Sleep Changes Research Articles

Changes in sleep and the prevalence of probable insomnia in undergraduate university students over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from the U-Flourish cohort study.

Sleep problems associated with poor mental health and academic outcomes may have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To describe sleep in undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic. This longitudinal analysis included data from 9523 students over 4 years (2018-2022), associated with different pandemic phases. Students completed a biannual survey assessing risk factors, mental health symptoms and lifestyle, using validated measures. Sleep was assessed with the Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI-8). Propensity weights and multivariable log-binomial regressions were used to compare sleep in four successive first-year cohorts. Linear mixed-effects models were used to examine changes in sleep over academic semesters and years. There was an overall decrease in average SCI-8 scores, indicating worsening sleep across academic years (average change -0.42 per year; P-trend < 0.001), and an increase in probable insomnia at university entry (range 18.1-29.7%; P-trend < 0.001) before and up to the peak of the pandemic. Sleep improved somewhat in autumn 2021, when restrictions loosened. Students commonly reported daytime sleep problems, including mood, energy, relationships (36-48%) and concentration, productivity, and daytime sleepiness (54-66%). There was a consistent pattern of worsening sleep over the academic year. Probable insomnia was associated with increased cannabis use and passive screen time, and reduced recreation and exercise. Sleep difficulties are common and persistent in students, were amplified by the pandemic and worsen over the academic year. Given the importance of sleep for well-being and academic success, a preventive focus on sleep hygiene, healthy lifestyle and low-intensity sleep interventions seems justified.

58 Sex Differences in the Relationship Between Sleep Disruption and Depressive Symptoms During Acute and Chronic Stages of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI)

Objective:mTBI is trauma to the brain due to a blow or other mechanical force affecting the head. Prior research has established that common symptoms of mTBI include decreased sleep quality and onset/worsening of emotional dysregulation. However, there is little published research investigating how sleep disruption and depressive symptoms are experienced at varying stages of mTBI. We hypothesized that sleep disruption would change with differing time since injury, and that depressive symptoms should accordingly. Additionally, since females tend to have higher rates of depression, we predicted that there would be a significant difference between the sexes at different stages post-mTBI.Participants and Methods:This study included 145 healthy adults, split into six groups, comparing healthy controls consisting of 15 males (Mage=23.67, SD=5.066) and 17 females (Mage=25.35, SD=7.035) to individuals who had mTBI, 41 males (Mage=26.88, SD=8.509) and 72 females (Mage=23.79, SD=6.898) at five points post-mTBI: 2 weeks and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) global score was used to assess individual sleep quality and disturbances; higher scores indicated poorer sleep quality. The Beck Depression Index (BDI-II) was used to assess characteristics and symptoms of depression. We adjusted the score to exclude item 16, which measures changes in sleep. Higher scores indicate more severe depressive symptoms. We conducted a multivariate analysis of variance and Pearson correlation to examine whether there were significant differences in sleep and depression at different stages of mTBI for each sex.Results:We discovered that sleep quality was worse at chronic stages of mTBI (i.e, 12M, p=&lt;.001), than at acute stages (2W, p=.049), and compared to healthy controls. There were also significant differences in depression scores compared to healthy controls at 2W, p=.008, 3M, p=&lt;.001, and 6M, p=.012, but not 12M, p=.313, suggesting that depressive symptoms resolved by 12M in those with mTBI. To explain this, we investigated sex differences, as males tend to experience fewer depressive disorders than females. However, females reported fewer depressive symptoms than males at chronic stages of mTBI. This finding was not statistically significant as females had a Mbdi_total=6.84, SD=7.98 and males had a Mbdi_total=5.38, SD=6.078; still, this could be due to the low statistical power of the study, and with a larger sample size, could produce statistically significant differences between the sexes. Despite this, there is a statistically significant difference in the depression score for females between 2W and 12M post-mTBI (p=.046; effect size of d=.99). Comparatively, males showed no significant divergence between depression and sleep scores.Conclusions:Sleep disruption and depressive symptoms were correlated in individuals with mTBI in both acute and chronic stages; however, at 12M, there was a decrease in this correlation due to females exhibiting fewer depressive symptoms in combination with greater sleep disruption in the chronic phase of mTBI. Further research investigating the relationship between depression and sleep quality by looking at females with a much larger sample size would be helpful in clarifying these associations.

