Bad Nights Research Articles

Challenging Case: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Demystifying Chronic Sleep Impairment in an Infant with a Complex Medical and Behavioral Profile.

Challenging Case: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Demystifying Chronic Sleep Impairment in an Infant with a Complex Medical and Behavioral Profile.

Sleep quality and its effect on event related potential P300 in adolescents with and without sleep disturbances.

The present study aimed: (i) to investigate the sleep quality and cortical arousal (ERP P300) in adolescents with and without sleep disturbances, and (ii) to examine whether P300 vary as a function of quality of the previous night's sleep in sleep disturbed adolescents and to compare the findings with healthy controls. Fifteen sleep disturbed adolescents and 15 age-matched controls were recruited. Participants filled 10 days of sleep logs to identify their good (GN) and bad nights (BN). GN and BN were scored as a measure of sleep efficiency (SE), with nights having greater SE defined as GN and nights with lower SE scores labelled as BN. Afterwards, subjects were summoned to the lab for recording ERP P300 once after a night of good sleep (GN) and once after a night of bad sleep (BN). The findings demonstrate that sleep disturbed adolescents exhibited poorer quality of sleep than controls. The ERP P300 also revealed significant difference in participants with and without sleep disturbance. Moreover, the P300 amplitude was higher and the latency was shorter after a GN in sleep disturbed as well as in controls, however, the values were better for adolescents without disturbed sleep. Similarly, amplitude and latency of P300 was lower and longer, respectively, after a BN in both the groups, however, participants with sleep disturbance demonstrated very penurious scores for amplitude and latency than the controls. Adolescents with sleep disturbance have poorer sleep quality and ERP characteristics than their healthy counterparts. Moreover, the quality of the previous night sleep determines cortical arousal in both sleep disturbed and healthy controls.

How Physical Exercise Level Affects Sleep Quality? Analyzing Big Data Collected from Wearables

Physical exercise and sleep have independent, yet synergistic, impacts on the health. However, the effects of acute exercise level on sleep quality have not been well investigated. We utilize statistical methods to investigate the differences of exercise level between the good and bad sleep nights. Our results present a complex interrelation between physical exercise and sleep quality with analyzing large personal data sets collected from wearables. As far as we know, this is the first study to investigate insights of interrelation of physical exercise and sleep quality based on a big volume of data collected from wearable devices of real users.

From Bad Nights to Sweet Dreams

From Bad Nights to Sweet Dreams

Common meanings of good and bad sleep in a healthy population sample

ObjectivesThe study's purpose was to understand the common meanings and shared practices related to good and bad sleep from narratives of a sample of healthy participants. DesignInterpretive phenomenology was the approach to analyze narratives of the participants' everyday experiences with sleep. Participants were interviewed and asked to describe typical good and bad nights' sleep, what contributes to their sleep experience, and the importance of sleep in their lives. Team interpretations of narratives identified common themes by consensus. SettingMedium sized city in New York State (upper west region). ParticipantsA sample of 30 healthy participants were from a parent study (n=300) on testing the sleep questions from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Measurements/analysisInterpretations of good and bad sleep. ResultsParticipants described similar experiences of good and bad sleep often directly related to their ability to schedule time to sleep, fall asleep, and maintain sleep. Worrying about life stresses and interruptions prevented participants from falling asleep and staying asleep. Yet, based on current life priorities (socializers, family work focused, and optimum health seekers), they had differing values related to seeking sleep opportunities and strategizing to overcome challenges. ConclusionsThe participants' priorities reflected the context of their main concerns and stresses in life that influenced the importance given to promoting sleep opportunities. Public health messages tailored to life priorities could be developed to promote healthy sleep practices.

Living with a symptomatic rotator cuff tear ‘bad days, bad nights’: a qualitative study

BackgroundRotator cuff tears are a common cause of shoulder pain. There is an absence of information about symptomatic rotator cuffs from the patients’ perspective; this limits the information clinicians can share with patients and the information that patients can access via sources such as the internet. This study describes the experiences of people with a symptomatic rotator cuff, their symptoms, the impact upon their daily lives and the coping strategies utilised by study participants.MethodsAn interpretive phenomenological analysis approach was used. 20 participants of the UKUFF trial (The United Kingdom Rotator Cuff Surgery Trial) agreed to participate in in-depth semi-structured interviews about their experiences about living with a symptomatic rotator cuff tear. Interviews were digitally recorded and fully transcribed. Field notes, memos and a reflexive diary were used. Data was coded in accordance with interpretive phenomenological analysis. Peer review, code-recode audits and constant comparison of data, codes and categories occurred throughout.ResultsThe majority of patients described intense pain and severely disturbed sleep. Limited movement and reduced muscle strength were described by some participants. The predominantly adverse impact that a symptomatic rotator cuff tear had upon activities of daily living, leisure activities and occupation was described. The emotional and financial impact and impact upon caring roles were detailed. Coping strategies included attempting to carry on as normally as possible, accepting their condition, using their other arm, using analgesics, aids and adaptions.ConclusionsClinicians need to appreciate and understand the intensity and shocking nature of pain that may be experienced by participants with known rotator cuff tears and understand the detrimental impact tears can have upon all areas of patient’s lives. Clinicians also need to be aware of the potential emotional impact caused by cuff tears and to ensure that patients needing help for conditions such as depression are speedily identified and provided with support, explanation and appropriate treatment.

