Age-related Changes In Sleep Research Articles

Associations between sleep quality and psychological distress in early adolescence

Background: Although numerous studies have reported an association between sleep quality and mental health, few have focused on this association exclusively in early adolescence. Targeting this age group is vital as many mental illnesses first emerge during adolescence and remain a significant burden throughout life. Method: In the current study n = 60 participants aged 12 years completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Results: Consistent with previous findings, bivariate correlations revealed significant positive linear relationships between K10 total score and (i) PSQI total score; (ii) sleep quality; (iii) daytime dysfunction; and (iv) sleep disturbance. However, contrary to previous findings, there was no significant correlation between K10 scores and sleep duration. Conclusion: The association between sleep quality and psychological distress in early adolescents provides some important clues about the role that sleep may play in predicting the onset of anxiety and depressive disorders. Longitudinal studies should be undertaken to investigate age-related changes in sleep and psychological distress.

Сон и старение: эндокринные и эпигенетические аспекты

Along with many physiological changes during normal aging, sleep also changes. Age-related changes in sleep include: a decrease in the duration of night sleep, an increase in the frequency of falling asleep during the day, an increase in the number of night awakenings and time spent without sleep during the night, a decrease in the phase of slow sleep, etc. Most of these changes occur between the young and the middle and remain unchanged in the elderly. In addition, the circadian system and homeostatic sleep mechanisms become less stable with aging. The level and nature of the secretion of hormones acting on sleep change during normal aging, which affects the processes of sleep and wakefulness. Sleep indicators are interrelated and/or dependent on lifestyle, polymorbidity (somatic, psychological), polypharmacy, epigenetic (social, economic, environmental, etc.) factors. Increased average human life expectancy and neuroendocrine changes in physiological and pathological aging, on the one hand, epigenetic factors and electromagnetic information load/overload, on the other hand, made a significant contribution to the circadian nature of human brain neural network interaction with artificial intelligence.

0354 Age-Related Spectral Changes in NREM And REM Sleep in Mice are Global and Not Local

Abstract Introduction Brain topography modulates age-related changes in the human sleep electroencephalogram, which are linked with differences in integrity of specific cortical areas and may reflect local changes in sleep homeostasis. In mice, there is conflicting evidence regarding the topography of age-related changes for NREM and REM sleep. To disambiguate this issue, we investigated in mice the topography of age-related spectral differences for REM and NREM sleep. Methods LFP electrodes were implanted in 5 cortical areas and in the hippocampus of 17 C57/BL6 mice (8 young and 9 old, mean age = 7.5 and 16 months). Mice LFPs were recorded for a week and states of vigilance were semi-automatically detected in light and dark periods (12h-12h). Spectral analysis was run on 4s windows. Values were averaged for each electrode and in each period of the light/dark cycle in REM/NREM sleep for slow delta (0.25-2Hz), delta (2-4Hz), theta (4-8Hz), sigma (10-16Hz) and ripples (150-200Hz). Mixed models were computed separately for REM and NREM in dark and light period, with age as group factor and electrode and frequency as repeated factors. Results Two-way interactions were found between age and frequency and between electrode and frequency, for NREM and REM in dark and light periods. Each frequency band, except ripples, showed a topographical signature in NREM and REM (e.g. higher power in anterior compared to posterior areas for delta band in NREM sleep). These relative patterns did not change in older mice, but global changes occurred on all electrodes: in older mice, delta power was globally higher in NREM and REM sleep whereas sigma power was lower in REM sleep. Conclusion Age-related changes in spectral power of sleeping mice do not vary according to brain topography as in humans. Sleep deprivation studies are needed to investigate whether age is associated with global changes in sleep homeostasis in mice. Support This work has been supported by the Quebec Fonds de Recherche Nature et Technologies (FQRNT).

Loss of DmGluRA exacerbates age-related sleep disruption and reduces lifespan

Declines in sleep amount and quality—characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and an inability to sleep at night—are common features of aging. Sleep dysfunction is also associated with age-related ailments and diseases, suggesting that sleep is functionally relevant to the aging process. Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs)—which are critical regulators of neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity—have been implicated in both age-related disease and sleep regulation. Therefore, in this study, we examined the sleep and aging effect of complete genetic loss of mGluR signaling in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetic knockdown of the sole Drosophila mGluR—known as DmGluRA—reduced daytime wakefulness and nighttime sleep, recapitulating age-related sleep changes that occur across species. Furthermore, loss of DmGluRA significantly reduced lifespan and exacerbated age-related sleep loss in older flies. Thus, we identify DmGluRA as a novel regulator of sleep whose loss results in an age-relevant sleep phenotype that is associated with shortened lifespan. This is the first evidence that mGluR signaling regulates sleep/wake in a manner that is relevant to the aging process.

