Emerging evidence suggests that short duration of sleep and sleep disturbances increase the risk of developing diabetes. The mechanism of this presumed adverse influence of sleep loss on glucose metabolism is not well understood yet. However, in diabetes research and diabetes care, the multitude of influences of sleep and sleep loss on glucose regulation has been largely neglected so far. Here, we provide a short overview of the current epidemiological and experimental evidence for a potential contribution of sleep loss to the development of diabetes.