pet will appreciate everything you do to provide it with a wonderful place to snuggle. Your pet’s health will also be the better for it.