A Human Neuroimaging Perspective on Sleep in Normative and Pathological Ageing

There is a growing body of evidence detailing how phenotypic changes in sleep with increasing age are not only associated with declining functions, but how sleep disorders may also indicate underlying pathology, particularly neurodegenerative diseases. As sleep is implicated in maintenance and protective processes within the brain, poor sleep quality may also contribute to neurodegenerative processes. This review details the neuroimaging literature surrounding age-related changes in sleep and outlines how sleep disorders are related to changes in neural integrity with advancing age. Sleep disturbance can increase the production of amyloid-β, an age-related peptide associated with Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Obstructive sleep apnoea has been implicated in exacerbating both changes that occur with both normative ageing and neurodegenerative processes in dementia. While conversion rates may differ, recent evidence suggests all patients with REM sleep behaviour disorder may eventually develop an α-synucleinopathy-related neurodegenerative disease. Sleep is a complex behaviour and encapsulates many important processes for overall brain health. The relationship between changing features of sleep with age and neurodegeneration is highly complicated; however, human neuroimaging research provides great potential to understand these multifaceted connections.

Poor Sleep Quality of Hospitalized Geriatric Patients in General Hospital in Karawaci, Tangerang, Banten Province, Indonesia

<p>Background: In Indonesia, geriatric population in the year 2005 was 15.8 million (7.2 % population), and expected to reach 11.34% in the year 2020. There was growing evidence for poor sleep as an independent risk factor for poor physical and mental health. Geriatric population may be particularly vulnerable to effects of sleep disturbance due to significant age-related changes in both sleep and inflammatory regulation<br />Objective: To study the epidemiological (gender, age group) and health status (co-morbidities), sleep quality according to Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and its associations in geriatric population hospitalized in General Hospital in Karawaci, Tangerang, Banten Province, Indonesia.<br />Materials and Methods: A hospital based cross sectional study was conducted from January to June 2014. A total of 92 subjects aged 60 years and above were selected consecutively from hospitalized geriatric patients for this study. The data was analyzed by means and proportions.<br />Results: The male and female subjects were 51.1% and 48.9%. Mean age was 66.79 + 5.448 years. The age group of 60 – 75 years and above 75 years was 92.4% and 7.6% consecutively. Subjects with diabetes, hypertension, allergy, asthma, cardiac failure and chronic kidney disease were 30.4%, 62.0%, 18.5%, 21.7%, 21.7%, 20.7% consecutively and 63.0% with more than 2 co-morbidities. According to PSQI 72.8% subjects have poor sleep quality. Associations between poor sleep quality to epidemiological and health status were not significant except for diabetes (RR= 3.208 [95% CI: 1.045 – 9.848], p = 0.022) and chronic kidney disease (RR= 6.247 [95% CI: 0.902 – 43.279], p = 0.017)<br />Conclusions: Seventy two percents of subjects have poor sleep quality, and associations between poor sleep quality to epidemiological and health status were not significant except for diabetes.</p>

Insomnia in the Elderly: A Review.

Insomnia remains one of the most common sleep disorders encountered in the geriatric clinic population, frequently characterized by the subjective complaint of difficulty falling or maintaining sleep, or nonrestorative sleep, producing significant daytime symptoms including difficulty concentrating and mood disturbances. A search of the literature was conducted to review the epidemiology, definition, and age-related changes in sleep, as well as factors contributing to late-life insomnia and scales utilized for the assessment of insomnia in older people. The aim is to summarize recent diagnostic guidelines and both nonpharmacological and pharmacological strategies for the management of insomnia in the older population. Insomnia remains a clinical diagnosis. There are several demographic, psychosocial, biologic, and behavioral factors that can contribute to late-life insomnia. Older adults are at higher risk for the medical and psychiatric effects of insomnia. The most important aspect in evaluation of insomnia is detailed history taking and thorough physical examination. Nonpharmacological treatment options have favorable and enduring benefits compared to pharmacological therapy.