Insomnia in postpartum and perceived infant difficult temperament

Introduction Insomnia is considered to be the most prevalent sleep disorder (Morin and Benca, 2012). It is associated with physical and mental health problems (Taylor et al., 2003). Yet, the prevalence of insomnia in the postpartum period and its association with infant’s difficult temperament are less explored (Stremler and Wolfson, 2011). The objectives of the present study were: 1) to determine the prevalence of insomnia in postpartum and 2) to investigate the association between mother’s insomnia and their perception of baby’s difficult temperament. Materials and methods A total of 103 mothers (M = 31.9, SD = 4.10 years) participated in the study at 3 months after delivery. The vast majority was married (68%), 71.7% were primiparae, 59.2% had boys and 64.1% were breastfeeding. Mothers answered a sleep questionnaire about insomnia symptoms (lot of difficulties falling asleep; woke up many times during the night; woke up too early in the morning and was unable to go back to sleep again) and insomnia daytime consequences (sleep problem interferes a lot with life and activities; due to sleep poorly feels tired, irritable, excited, nervous or depressed during the day) experienced in the previous month. The Difficult Infant Temperament Questionnaire was applied to assess infant emotional regulation difficulties (baby irritable or fussy, cries excessively, difficult to comfort or calm down) and infant sleeping problems (gives bad nights and has difficulties falling asleep). Mothers‘ depressive symptoms were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Results It was observed that 39.2% of mothers were good sleepers, 36.3% had at least one insomnia symptom, 22.5% experienced insomnia (at least one insomnia symptom and two related insomnia daytime consequences) and 2% referred sleep daytime consequences without insomnia symptoms. In comparison to the good sleepers group, the insomnia group reported that their babies had more sleeping problems (M = 2.3, SD = 2.0 vs. M = 4.0, SD = 2.6, p = 0.030). Differences between sleep groups were not observed relatively to infant emotional regulation difficulties. The association between mother’s insomnia and their perception of infant sleeping problems was not present when cases of severe depressive symptoms (BDI-II total score ⩾9, quartile 75) were controlled/removed from the analysis. Conclusion Results of the present study suggest that the association between mother’s insomnia in postpartum and the perception of baby sleeping problems is mediated by mothers‘ depressive symptoms. Acknowledgement AstraZeneca Foundation.

Comparison between subjective and objective estimations of infants sleep

Validation studies between subjective reports of sleep and objective actigraphy parameters in infants are limited (Sadeh et al., 2011). The aim of this study is to investigate the agreement between mothers’ subjective reports of infants sleeping problems and objective sleep parameters obtained with actigraphy. Mothers filled out a questionnaire about infants sleep and strapped on their infant’s ankle an actigraph for a period of 7 days. Data were obtained for 29 infants (57.1% girls) twice, i.e., when babies were 3 and 6 months old. 3-month-old infants described by their mothers has having sleeping problems, who gave bad nights and who had difficulties falling asleep (items added as a Sleep factor) showed less sleep efficiency ( r = −.379; p = .021), less actual sleep time percentage ( r = −.418, p = .012), more actual wake time percentage asleep ( r = .426, p = .011), less immobile percentage asleep ( r = -.329; p = .041) and more moving time percentage asleep ( r = .342; p = .035). These infants also revealed higher total activity score ( r = .448; p = .007), mean activity score ( r = .462, p = .006) and mean score in active asleep ( r = .451; p = .007) as measured by actigraphy. These consistent associations were not observed in 6-month-old babies. The vast majority of 6-month-old infants slept in parents room (own crib; n = 14; 51.9%) or own room ( n = 11; 40.7%) while nearly all 3-month-old infants slept in parents room (own crib; n = 26, 89.7%). Agreement between subjective and objective estimations of sleep was particularly observed in 3-month-old babies. A possible explanation for this result is that mothers are more aware of their infants sleeping problems when their babies sleep in parents room. AstraZeneca Foundation for financial support. The collaboration of Mothers and Health Staff is deeply acknowledged.

