Can Treating Insomnia Lower Blood Sugar in Prediabetes?

What Is This Study About?

Researchers are running a clinical trial called the Sleep for Health Study to find out whether treating insomnia — trouble falling or staying asleep — can help lower blood sugar in people with prediabetes. The study is enrolling 300 adults who have both insomnia and prediabetes, and it's testing a digital therapy program delivered entirely online.

Why does this matter? Because poor sleep is already known to raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, yet sleep problems are rarely addressed as part of diabetes prevention. This trial could change that.

How the Study Works

Participants are split into two groups at random:

• Treatment group: Six interactive online sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) — a proven, non-medication approach that teaches people to change sleep habits, fix unhelpful thinking about sleep, and build a consistent sleep schedule.
• Control group: Access to a basic sleep education website with general information, but no interactive tools or skill-building exercises.

Both groups are tested at the start of the study, then again at 11 weeks and 33 weeks. Tests include:

• A 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (drinking a sugary drink and measuring how the body handles it)
• Hemoglobin A1c (a 3-month blood sugar average)
• Fasting blood glucose
• Insulin resistance scores
• 10 days of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) to track blood sugar around the clock

What Researchers Hope to Find

The primary goal is to see whether the sleep therapy group shows lower blood sugar two hours after the glucose drink — a key sign of how well the body manages sugar. If results are positive, improving sleep could become a real strategy for slowing or stopping the progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes.

What This Could Mean for You

If you have prediabetes and struggle with sleep, this research is directly relevant to your health. It suggests that the path to better blood sugar control may run through your bedroom, not just your kitchen or gym. Addressing sleep could work alongside other lifestyle changes — healthy eating, physical activity, and proper monitoring — as part of a complete prevention plan.

For those already using CGM devices or diabetes supplies to track their condition, tools available through MDS Diabetes make daily monitoring more manageable while you work on all aspects of your health, including sleep.

Bottom Line

The Sleep for Health Study is testing whether a structured, digital sleep therapy program can meaningfully lower blood sugar in people with prediabetes and insomnia. This is one of the first trials of its kind, and the findings — expected in the coming years — could add a powerful, drug-free tool to diabetes prevention. If you have prediabetes, talk to your healthcare provider about sleep quality as part of your overall care plan.