0272 Thinning of Medial Frontal and Anterior Cingulate Cortices Explain Age-related Changes in REM and NREM Sleep

0272 Thinning of Medial Frontal and Anterior Cingulate Cortices Explain Age-related Changes in REM and NREM Sleep

Effects of Aging on Cortical Neural Dynamics and Local Sleep Homeostasis in Mice.

Healthy aging is associated with marked effects on sleep, including its daily amount and architecture, as well as the specific EEG oscillations. Neither the neurophysiological underpinnings nor the biological significance of these changes are understood, and crucially the question remains whether aging is associated with reduced sleep need or a diminished capacity to generate sufficient sleep. Here we tested the hypothesis that aging may affect local cortical networks, disrupting the capacity to generate and sustain sleep oscillations, and with it the local homeostatic response to sleep loss. We performed chronic recordings of cortical neural activity and local field potentials from the motor cortex in young and older male C57BL/6J mice, during spontaneous waking and sleep, as well as during sleep after sleep deprivation. In older animals, we observed an increase in the incidence of non-rapid eye movement sleep local field potential slow waves and their associated neuronal silent (OFF) periods, whereas the overall pattern of state-dependent cortical neuronal firing was generally similar between ages. Furthermore, we observed that the response to sleep deprivation at the level of local cortical network activity was not affected by aging. Our data thus suggest that the local cortical neural dynamics and local sleep homeostatic mechanisms, at least in the motor cortex, are not impaired during healthy senescence in mice. This indicates that powerful protective or compensatory mechanisms may exist to maintain neuronal function stable across the life span, counteracting global changes in sleep amount and architecture.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The biological significance of age-dependent changes in sleep is unknown but may reflect either a diminished sleep need or a reduced capacity to generate deep sleep stages. As aging has been linked to profound disruptions in cortical sleep oscillations and because sleep need is reflected in specific patterns of cortical activity, we performed chronic electrophysiological recordings of cortical neural activity during waking, sleep, and after sleep deprivation from young and older mice. We found that all main hallmarks of cortical activity during spontaneous sleep and recovery sleep after sleep deprivation were largely intact in older mice, suggesting that the well-described age-related changes in global sleep are unlikely to arise from a disruption of local network dynamics within the neocortex.

The feasibility of using actigraphy to characterize sleep in Rett syndrome

BackgroundRett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder primarily caused by mutations in the MECP2 gene. Sleep problems are reported by the majority of caregivers of individuals with RTT.MethodsThe present study aimed to replicate and extend previous work about the feasibility of measuring sleep with an actigraph device in a sample of girls with clinically diagnosed RTT (N = 13, mean age = 9 years, 5 months). Participants wore an actigraph device day and night for seven consecutive days. Materials also included a parent-completed sleep diary to measure bedtime, duration of nighttime sleep, and daytime sleep, and the Child Sleep Habit’s Questionnaire (CSHQ).ResultsThe means for the sample as measured by actigraphy were 492.3 min (SD = 47.3) of total night sleep (TNS), 76.0% (SD = 6.7) sleep efficiency, 86.0 min (SD = 34.2) of wake after sleep onset, and 46.1 min (50.8) of sleep when parents reported a nap occurring. Parents reported 589.7 min (SD = 53.6) of TNS, 15.9 min (SD = 12.0) of WASO, and 93.6 min (SD = 66.8) of daytime sleep according to sleep diaries, with all parents reporting at least one nap during the week. Relations were found between sleep characteristics and seizure status and CSHQ total scores. No age-related changes were observed for any sleep characteristic, regardless of collection method. Five of nine participants above the cutoff score on the CSHQ indicate the need for further evaluation for a sleep disorder.ConclusionsOverall, actigraphy was feasible in this community-based sample of girls with RTT. The results replicated some aspects of previous studies of sleep in RTT (e.g., no age-related changes in total nighttime sleep or efficiency). Some participants met the American Academy of Sleep Medicine guidelines for recommended total sleep time, with others showing too much or too little sleep. Each of the three methods for describing sleep presented its own advantages and challenges. Future work should be prospectively designed, validate the use of actigraphy in this population, and include a typically developing comparison sample to improve the precision of our understanding of sleep in RTT.

Age-related changes in sleep are associated with poor inhibitory control in older adults with subjective memory impairment

Age-related changes in sleep are associated with poor inhibitory control in older adults with subjective memory impairment

Sex differences in age-related changes in the sleep-wake cycle.

