The 7-Hour Trick for Better Blood Sugar Control
If you’re struggling to manage your blood sugar, you know it’s practically a full-time job.
The endless finger pricks…
Multiple medications…
Keeping a close eye on everything you eat.
Meanwhile, one of the easiest ways to keep you blood sugar in line requires almost no effort on your part… and starts delivering real results in as little as 7 hours.
The only problem? Doctors almost never talk about it.
If you’re diabetic or prediabetic, you may have heard the term “insulin resistance” before.
Insulin basically pulls sugar out of your bloodstream and delivers it to hungry cells.
When your cells become insulin resistant, insulin can’t do its job effectively… so the sugar stays in your blood instead.
And you’re on your way to high blood sugar and diabetes.
Well, researchers from China recently decided to see how sleep affected insulin resistance… and the results were striking.
They looked at more than 23,000 people, and found that sleeping about seven and a half hours a night helped drive down insulin resistance so our bodies could handle sugar better.
Sleeping less than that increased markers of insulin resistance… and sleeping too much did, too.
To me, this is just more evidence of the importance of keeping a healthy circadian rhythm – your body’s natural sleep/wake cycle.
Our bodies are designed to function with the rhythms of the Earth – and for thousands of years, that’s exactly what we did. We were up when the sun rose, and asleep when it was dark.
But, today, we are bombarded by artificial light, round-the-clock entertainment, and plenty of other factors that send our circadian rhythms haywire.
And an unhealthy circadian rhythm has been linked to diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and more.
Fortunately, there are a few simple steps you can take – starting today – to optimize your circadian rhythm.
Step 1: Get sun exposure in your eyes first thing every morning, no glasses or contact lenses. You don’t have to look directly into the sun – just keep it in your peripheral vision. This helps set your circadian rhythm for the day.
Step 2: Eliminate all exposure to screens (like TVs, cell phones, or laptops) at least 60-90 minutes before bedtime. The artificial blue light from these screens suppresses melatonin, a key hormone you need to sleep.
Step 3: Keep a consistent bedtime every night, including on weekends.
Just try these three steps, and I can guarantee you’ll start sleeping better. And you might see some improvements in your blood sugar numbers in the bargain.
View Sources
Fan Z, Wei R, Chen T, Yan X, Yin S, Cao Y, et al. Association of weekday sleep duration and estimated glucose disposal rate: the role of weekend catch-up sleep. BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care. 2026;14:e005692. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjdrc-2025-005692
