Washington, Jan 2 : Young diabetics struggling to get a good night's sleep have worse control of their blood sugar, perform poorly in school and behave badly, a new study has found.

According to Michelle Perfect and her colleagues, lighter sleep and breathing problems lead to trouble controlling blood sugar, despite adherence to diabetic health guidelines

"Despite adhering to recommendations for good diabetic health, many youth with Type 1 diabetes have difficulty maintaining control of their blood sugars," Perfect, principal investigator of the study, said.

The researchers tracked the sleep health of 50 Type 1 diabetics, aged 10 to 16, and compared that data with a similar control group.

They found that the young diabetics spent more time in a lighter stage of sleep than youth without diabetes, which was related to compromised school performance and higher blood sugar levels.

"Sleep problems were associated with lower grades, poorer performance on state standardized tests, poor quality of life and abnormalities in daytime behaviour," Perfect said.

"On the upside, sleep is a potentially modifiable health behaviour, so these kids could be helped by a qualified professional to get a better night''s sleep," she added.

The study will be published in the January issue of the journal Sleep. (ANI)