Study protocol for a longitudinal observational study of disparities in sleep and cognition in older adults: the DISCO study

IntroductionCognitive dysfunction, a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the USA and globally, has been shown to disproportionately affect the socioeconomically disadvantaged and those who identify as black or...

Sleep and global warming: How will we sleep when the Earth is hotter?

Societal concern about climate change and global warming has grown worldwide along with the concomitant awareness that health will be impacted deeply. Among living beings, humans have quite large capacities for adaptation to varied temperature conditions. Despite their tropical origin, they live under all Earth climates, such as polar, temperate, altitude, arid, and tropical climates, using a wide range of behavioral and physiological adaptive responses. We address the adaptive abilities of human sleep-wake regulation and its interplay with thermoregulation under different natural climates. Sleep represents one-third of our living time and is also a major determinant of morbidity and mortality; shortening sleep duration increases mortality and multimorbidity. In addition, major advances in sleep neurology have occurred in the last decades. Some have been extensively reviewed, notably comparative sleep physiology among animals, allowing one to hypothesize about the functions of the different sleep states, as well as their relation to cognitive neuroscience or body biorhythms. However, the question of the sleep adaptive capacity of humans to global warming has barely been addressed. We examine “normal” sleep and thermoregulation in young adults residing in temperate conditions. We then review the sleep and thermoregulatory reactions under various climatic conditions, demonstrating the role of sleep changes as potent adaptive responses to living under natural hot climatic conditions. As a result, we show that humans are well-equipped to adapt to severe climates.

Effects of sleep duration and changes in body mass index on diabetic kidney disease: a prospective cohort study.

To examine the associations of sleep duration and changes in BMI with the onset of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). 2,959 participants with type 2 diabetes were divided into three groups based on sleep duration: short (<7 h/day), intermediate (7-9 h/day), or long (>9 h/day). Changes in BMI during follow-up were trisected into loss, stable, or gain groups. DKD was defined as either the urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR) ≥ 3.39 mg/mmol or the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 60 mL/min/1.73m², or both. Cox regression models were used to assess hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). During a mean follow-up of 2.3 years, DKD occurred in 613 participants (20.7%). A J-shaped curve was observed between sleep duration and DKD. Compared to intermediate sleep duration, long sleep duration was associated with higher risks of DKD (HR 1.47; 95% CI: 1.19-1.81). In the joint analyses, compared to participants with intermediate sleep duration and stable BMI, long sleep duration with BMI gain had the highest risks of DKD (HR 2.04; 95% CI: 1.48-2.83). In contrast, short or intermediate sleep duration accompanied by decrease in BMI was associated with a reduced risk of DKD, with HRs of 0.50 (95% CI: 0.31-0.82) and 0.61 (95% CI:0.47-0.80), respectively. Long sleep duration is significantly associated with an increased risk of DKD, which is further amplified by obesity or BMI gain. These findings suggest that both proper sleep duration and weight control are essential to preventing DKD.

Leptin Increase During Dexamethasone and Its Association With Hunger and Fat in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

During treatment, children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) receive high doses dexamethasone, which induce acute side effects. To determine the influence of a 5-day dexamethasone course on changes in leptin, fat mass, BMI, hunger, sleep, and fatigue and to explore associations between these changes. Pediatric ALL patients were included during maintenance treatment. Data were collected before (T1) and after (T2) a 5-day dexamethasone course (6 mg/m2/day). At both time points, BMI, fat mass (bioelectrical impedance analysis), and leptin were assessed, as well as parent-reported questionnaires regarding hunger, fatigue, and sleep problems. Changes between T1 and T2 were assessed using paired tests. Correlation coefficients were calculated to assess associations between these changes (Delta scores: T2-T1). Univariable regression models were estimated to study associations between covariates and elevated leptin. We included 105 children, with median age 5.4 years (range, 3.0-18.8). Leptin and fat mass, as well as hunger scores, fatigue, and sleep deteriorated after 5 days of dexamethasone (P < .001), in contrast to BMI (P = .12). No correlations between delta leptin and delta fat mass, BMI, hunger, fatigue, or sleep were found. Elevated leptin on T1 was associated with older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.51; 95% CI, 1.28-1.77), higher fat mass (OR 1.19; 95% CI, 1.07-1.33), and earlier maintenance week (OR 0.96; 95% CI, 0.92-0.99). Five days of high-dose dexamethasone treatment led to direct and significant changes in leptin, hunger scores, and fat mass. Since children with ALL are at increased risk for metabolic adverse events, understanding underlying mechanisms is important, and a dexamethasone-induced state of acute leptin resistance might play a role.