Age-related changes in sleep and circadian regulation occur as early as the middle years of life. Research also suggests that sleep and circadian rhythms are regulated differently between women and men. However, does sleep and circadian rhythms regulation age similarly in men and women? In this review, we present the mechanisms underlying age-related differences in sleep and the current state of knowledge on how they interact with sex. We also address how testosterone, estrogens, and progesterone fluctuations across adulthood interact with sleep and circadian regulation. Finally, we will propose research avenues to unravel the mechanisms underlying sex differences in age-related effects on sleep.

Association Between Sleep Duration and Mid-Thigh Muscle Composition

Age-related changes in sleep are broadly documented and complaints of sleep difficulties are more common among older adults. Although sleep disorders are viewed as a health threat in several physiological systems, it is unclear how thigh lean mass and muscle attenuation, markers of sarcopenia, are affected by sleep. PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the association between 24-hour sleep duration and mid-thigh muscle composition. METHODS: 2,438 men and 3,326 women aged 66 to 96 years, residents in the Reykjavik area (Iceland), were included in this cross-sectional study. Mid-thigh muscle area (cm2) and muscle attenuation (Hounsfield units, HU) were assessed with a four-row detector computed tomography system. The muscle attenuation was used as an indicator of muscle fat infiltration; lower HU indicates greater fat infiltration. Sleep and nap habits were assessed using a questionnaire. Total 24-hour sleep duration was estimated as the sum of nighttime sleep hours and daytime nap hours. Statistical analysis was performed using multivariable linear regression. RESULTS: We found that after adjustment for age and body mass index (BMI) long sleep duration (>8 h/day) was negatively associated with thigh lean area in both men (B= −2.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) = −4.0, −0.4) and women (B=−2.9, 95% CI = −3.8, −1.0) and with muscle attenuation (B=−1.0, 95% CI = −1.5, −0.4) only in women. After adjustments for all relevant covariates (including age, BMI, health and lifestyle factors) the association between long sleep duration and thigh lean area was attenuated and became non-significant. In women, the associations between long sleep duration and muscle attenuation were significant in both the age and BMI- and the full-adjusted model. In men these associations were not significant. No associations were observed for short sleep duration (<6 h/day) and both muscle parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Long sleep duration, particularly in old women, is associated with thigh muscle attenuation. Whether optimization of sleep can ameliorate age-associated intramuscular adipose tissue warrants further studies. Supported by Intramural Research Program of the NIH, NIA; the AGES-Reykjavik Study is funded by NIH Grant N01-AG-12100, the NIA Intramural Research Program, Hjartavernd, and the Althingi.

Sleep and Aging: Challenges and Recommendations for Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Understanding and alleviating sleep problems for middle-aged and older adults is addressed through discussion of the following topics: age-related sleep changes; gender considerations; interactions among sleep, mental health, and physical illness; lifestyle and sleep; and assessment and treatment recommendations.

Sleep disorders in the elderly: Diagnosis and management.

Compared with younger people, elderly people show age‐related sleep changes, including an advanced sleep phase and decreased slow‐wave sleep, which result in fragmented sleep and early awakening. Multiple etiologies contribute to insomnia in the elderly, consistent with the observation that elderly people are likely to have comorbid conditions and medications. When elderly individuals complain of insomnia, it is important to assess treatable medical conditions and medication use that may be responsible for the insomnia before the use of hypnotics is initiated. Also, screening for primary sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea syndrome, restless legs syndrome and rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, is essential. We review sleep disorders commonly observed in the elderly and describe their diagnosis and management.

Age-related differences in sleep-based memory consolidation: A meta-analysis

A period of post-learning sleep benefits memory consolidation compared with an equal-length wake interval. However, whether this sleep-based memory consolidation changes as a function of age remains controversial. Here we report a meta-analysis that investigates the age differences in the sleep-based memory consolidation in two types of memory: declarative memory and procedural memory. The meta-analysis included 22 comparisons of the performance between young adults (N =640) and older adults (N =529) on behavioral tasks measuring sleep-based memory consolidation. Our results showed a significant overall sleep-based beneficial effect in young adults but not in older adults. However, further analyses suggested that the age differences were mainly manifested in sleep-based declarative memory consolidation but not in procedural memory consolidation. We discussed the possible underlying mechanisms for the age-related degradation in sleep-based memory consolidation. Further research is needed to determine the crucial components for sleep-related memory consolidation in older adults such as age-related changes in neurobiological and cardiovascular functions, which may play an important role in this context and have the potential to delineate the interrelationships between age-related changes in sleep and memory.

Age affects sleep microstructure more than sleep macrostructure.

