Science says there’s a perfect amount of sleep to prevent a metabolic nightmare — and most people are missing the mark

New research suggests that hitting a specific sweet spot of just over seven hours of sleep each night could seriously lower your risk of insulin resistance, a major player in developing type 2 diabetes. A team of Chinese researchers spent years diving deep into our sleep habits, and what they found is pretty fascinating for anyone looking to keep their metabolic health in check.

According to Fox News, the long-term observational study, which ran from 2009 to 2023, included a group of about 25,000 participants. The researchers wanted to understand how the amount of sleep we get on weekdays connects to insulin resistance, a well-known risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Their findings, published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, pinpointed a “sweet spot” of about 7 hours and 18 minutes of sleep per night for the lowest insulin resistance.