O076 Changes in Sleep and Perceived Health risk in early Career Paramedics

Abstract Shift work is associated with increased chronic disease risk and suboptimal health behaviours. However, our understanding of the impact of shift work on health behaviours is impacted by a lack of longitudinal studies that examine health behaviours in shift workers relative to behaviours prior to shift work commencement. To address this limitation, we examined sleep changes and perceived health risk (i.e., individual’s perception of risk to their health) in intern paramedics during the first 12 months of shift work. The current study examined self-report sleep quality and duration in 21 interns (15 Female, 6 Male, aged 23.0 [20.0, 36.0]) from one Australian Ambulance service. Data were collected quarterly for a year (pre-shift work, and then 3, 6, 9 and 12 months post recruitment training). Linear mixed models, controlling for chronotype and baseline perceived health risk, showed that the first 12 months of shift work were associated with a significant decline in sleep quality (p=0.021) but no change in sleep duration (p=0.76). Linear mixed models also showed that perceived health risk significantly increased (p=0.036). Substantial between-subjects differences were observed, highlighting individual differences in response to shift work onset on sleep and perceived health risk. This study demonstrates that commencement of shift work is associated with a decline in sleep quality and increase in perceived health risk in early career paramedics. The considerable individual differences observed in this study highlight a need for larger studies with more participants, and a focus on personalised strategies for workers commencing shift work.

O002 High strain evening exercise disrupts sleep: Insights from a real-world examination of ~7-million nights

Abstract Introduction Exercise is among the most effective daytime behaviors for promoting and maintaining sleep. However, late-night bouts of strenuous exercise that require high physiological demand (i.e., high strain) induce persistent increases in sympathetic arousal, which may disrupt sleep. We examined whether exercise strain moderates the relationship between evening exercise and objective sleep in free-living conditions. Methods A total of 19,977 individuals (26% female, M-age=37.9 years) wore a validated sleep and exercise biometric wearable device for 365 days between Sep 1, 2021 and Aug 31, 2022 (n=6,943,372 nights). Summated-heart-rate-zone-scores were used to categorize exercise strain into four groups: light, moderate, high, and all-out. Exercise timing was normalized to each individual’s habitual bedtime to account for individual differences in sleep/wake timing. Generalized additive mixed model analyses were used to model the non-linear relationship between exercise timing and sleep at different levels of exercise strain. Results Later exercise timing was associated with delayed sleep onset, reduced sleep quantity and quality, and increased sympathetic activity compared to no-exercise rest days (ps&amp;lt;.001). Importantly, a dose-response relationship was observed such that higher levels of exercise strain predicted worse sleep (ps&amp;lt;.001). Regardless of strain, exercise bouts ending at least 4 hours before habitual bedtime were not associated with changes in sleep. Discussion Evening exercise—particularly involving high exercise strain—can disrupt subsequent sleep (both duration and quality). It is recommended individuals stop exercising at least 4 hours before their habitual bedtime. However, when evening exercise is unavoidable, individuals could select lighter strain exercises to mitigate sleep disruption.