1560 – Perceived infant difficult temperament and mothers psychological distress

Introduction A perceived difficult infant temperament has been associated to mothers depressive mood (Beck, 1996; McGrath et al., 2008). Objective To identify infant difficult temperament dimensions associated to mothers psychological distress. Methods 103 mothers (M= 31.9 years, SD=4.10; 68% married, 71.7% primiparae ) filled in the difficult infant temperament questionnaire (DITQ; Macedo et al., 2011), two items of the Brief infant sleep questionnaire (number of infant night wakings, duration of infants wakefulness during the night; Sadeh, 2004), the Beck depression inventory-II (BDI-II; Beck et al., 1996; Coelho et al., 2002) and the Postpartum depression screening scale (PDSS; Beck and Gable, 2000; Pereira et al., 2010) when their babies were 3 months of age. DITQ factor analysis with varimax rotation and reliability analyses suggested 2 temperament dimensions: emotional difficulties (irritable baby, cries excessively, difficult to calm down), F1; sleeping problems (baby who has sleeping problems, gives bad nights, has difficulties falling asleep), F2. Results DITQ-F1, DITQ-F2 and infants number of night wakings were positively and significantly associated with BDIII/ PDSS total scores. Infants eating problems were not associated with BDI-II or PDSS values. Controlling for mothers severe depressive mood, regression analysis revealed that DITQ F2 was the variable that explained BDI-II total score ( R 2 =.081; p =.011). PDSS total score was predicted by DITQ F2 ( R 2 =.050; p =.030) and number of infant night wakings ( R 2 =.074; p=.010). Conclusion Infants sleeping problems and infants number of night wakings contribute to mothers psychological distress in postpartum. Financial support AstraZeneca Foundation.

The incidence and temporal patterning of insomnia: a pilot study

To date very little research has been conducted on night-to-night variability in the incidence of insomnia. It is unclear from prior research whether subjects with primary insomnia (PI) exhibit good sleep (or better than average sleep) on some interval basis. In the present study, pilot data are provided on: (1) the frequency with which 'good sleep' occurs in subjects with PI; and (2) whether these events occur in a non-random manner. Ten subjects with PI participated in this 'naturalistic' study. All subjects completed daily sleep diaries for a minimum of 20 days. None of the subjects received treatment for their insomnia during the monitoring period. The night-to-night data were evaluated by typing each night's sleep as 'Good' or 'Bad', and then by determining the number of bad nights that occurred prior to a good night for each subject. Good and bad nights were typed in two ways: (1) using a > or =85% cut-off and (2) using a better than the individual's mean sleep efficiency (idiographic cut-off). Subjects exhibited good sleep on between 29% (>85% criteria) and 55% (idiographic criteria) of the nights evaluated. The temporal patterning analysis (based on an idiographic cut-off) revealed that better than average sleep most frequently occurred (>89% of instances) following one to three nights of poor sleep. These data suggest that insomnia severity may be mediated/moderated by sleep homeostasis and that the homeostat, or input to the homeostat, may be abnormal in patients with PI.

Qualidade de vida de pacientes com câncer colorretal em uso de suplementação dietética com fungos Agaricus sylvaticus após seis meses de segmento: ensaio clínico aleatorizado e placebo-controlado

INTRODUÇÃO: O câncer gastrointestinal compromete a qualidade de vida devido às alterações fisiológicas, metabólicas e psicológicas. Fungos medicinais podem melhorar a qualidade de vida de pacientes com câncer. OBJETIVO: Avaliar os efeitos da suplementação dietética com fungos Agaricus sylvaticus na qualidade de vida de pacientes com câncer colorretal em fase pós-operatória. METODOLOGIA: Ensaio clínico randomizado, duplo-cego, placebo-controlado, realizado no Hospital de Base do Distrito Federal. Amostra constituída por 56 pacientes (24 homens e 32 mulheres), estádios I, II e III, separados em grupos placebo e Agaricus sylvaticus (30mg/kg/dia), e acompanhados por um período de seis meses. Para avaliar os indicadores da qualidade de vida foram utilizados um formulário-padrão e uma anamnese dirigida-padrão. Os resultados foram analisados de forma qualitativa e descritiva, utilizando os programas Microsoft Excel 2003 e Epi Info 2004. RESULTADOS: Após seis meses de tratamento, observou-se, no grupo Agaricus sylvaticus, aumento da adesão à prática de atividade física, melhora da disposição e do humor, redução das queixas de dores e das alterações do sono como insônia e noites mal dormidas comparado com o grupo placebo. CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados sugerem que a suplementação dietética com Agaricus sylvaticus pode melhorar a qualidade de vida de pacientes no pós-operatório de câncer colorretal.

