Archive for June, 2008

Lack of both the fragile X syndrome gene and one that is related could account for sleep problems associated with the disorder, which is the common cause of inherited mental impairment, said a consortium of researchers led by scientists at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Mice deficient in the fragile X mental retardation 1 gene (FMR1) and a similar gene called fragile X-related gene 2 (FXR2) have no rhythm to their wake and sleep pattern, said Dr. David Nelson, professor of molecular and human genetics.

Normal mice have a sleep-wake cycle of just under 12 hours awake and 12 hours asleep. Exposed to light and dark, they are awake in the dark and asleep during the light because they are nocturnal animals.

If they are kept in the dark, their cycle reduces by about 10 minutes per sleep-wake period but remains fairly normal. When mice do not have either FMR1 or FXR2, they have a slightly shorter cycle but the difference is not dramatic.

Fragile X is the most common known cause of autism.The finding is important because parents whose children have autism or fragile X report problems getting their children to go to sleep and stay asleep.

While traveling to different places, we often try to push ourselves to our physical limits, almost to the point of overtiredness and deprive ourselves from sleep due to which you can experience many symptoms of sleep deprivation including headaches, inability to focus, irritability, decreased concentration.

So, it is always reasonable to give enough rest and relaxation to our body every night while traveling.

If you are a frequent traveler to various places or if you are suffering with abnormal sleep patterns while traveling to different places, here are certain tips which can help you to keep your sleep patterns on right track.

Avoid heavy food or drinks!

Try to prefer light food and if you are more prone to heartburns, avoid spicy or fatty food that can make your heartburn flare and put off your restful sleep during journey. So, try to avoid heavy spicy foods during your journeys. Even, drinking more amounts of liquids can make you to wake up frequently during nights.

Avoid early morning flights!

Early morning flights can deprive you from sleep. So, try to schedule your flight in such a way that you can reach your destination in a time for a full night’s rest. This can help you to get more relaxation for your body and mind.

Sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD) are very common in children, occurring in up to 30 percent of children. SRBD ranges in severity from primary snoring to OSA.

In adults, SRBD is associated with hypertension and increased risk for cardiovascular disease. These findings highlight the importance of considering the long-term cardiovascular effects of any severity of SRBD in children

The 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) finds that all severities of SRBD in children are associated with elevated blood pressure during sleep compared with non-snoring control children.

The study focused on 88 children between seven and 13 years of age, including 68 referred for the assessment of SRBD and 20 non-snoring controls. Routine polysomnography, or an overnight sleep test, was performed, and mean arterial pressure was continuously recorded.

Children were divided into groups according to obstructive apnea/hypopnea index: control children, primary snoring, mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and moderate/severe OSA.

According to the results, compared with the non-snoring controls, SRBDs of any severity elevate the blood pressure of children during sleep.

It is important to make sure that your child gets enough sleep and sleeps well. The value of sleep can be measured by your child’s smiling face, happy nature and natural energy. A tired child may have development or behavior problems.

Do you know how your sleep affects your ability of problem solving? One good reason why your ability of problem solving can improve well after 7 or more hours of sound sleep is the effect of sleep on memory.

When you are sleeping, information moves from your short term to long term memory.

Hence, you can deliver the problem solving information that is required to the other parts of your brain, which will actually know how to solve the problem efficiently.

Therefore, it is always essential for you to improve your sleeping patterns to develop better problem solving ability.

Some scientists evidently said that during sleep your brain consolidates and organizes memories of what you have seen and done during your day. When these memories are merged and organized, you will able to access the information that is required for you to solve any particular task.

So, if you want to improve your problem solving ability, it is always suggested to improve your sleep patterns. There are many ways to improve your sleep. Some of the most effective ways mainly include:

Stick to particular sleep schedule!

There is a strong association between depression and sleep deprivation.

The suicidal behavior associated with depression has been described as a public health problem and that the full implication might not be scientifically addressed in relation to children and adolescents to the depth that it should be.

Moreover, the suicidal behavior in adults can start in childhood and it should be recognized early.

The study, authored by Maria-Cecilia Lopes, MD, PhD, of Sao Paulo University in Brazil, focused on 303 individuals with pediatric bipolar disorder and pediatric unipolar disorder during depressive episodes. The presence of sleep complaints and suicidal behavior were detected by face-to-face interviews during depressive episodes.

According to the results, 83.8 percent of the patients had sleep disturbances. Poor sleep was more frequent among those with pediatric bipolar disorder and pediatric unipolar disorder, and this was clearly detected by the presence of initial insomnia and sleep maintenance insomnia.

Surprisingly, there was a significant association between suicidal behavior and the presence of sleep complaints in both groups. The proportion of subjects who reported suicidal behaviors with sleep complaints was higher among bipolar than unipolar patients.

Sleep is significantly disrupted for hospitalized pediatric patients and their parents, especially for younger children and on the first night of hospitalization

The 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) is one of the first to demonstrate the negative impact of hospitalization on sleep quantity and quality in children and their parents, in particular for younger patients and on the first night of hospitalization.

The study, authored by Lisa J. Meltzer, PhD, of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, focused on 81 children between six and 21 years of age and 82 parents, who completed the Sleep in a Children’s Hospital questionnaire, providing information about sleep habits at home, the previous night’s sleep while hospitalized, and sleep disruptors (e.g., pain, noise, procedures).

According to the results, sleep patterns significantly differed during hospitalization, with younger children reporting a later bedtime, later wake time, more night wakings, and shorter total sleep time, and older children reporting a significantly later wake time, more night wakings, and longer total sleep time.

For further information visit: Medical News Today

An acute session of moderate aerobic exercise, but not heavy aerobic or moderate strength exercises, can reduce the anxiety state and improve the sleep quality of insomnia patients.

The study, authored by Giselle S. Passos, of Federal University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, focused on 36 patients (eight men and 28 women) with primary chronic insomnia, who were divided into three experimental groups (moderate aerobic exercise, heavy aerobic exercise, and moderate strength exercise) and a control group.

According to the results, after the exercise session, reductions were shown in sleep onset latency (54 percent) and wake time (36 percent) in the moderate aerobic exercise group, while increases were shown in total sleep time (21 percent) and in sleep efficiency (18 percent).

A significant increase in the total sleep time (37 percent) and reduction in the sleep onset latency (40 percent) were observed in the sleep log of volunteers of the moderate aerobic exercise group. Finally, a significant reduction (seven percent) in the anxiety state was also observed after moderate aerobic exercise session.

These findings indicate that there is a way to diminish the symptoms of insomnia without using medication

Source: ScienceDaily

According to the research, Bright light therapy may improve a mother’s nocturnal sleep, decrease daytime sleepiness and be beneficial to her well-being.

Sleep plays a vital role in promoting a woman’s health and well being. Getting the required amount of sleep is likely to enhance a woman’s overall quality of life.

Yet, women face many potential barriers — such as life events, depression, illness, bad sleep habits and medication use — that can disrupt and disturb her sleep. Overcoming these challenges can help her enjoy the daily benefits of feeling alert and well rested.

“Having a low birth weight infant in the ICU can intensify sleep disturbances for mothers because of extended periods of exposure to the artificial dim light in the ICU and stress related to the infant’s medical condition,” said Dr. Lee. “Impaired sleep may have negative impact on the mother’s well-being.

Bright light therapy given through use of the special visor may improve mothers’ nocturnal sleep, decrease daytime sleepiness, and be beneficial to their well-being.

Source: ScienceDaily