O049 A Quantitative EEG Analysis of Overnight Noise Exposure Effects on Sleep– A Laboratory Study

Abstract The impact of overnight wind farm noise exposure on sleep is unclear and traditional manual sleep scoring may not be sensitive enough to detect subtle changes in sleep. This study used quantitative EEG (qEEG) to assess subtle effects of noise on sleep under well-controlled laboratory conditions. Sixty-eight individuals (Males: Females; 30:38) aged (Median [IQR]) 55.5yrs [31.3-66.3], from four groups (rural residents with and without WFN-related complaints, control rural residents, and urban traffic noise-exposed residents) underwent overnight polysomnography during six different noise exposure nights in random order. Noises included 20sec and 3min intermittent road traffic and wind farm noise exposures (full night averages 42dBA and 32dBA, respectively), continuous and intermittent wind farm noise at 25dBA, and a quiet control night (background noise,19dBA). Traditional polysomnography sleep metrics, qEEG power in delta (0.5-4Hz) to beta (32Hz) frequencies, and K-complex density (events/min) were compared between noise conditions, groups and sleep stages using likelihood ratio tests. Wake after sleep onset, time spent in N1 sleep and relative beta activity were higher, whilst time spent in N3 was reduced on the 20 second noise exposure night compared to control (all p&amp;lt;0.05). Full night average qEEG outcomes were not different between nights. K-complex density was significantly increased during both 20sec and 3min intermittent noise exposure conditions compared to control (p&amp;lt;0.001). Full night qEEG outcomes do not appear to be more sensitive to noise related sleep disturbance than traditional sleep scoring methods. However, K-complex density assessments may be particularly useful in future studies of noise effects on sleep.

P059 Sleep and Fibromyalgia: Identifying and Managing Sleep Disorders.

Abstract Introduction Little is known about the presentation and management of sleep problems in patients with fibromyalgia [FMS]. This pilot study aims to 1) characterise sleep/wake patterns and sleep disorders in participants with FMS, and 2) assess changes in sleep and FMS symptoms with individualised sleep disorder treatment. Methods Women with FMS were recruited from the Rheumatology Unit at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, South Australia. Participants recorded their sleep and activity for two-weeks using an under-mattress sleep sensor (Withings), sleep diaries and a wrist accelerometer. Questionnaires included Berlin Sleep Questionnaire (OSA); Epworth Sleepiness Scale; Flinders Fatigue Scale; Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Screener, Sleep Condition Indicator, and Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire. Results Preliminary data from 7 women (aged 49.3±12.8years, BMI 30.9±7.8kg/m2, average pain duration 14.1±9.4 years) were investigated. Sleep efficiency was low (65.9%±11.9). Five women were ‘high-risk’ for a sleep disorder (3 RLS, 3 OSA, 3 insomnia, 3 circadian rhythm disorders). Two were ‘high-risk’ for &amp;gt;2 sleep disorders. Two women had delayed, and one had advanced, circadian rhythms. Average self-reported sleep time in ‘high-risk’ women was shorter than the two women not at risk (6.2±1.1 vs 7.8±0.4hours). (6.2±1.1 vs 7.8±0.4hours). Fatigue Scores exceeded those commonly observed for respondents living with a medical condition (25.2±2.4 vs. 20.4 + 6.2). Participants are currently undergoing sleep disorder treatments and preliminary results will be reported. Conclusion Identifying and managing sleep disorders, using cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia and chronotherapeutic approaches may be an important therapeutic target for FMS patients to improve sleep quality, daytime functioning, and FMS symptoms.

The association of subjective and objective sleep measures with chronic tinnitus.

Poor sleep is a prevalent complaint in the population with chronic tinnitus, but the relationship between the two is not well-characterized. The objective of this study was to understand how subjective and objective measures of sleep compare in patients with or without chronic tinnitus. This prospective cohort study included consecutive adult patients who presented to a sleep laboratory between January 19, 2017, and January 10, 2020. All patients underwent an in-laboratory nocturnal polysomnogram and filled out questionnaires including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Tinnitus Screener, and Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, among others. The study included 1,968 participants, out of which 284 (14.4%) reported chronic tinnitus. Patients with chronic tinnitus were younger (51.6 years vs 54.1 years; P < .05) and more likely female (16.4% vs 11.7%; P < .005). They demonstrated worse subjective sleep quality (PSQI: 11.3 vs 9.5; P < .0005) and increased sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale: 9.8 vs 8.6; P < .005). In the objective sleep parameters only the total sleep time was increased in chronic tinnitus (311.5 vs 294.5 minutes; P < .05) and total arousals were decreased (41.7 vs 47; P < .005). Sleep stage N3 was higher in those with chronic tinnitus (14.9% vs 13.0%; P < .05). In multivariable analyses, as PSQI increases the odds of chronic tinnitus increases. This effect was modified by age: In those younger than 55 years of age, the odds of the presence of chronic tinnitus was 1.10 (95% confidence interval, 1.03, 1.17) times higher as PSQI increased. Chronic tinnitus is associated with significant changes in qualitative sleep (higher PSQI) but no major differences in quantitative sleep measures were observed. Weingarten JA, Islam A, Dubrovsky B, Gharanei M, Coelho DH. The association of subjective and objective sleep measures with chronic tinnitus. J Clin Sleep Med. 2024;20(3):399-405.