Bad nights or bad bars? Multi‐level analysis of environmental predictors of aggression in late‐night large‐capacity bars and clubs

To clarify environmental predictors of bar-room aggression by differentiating relationships due to nightly variations versus across bar variations, frequency versus severity of aggression and patron versus staff aggression. Male-female pairs of researcher-observers conducted 1334 observations in 118 large capacity (> 300) bars and clubs in Toronto, Canada. Observers independently rated aspects of the environment (e.g. crowding) at every visit and wrote detailed narratives of each incident of aggression that occurred. Measures of severity of aggression for the visit were calculated by aggregating ratings for each person in aggressive incidents. Although bivariate analyses confirmed the significance of most environmental predictors of aggression identified in previous research, multivariate analyses identified the following key visit-level predictors (controlling for bar-level relationships): rowdiness/permissive environment and people hanging around after closing predicted both frequency and severity of aggression; sexual activity, contact and competition and people with two or more drinks at closing predicted frequency but not severity of aggression; lack of staff monitoring predicted more severe patron aggression, while having more and better coordinated staff predicted more severe staff aggression. Intoxication of patrons was significantly associated with more frequent and severe patron aggression at the bar level (but not at the visit level) in the multivariate analyses and negatively associated with severity of staff aggression at the visit level. The results demonstrate clearly the importance of the immediate environment (not just the type of bar or characteristics of usual patrons) and the importance of specific environmental factors, including staff behaviour, in predicting both frequency and severity of aggression.

Little Old Rag

Little Old Rag I stayed a week with Mamaw last summer and ever shift end I dumb up to No. 6, to get Uncle Joe and carry his dinner bucket home for he'd be awful tired, and so black. My last day, I told Mamaw, I believe I'll carry up Uncle Joe a cool rag to wipe hisface, and boy, he was glad. Little old rag can't clean me off, he said, hut it sure could cool me down. He pressed it up against his face with both hands, patting around his cheeks and forehead and chin. He give it back to me, and we bust out laughing, for we seen he left a big old black face print on the rag. I kept it, but we did not tell Mamaw for she is bad to wash things, why she washed his clothes after he was gone. When them bad nights come, after Mama and Daddy is sleeping I get out my washrag and I stay all night with Uncle Joe's face laying over mine. Come morning, Mama will say, Walter, I swear, I don't know how you get dirty sleeping, you go wash—but then she don't make me. Then after while, she says, Lord, honey, some days you look so much like Joe. —Diane Gilliam Fisher 15 ...

Determination of Data Quality and Results from two Mount Hopkins Robotic Telescopes

AbstractWe present various methods for determining night quality from observations obtained with totally unattended automatic photoelectric telescopes at the Fairborn Observatory site on Mt. Hopkins, AZ. Telescopes are the Phoenix 10-inch (P10) and the Four College 75-cm (CAPT). Filter systems used are Johnson UBV, Kron-Cousins RI and Strömgren uvby. As a preliminary data filter for the P10 “rent-a-star” data, all observations with standard errors of the mean (SEM) above 20 mmag are discarded; a summary of nightly SEM’s, number of aborts and total observing time is sent to each user. The CAPT data are evaluated by standard deviation of magnitudes or counts for photometric groups and for an entire night. The Geneva photometric statistics are computed for these latter data and have proved useful as a preliminary screen for bad data. Various criteria for good and bad groups and nights are discussed. Scientific results are presented for several magnetic CP stars that were observed using both telescopes. Differences in precision of the data and strategies for observing are discussed.

Pollination studies ofcampanula persicifolia(campanulaceae) in sweden

Abstract Campanula persicifolia in C. Sweden is adapted to large pollen vectors, insect aggregations or bad weather to become cross‐pollinated. Insects in aggregations, or alone, often visit the flowers, which give shelter and a suitable microclimate during bad weather and nights. C. persicifolia is visited by a great number of insects. Pollination is probably effected by many types of insects, but the efficiency varies widely. The bee Chelostoma campanulorum (Megachilidae) and the fly Thricops hirsutula (Muscidae) were found to be the best agents to bring about cross‐pollination in the studied populations of C. persicifolia.