It is well known that the quantity and quality of physiological sleep changes across age. However, so far the effect of age on sleep microstructure has been mostly addressed in small samples. The current study examines the effect of age on several measures of sleep macro- and microstructure in 211 women (22-71years old) of the 'Sleep and Health in Women' study for whom ambulatory polysomnography was registered. Older age was associated with significantly lower fast spindle (effect size f2 =0.32) and K-complex density (f2 =0.19) during N2 sleep, as well as slow-wave activity (log) in N3 sleep (f2 =0.21). Moreover, total sleep time (f2 =0.10), N3 sleep (min) (f2 =0.10), rapid eye movement sleep (min) (f2 =0.11) and sigma (log) (f2 =0.05) and slow-wave activity (log) during non-rapid eye movement sleep (f2 =0.09) were reduced, and N1 sleep (f2 =0.03) was increased in older age. No significant effects of age were observed on slow spindle density, rapid eye movement density and beta power (log) during non-rapid eye movement sleep. In conclusion, effect sizes indicate that traditional sleep stage scoring may underestimate age-related changes in sleep.

Sleep spindles: a physiological marker of age-related changes in gray matter in brain regions supporting motor skill memory consolidation

Sleep is necessary for the optimal consolidation of procedural learning, and in particular, for motor sequential skills. Motor sequence learning remains intact with age, but sleep-dependent consolidation is impaired, suggesting that memory deficits for procedural skills are specifically impacted by age-related changes in sleep. Age-related changes in spindles may be responsible for impaired motor sequence learning consolidation, but the morphological basis for this deficit is unknown. Here, we found that gray matter in the hippocampus and cerebellum was positively correlated with both sleep spindles and offline improvements in performance in young participants but not in older participants. These results suggest that age-related changes in gray matter in the hippocampus relate to spindles and may underlie age-related deficits in sleep-related motor sequence memory consolidation. In this way, spindles can serve as a biological marker for structural brain changes and the related memory deficits in older adults.

Sleep and executive functions in older adults: A systematic review.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: A recent increase in studies suggests a role of age-related sleep changes in executive functions (EF). However, this relationship remains unclear and mixed results have emerged. Objective: To investigate how age-related sleep changes may play an important role in the extent to which healthy older adults exhibit decline in EF. Methods: A systematic strategy was employed to identify the available literature on age-related sleep changes and EF. Results: Of the 465 studies identified, 26 were included. Results suggest that multiple sleep parameters differ in the way they benefit or impair EF. Parameters such as greater wake after sleep onset and lower sleep efficiency, in addition to circadian fragmentation of sleep, showed more consistent results and are potentially correlated with worsening in EF measures. However, other results seem inconclusive. Conclusion: These findings were discussed based on the prefrontal circuitry vulnerability model, in which sleep has been identified as a beneficial factor for prefrontal cortex functioning and hence for EF, which relies mostly on this brain area and its related networks.

Nocturnal Hot Flashes: Relationship to Objective Awakenings and Sleep Stage Transitions.

While women report sleep interruption secondary to nighttime hot flashes, the sleep disrupting impact of nocturnal hot flashes (HF) is not well characterized. We utilized a model of induced HF to investigate the relationship of nighttime HF to sleep architecture and sleep-stage transitions. Twenty-eight healthy, premenopausal volunteers received the depot gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) leuprolide to rapidly induce menopause, manifesting with HF. Sleep disruption was measured on 2 polysomnograms conducted before and after 4-5 weeks on leuprolide, when HF had developed. 165 HF episodes were recorded objectively during 48 sleep studies (mean 3.4 HF/night). After standardizing to sleep-stage time distribution, the majority of HF were recorded during wake (51.0%) and stage N1 (18.8%). Sixty-six percent of HF occurred within 5 minutes of an awakening, with 80% occurring just before or during the awakening. Objective HF were not associated with sleep disruption as measured by increased transitions to wake or N1, but self-reported nocturnal HF correlated with an increase from pre- to post-leuprolide in the rate of transitions to wake (p = 0.01), and to N1 (p = 0.008). By isolating the effect of HF on sleep in women without the confound of age-related sleep changes associated with natural menopause, this experimental model shows that HF arise most commonly during N1 and wake, typically preceding or occurring simultaneously with wake episodes. Perception of HF, but not objective HF, is linked to increased sleep-stage transitions, suggesting that sleep disruption increases awareness of and memory for nighttime HF events. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01116401.