O028 Worsened sleep and mood after initiating elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor treatment in children with cystic fibrosis

Abstract Background CFTR modulator Elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI) significantly improves lung function and but its effect on mental health and sleep remains poorly understood. We report sleep, mood and respiratory health outcomes of adolescents with CF with ETI therapy. Methods We conducted a prospective longitudinal study of 31 adolescents (aged 10 to 18 years) from July 2021 to October 2022. Data collected include demographics, pediatric daytime sleepiness scale (PDSS), sleep disturbance scale for children (SDSC), patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), generalised anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7) scores and FEV1 percent predicted. Results Paired-T testing demonstrated a significant improvement in FEV1, whereas PDSS, PHQ-9, and GAD-7 scores worsened following ETI therapy, but did not reach statistical significance. SDSC scores marginally reduced. Ten percent of participants developed new onset sleep concerns and new mood concerns developed in 10% following ETI initiation. Conclusion/Outcome This is the first prospective longitudinal study of sleep and mood changes with ETI in adolescents with CF. ETI does not improve sleep and mood in the same way as respiratory health outcomes.

The Patient's Perspective on the Effects of Intranasal Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression.

The effectiveness of the esketamine nasal spray (ESK-NS) for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) has been confirmed by real-world studies. Available evidence derived from clinician-rated assessments might differ from patients' perceptions about the helpfulness of treatments. We aimed to verify the effect of ESK-NS from patients' view in 25 TRD patients (56% males, 55.1 ± 10.9 years) treated with ESK-NS (mean dose: 78.4 ± 11.43 mg) for three months and evaluated at different time-points through clinician-rated and self-administered scales, assessing changes in depression, anhedonia, sleep, cognition, suicidality, and anxiety. We observed an overall early improvement that lasted over time (endpoint total score reduction in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, p < 0.001, Beck Depression Inventory, p = 0.003). Patients reported a significant self-rated decrease in anhedonia at two months (Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale, p = 0.04) and in suicide ideation at endpoint (BDI subitem 9, p = 0.039) vs. earlier improvements detected by clinicians (one-month reduction in MADRS subitem 8, p = 0.005, and subitem 10, p = 0.007). These findings confirm the effectiveness of a three-month treatment with ESK-NS in TRD patients, highlighting an overall overlapping response from patients' and clinicians' perspectives, although with some differential effects on specific symptoms at given time-points. Including patients' viewpoints in routine assessments could inform clinical practice, ensuring a better characterization of clinical phenotypes to deliver personalized interventions.

An interpretable framework for sleep posture change detection and postural inactivity segmentation using wrist kinematics

Sleep posture and movements offer insights into neurophysiological health and correlate with overall well-being and quality of life. Clinical practices utilise polysomnography for sleep assessment, which is intrusive, performed in unfamiliar environments, and requires trained personnel. While sensor technologies such as actigraphy are less invasive alternatives, concerns about their reliability and precision in clinical practice persist. Moreover, the field lacks a universally accepted algorithm, with methods ranging from raw signal thresholding to data-intensive classification models that may be unfamiliar to medical staff. This paper proposes a comprehensive framework for objectively detecting sleep posture changes and temporally segmenting postural inactivity using clinically relevant joint kinematics, measured by a custom-made wearable sensor. The framework was evaluated on wrist kinematic data from five healthy participants during simulated sleep. Intuitive three-dimensional visualisations of kinematic time series were achieved through dimension reduction-based preprocessing, providing an out-of-the-box framework explainability that may be useful for clinical monitoring and diagnosis. The proposed framework achieved up to 99.2% F1-score and 0.96 Pearson’s correlation coefficient for posture detection and inactivity segmentation respectively. This work paves the way for reliable home-based sleep movement analysis, serving patient-centred longitudinal care.