Inversion and Fluctuations of Nocturnal Air Temperature in the Kakuda Basin

Sudden warming during nocturnal air temperature changes has been explained in terms of the mixture of the inversion layer. This paper intends to report on the fluctuations attributed to another reason.Many mulberries have been grown for sericulture in the Kakuda Basin lying in the north end of the Abukuma Mountains. These mulberries have frequently suffered from frost damage in the late spring. Investigating the nocturaal temperature in this basin, Sasaki and Makita (1972) suggested that the degree of frost damage is related to the fluctuations of nocturanal air temperatures, and Kikuchi (1972) reported that the fluctuations were accompanied by increase in wind speed. Therefore, it is necessary that the fluctuations are recognized under inverse nocturnal temperature conditions.(1) MeasurementThe vertical distribution of air temperatures from 0.3m. to 10m. was measured with recording thermister-thermometers. The observation points were F, G, H, I and MB (Fig. 1). The wind speed was observed at point K. Except for obviously bad weather nights, the air temperatures for 11 nights were analyzed mainly at point G.(2) Some examples of inversion and the fluctuations of nocturnal temperaturesMarch 19-20 (Fig. 2-A) The wind was weak (0-2m/sec.) and the intensity of inverstion from 0.3m. to 2m. (Δ2) showed little fluctuation (0.6-1.3°C), but there were wide changes from 0.3m. to 10m. (Δ10) (1.3-4.3°C). The fluctuations began to appear after 2000 hours and large fluctuations corresponded to increases in wind speed. Warming appeared at every height at 0200 hours and warming at 10m. was especially great. At 0300 hours, warming was remarkable at 10m. but did not take place at 0.3m. Therefore, inversion was intensified at the peaks of the fluctuations.April 1-2 (Fig. 2-B) The wind was strong (4-11/sec m) and the intensity of inversion Δ2 was about 1°C, and Δ10 did not fluctuate widely (0.3-1.5°C). Under these conditions, fluctuations began at 2130 hours and were associated with the times of wind strengthening. The lower the height, the larger the warmings were (for example, at 2230 hours 0.1°C at 10m., 0.4°C at 2m., and 0.6°C at 0.3m.).For these two nights, on the night with strong winds, the inversion of the upper layer was weak and the temperature fluctuations were greater in the lower layer. On the night with weak wind, however, the greater the height, the larger were the temperature fluctuations. Inversion at the peaks of the fluctuations were, therefore, strengthened on the night with weak winds, and were weakened on the night with strong winds.(3) The amplitude and time intervals of air temperature fluctuations in 11 nightsFig. 3 shows that there are many small fluctuations and that the numbers decrease as the fluctuations enlarge. Fig. 4 shows the differences of the fluctuations with height. In this figure, the longitudinal axis is the difference between the mean value of the fluctuations at 10m. on one night and that at 0.3m., and the lateral axis is the mean value of the wind speed at Kakuda City on one night. The wind records are lacking for three night. Except for the night of March 29-30 when the inversion ceased to exist, it is shown in this picture that the fluctuations are larger in the upper layer during the night with weak wind but are equal or somewhat larger in the lower layer on the night with winds over about 3m/sec.Fig. 6 shows the frequency of time intervals of the fluctuations and the mean maximum value at 50 minute intervals.(4) Areal extent of air temperature fluctuations at nightThe nocturnal warmings at point G were associated with increases in wind speed at K, and Fig. 7-A shows the good synchronous fluctuations at points F and G. It is inferred from these phenomena that the fluctuations in nocturnal air temperature change may occur areally, but further investigation is re

Visibility of Halley's Comet

THE discovery of Halley's comet at a time so far preceding the date of perihelion passage adds another proof of the great capacity of the photographic method. The interesting point to many observers is as to when the comet will become visible to them as a telescopic object. This must, of course, depend in a large measure upon the diameter of their glasses and on their powers of vision. After the present moon has left the sky, say during the second week in October, the comet ought to have increased in light sufficiently for it to be observed in a 12-inch telescope. The calculated magnitude of the comet will be 14½ on October 15, and its distance from the earth about 230 millions of miles. Its apparent position will then be five degrees west of γ Geminorum, and near 72 Orionis. On October 16 the comet will be just two degrees south of 71 Orionis (mag. 5.5), and ought to be visible as a very faint nebulosity, especially if the night is good. The transparency of the air has an important influence on the perception and aspect of faint comets and nebulæ, for a really suitable sky will enable objects to be glimpsed which are utterly invisible on bad nights when there is diffused light, thin cloud, mist, or fog prevalent. The comet will be visible in an excellent position nearly all night during most of the winter, but will continue small and faint until it blazes out next April.