A lack of sleep or too much shut-eye could be detrimental to your health, particularly if you're one of the 4.4 million Brits living with diabetes, according to new research. The study found that excessive sleep can lead to a 31% increase in microvascular damage for those with diabetes, while insufficient sleep can cause a 38% surge in damage.

The optimal amount of sleep, as per the researchers, is between seven to nine hours daily. The Danish study analysed the sleep and health patterns of 400 individuals recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, who had been experiencing symptoms for over three years.

Microvascular damage, which affects small blood vessels and can result in blindness and kidney failure, is a significant concern for the 4.4 million people in the UK with diabetes, says Diabetes UK. The research also discovered that the harm caused by irregular sleep patterns intensifies with age, with 12% of the study participants not getting enough sleep and 28% sleeping excessively.

The findings will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Madrid. Alarmingly, nearly a fifth of individuals with diabetes develop kidney issues, potentially requiring dialysis or a transplant.

Microvascular problems can also trigger high blood pressure, leading to heart disease and strokes, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The researchers stressed: "In recently diagnosed Type 2 diabetes patients, both short and long sleep durations are associated with a higher prevalence of microvascular disease compared to optimal sleep duration at night. Age amplifies the association between short sleep duration and microvascular disease, suggesting increased vulnerability among older individuals."

They also pointed out: "Lifestyle changes in patients with type 2 diabetes may include sleep interventions. However, further studies are needed to establish the role of sleep duration and quality in these patients."