Ketogenic diet may improve sleep quality and daytime somnolence in patients affected by multiple sclerosis. Results of an exploratory study

Objective/backgroundPatients with multiple sclerosis (MS) frequently report sleep complaints. The ketogenic diet (KD) is safe and tolerable in MS patients. Our aim was: 1) to investigate the effects of KD on sleep complaints in patients affected by relapsing-remitting MS and 2) to verify if sleep changes can positively impact on psychological status and quality of life (QoL) in these patients. Patients/methodsFrom January 2020 to November 2022, we consecutively enrolled 21 non-disabled or minimally disabled MS patients. We collected information regarding: 1) anthropometric measures; 2) psychological status by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21; 3) QoL by the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life-54 (MSQOL-54); 4) subjective sleep complaints, i.e. sleep quality, by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). ResultsAfter 6 months of KD therapy, anthropometric measures considerably changed, psychological status significantly improved, and almost all the MSQOL-54 subscales ameliorated. Regarding sleep, we observed that the global PSQI (T0: 7.7 ± 3.1 versus T1: 4.4 ± 3.1, p = 0.002) and the ESS (T0: 7.5 ± 3.9 versus T1: 4.9 ± 3.2, p = 0.001) scores significantly decreased after KD therapy. At T1, only the global PSQI score was an independent predictor of anxiety, stress, and mental health. ConclusionsFor the first time, we demonstrated that KD may improve sleep complaints in MS patients. In addition, KD seems to have a positive impact on psychological status and QoL of MS patients, mainly through improving sleep quality. Further controlled studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these preliminary results.

Association between sleep hours and changes in cognitive function according to the morningness-eveningness type: A population-based study

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate proper sleep hours to reduce the risk of cognitive decrease considering morningness-eveningness type. MethodsThe Korean Community Health Survey was used, which includes adults aged over 19 years old. These data were obtained from a cross-sectional study and assessed sleep hours using questionnaire of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Based on the wake-up time of each participant, they were classified into the morningness, intermediate, eveningness, and none groups. The change in cognitive function was determined by a single question about memory loss experience. ResultsA total of 224,714 participants were included in the analysis. Of the participants, 55.6 % and 5.0 % of whom had morningness and eveningness, respectively. The risk of cognitive decline was significantly different by sleep hours and morningness-eveningness type. Without considering sleep quality, the intermediate and eveningness groups showed a higher risk of cognitive decline than the morningness group, and the risk was lowest in those with 7–9 sleep hours. However, when sleep quality showing significant effect was included in the analysis, sleep hours showing the lowest risk were different among morningness, intermediate, eveningness groups, and it was the shortest in the morningness type at 5–6 h and the longest in the eveningness type at 7–8 h. ConclusionProper sleep hours to decrease the risk of cognitive decline may be different by morningness-eveningness types. However, when considering sleep quality, sleep duration had little influence on cognitive decline. Future studies investigating healthy sleep hours need to consider sleep quality as well as the habitual sleep schedules. LimitationsThe morningness-eveningness types were classified based on wake-up time not morningness-eveningness types. The morningness-eveningness types in this study would be interpreted as habitual sleep schedule rather than chronotype.

Acute or Chronic Exposure to Corticosterone Promotes Wakefulness in Mice.

Elevated glucocorticoid levels triggered by stress potentially contribute to sleep disturbances in stress-induced depression. However, sleep changes in response to elevated corticosterone (CORT), the major glucocorticoid in rodents, remain unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of acute or chronic CORT administration on sleep using electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) recordings in freely moving mice. Acute CORT exposure rapidly promoted wakefulness, marked by increased episodes and enhanced EEG delta power, while simultaneously suppressing rapid eye movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, with the latter marked by decreased mean duration and reduced delta power. Prolonged 28-day CORT exposure led to excessive wakefulness and REM sleep, characterized by higher episodes, and decreased NREM sleep, characterized by higher episodes and reduced mean duration. EEG theta activity during REM sleep and delta activity during NREM sleep were attenuated following 28-day CORT exposure. These effects persisted, except for REM sleep amounts, even 7 days after the drug withdrawal. Elevated plasma CORT levels and depressive phenotypes were identified and correlated with observed sleep changes during and after administration. Fos expression significantly increased in the lateral habenula, lateral hypothalamus, and ventral tegmental area following acute or chronic CORT treatment. Our findings demonstrate that CORT exposure enhanced wakefulness, suppressed and fragmented NREM sleep, and altered EEG activity across all stages. This study illuminates sleep alterations during short or extended periods of heightened CORT levels in mice, providing a neural link connecting insomnia and depression.

