Perceived Stress, Sleep Quality, and Their Impact on Glycemic Control Among Type 2 Diabetes Patients in Riyadh: Cross-Sectional Evidence

13/10/2026

AI Summary

Poor sleep quality independently associated with higher HbA1c in T2DM patients in Riyadh.
Perceived stress showed no significant correlation with glycaemic control in this cohort.
Elevated BMI and dyslipidaemia linked to higher HbA1c; physical activity associated with lower HbA1c.

TL;DR (AI Generated)

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relation between Perceived Stress and Sleep Quality with glycemic blood levels in T2DM patients in Riyadh.

To investigate impact of psychosocial and metabolic factors on glycemic control (HbA1c), data were collected using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), alongside clinical metrics such as BMI and dyslipidemia extracted from medical records.

Notably, poor sleep quality emerged as a significant independent factor associated with elevated HbA1c (β = 0.261, p < 0.001), whereas perceived stress did not exhibit a significant correlation.

Basic summary

Med Princ Pract. 2026 Oct 12:1. doi: 10.1159/mpp/adpag019. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relation between Perceived Stress and Sleep Quality with glycemic blood levels in T2DM patients in Riyadh.

SUBJECT AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study evaluated a total of 309 patients diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study comprised an initial validation and Arabic translation phase involving 160 participants, followed by an analytical phase focusing on 149 adult patients. To investigate impact of psychosocial and metabolic factors on glycemic control (HbA1c), data were collected using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), alongside clinical metrics such as BMI and dyslipidemia extracted from medical records. A multivariable linear regression model was utilized to identify independent factors associated with glycemic regulation within the local population.

RESULTS: The multivariable regression model demonstrated robust explanatory power (Adjusted R2 = 0.726, p < 0.001). Traditional risk factors, specifically elevated BMI (β = 0.448, p < 0.001) and dyslipidemia (β = 0.304, p < 0.001), were significantly associated with higher HbA1c levels. Notably, poor sleep quality emerged as a significant independent factor associated with elevated HbA1c (β = 0.261, p < 0.001), whereas perceived stress did not exhibit a significant correlation. Conversely, physical activity demonstrated a significant protective effect, correlating with lower HbA1c (β = -0.271, p <0.001).

CONCLUSION: Poor sleep quality, rather than perceived psychological stress, is a primary factor independently associated with hyperglycemia in this patient cohort. These findings suggest that standard diabetes care should integrate formal sleep assessments alongside patient care management.

PMID:42862788 | DOI:10.1159/mpp/adpag019

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