According to a large study conducted by Northwestern University in Chicago and the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom and published in the June 8 issue of the Journal of Sleep Research and involving more than a half a million people, a combination of poor sleep and diabetes–predominantly Type 2– increases a person's risk of early death by a whopping 87 percent.

"If you don't have diabetes, your sleep disturbances are still associated with an increased risk of dying, but it's higher for those with diabetes," corresponding study author Kristen Knutson, associate professor of neurology and preventive medicine at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine, explained in a press release. .

"Is it just noise or light or something bigger, like insomnia or sleep apnea.

"The question asked when the participants enrolled does not necessarily distinguish between insomnia and other sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea

"We wanted to see if you have both diabetes and sleep disturbances, are you worse off than just diabetes alone?" Knutson said