Global research evidence on nomophobia during 2008-2022: a bibliometric analysis and review

ABSTRACT Nomophobia, often known as a 21st-century disorder, is a recent condition that has received considerable attention, with numerous studies conducted to better understand it since it was first introduced in 2008. To better understand the present research status and prospects to assist practitioners, policymakers, and funding agencies in protecting the population from nomophobia-related harm, a bibliometric study of nomophobia-related publications was conducted. We used Scopus and dimensions.ai to perform a search between 2008 and 2022. The HistCite, R software, and VOSviewer were used to analyze the data and extract relevant keywords indexed in medical databases using mesh heading phrases. Between January 2008 and April 2022, 1,781 papers, 30 datasets, two grants, six patents, four clinical trials, and five policy documents were identified. The bulk of the articles included in this review were published after 2017 with the majority written in English. Most of the research focuses on determining the prevalence of nomophobia in various populational groups, such as students, clinical samples, and the general adult population. Several studies examined the possible association between nomophobia symptoms and other psychiatric or physical health issues, such as changes in sleep, learning and attention, academic performance, coping strategies, etc. The current body of research knowledge of nomophobia in the main includes epidemiologic and diagnostic effort that has provided mixed results regarding its assessment and prevalence rates, and appreciable data on its treatment and prevention are lacking.

The Drosophila blood–brain barrier regulates sleep via Moody G protein-coupled receptor signaling

Sleep is vital for most animals, yet its mechanism and function remain unclear. We found that permeability of the BBB (blood-brain barrier)-the organ required for the maintenance of homeostatic levels of nutrients, ions, and other molecules in the brain-is modulated by sleep deprivation (SD) and can cell-autonomously effect sleep changes. We observed increased BBB permeability in known sleep mutants as well as in acutely sleep-deprived animals. In addition to molecular tracers, SD-induced BBB changes also increased the penetration of drugs used in the treatment of brain pathologies. After chronic/genetic or acute SD, rebound sleep or administration of the sleeping aid gaboxadol normalized BBB permeability, showing that SD effects on the BBB are reversible. Along with BBB permeability, RNA levels of the BBB master regulator moody are modulated by sleep. Conversely, altering BBB permeability alone through glia-specific modulation of moody, gαo, loco, lachesin, or neuroglian-each a well-studied regulator of BBB function-was sufficient to induce robust sleep phenotypes. These studies demonstrate a tight link between BBB permeability and sleep and indicate a unique role for the BBB in the regulation of sleep.

Enhancing Skin Anti-Aging through Healthy Lifestyle Factors

Lifestyle health has been recognized as an evidence-based innovation that defines how everyday behaviors and routines influence the avoidance and therapy of illness and provides an important adjunctive component to overall health. Specifically, an approach with small changes over time can have a dramatic impact on the health and well-being of individuals not only, in general, but also can be applied to skin health. However, lifestyle health factors to improve skin well-being have not been discussed extensively and/or well promulgated. The narrative for this overview focuses on providing a summary for topic background information, but more importantly, presents four lifestyle factors that can improve dermal health [i.e., factor 1: nutrition—diet; factor 2: rest (sleep); factor 3: movement/physical exercise, and factor 4: social and community associations]. This was accomplished by identifying preceding journal reports/reviews covering especially the last five years (January 2018 to July 2023; 164 out of 205 references cited or 80%) using scientific search databases. The main conclusions of this overview encourage the concept that lifestyle health factors such as nutrition/diet, rest/sleep, movement/physical exercise, and community/social interactions support enhanced skin health and well-being with aging. Plus, social media interventions that aim to promote dietary, sleep and physical activity changes might be an application to improve skin health in the future.