Sleep Length Research Articles

Social Jetlag and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness from a Sample of Russian Children and Adolescents.

PurposeInsufficient nocturnal sleep is a primary source of excessive daytime sleepiness. Most previous research has focused on the disparity between sleep demands and study start times in adolescents. Fewer studies have focused on elementary schoolchildren. We hypothesize that late sleep timing is connected to excessive daytime sleepiness in a sample of Russian children and adolescents. The major goals of our study were to evaluate excessive daytime sleepiness in Russian schoolchildren and adolescents using the Russian version of the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS) and to estimate its relationship with sleep-wake parameters using the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ).Materials and MethodsStudent subjects were from public educational facilities in the Republic of Karelia. They completed both the PDSS and the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire to estimate sleep parameters and chronotype (MSFsc). Five hundred and eleven students provided data for the PDSS and sleep-wake variables, and 479 for the full MCTQ data.ResultsThe overall prevalence of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) in our sample was 18%. The total PDSS score was inversely correlated with sleep length on school nights and was independent of respondents’ sex. Higher PDSS scores were associated with later bedtimes on school days and free days, and shorter sleep duration on school days. Late chronotype and more pronounced social jetlag were both positively correlated with high PDSS scores. A negative correlation was found between chronotype and the duration of the sleep period on weekdays (p < 0.001) and a positive correlation was found on weekends (p < 0.001). Longer average sleep duration was positively related to less daytime sleepiness.ConclusionThis study suggests that excessive daytime sleepiness is chronotype-dependent. School start times could be shifted to a later hour to prolong sleep and reduce EDS.

Investigating sleep quality on an inpatient psychiatry ward

AimsSleep is essential for optimal physiological functioning, but often interrupted in hospital settings. Disturbed sleep is associated with relapse of mood disorders and multiple comorbidities including impaired immunological function and increased cardiovascular risk. There are unique environmental challenges on psychiatry wards, such as overnight monitoring. Recent studies highlight the importance of evaluating and managing inpatient sleep disturbance. Aims include exploring the extent to which patients’ sleep is impacted by inpatient admission, elucidating causes of sleep disturbance and determining ways to improve sleep during admission.MethodPatients aged 18–65 years, who consented and were expected to be inpatients for a week, were approached after 72 hours of admission (n = 35). Quantitative and qualitative data, including on pre-hospital and hospital sleep quantity and quality, were gathered, as part of a cohort characterisation. Questionnaires using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index elements were used to gather data. Offering earplugs as a sleep-aid intervention was implemented, with sleep quantity and quality reassessed 72 hours post-intervention. In response to feedback, sound monitoring at regular intervals overnight was undertaken using a decibel-metre to determine noise baseline and variation.ResultAll patients approached agreed to participate. Pre-hospital average sleep quantity was 5.2 hours, with restedness score of 4.3, and 71% patients rating their sleep as ‘bad’. After 72 hours post-admission, average sleep length was 6.5 hours and restedness 5.3. Of patients who accepted earplugs (59%), there were improvements to mean sleep quality and quantity (7.6 hours), with 86% patients rating earplugs helpful. All patients surveyed thought that earplugs should be offered routinely on admission. 70% of patients were prescribed benzodiazepines or z-drugs as required. Self-reported factors affecting sleep included noise, psychiatric symptoms and medication side effects, with 13 patients mentioning the former. Sound monitoring recorded an average decibel level with a range of 35–75 dB, with peaks reaching 95 dB.ConclusionPoor sleep in hospital is widespread. There is a need to understand and address modifiable environmental and ward factors implicated in sleep disturbance within inpatient settings. Pharmacological options for sedation are common, but it is important to focus on alternative options of low-cost, non-pharmacological interventions which promote sleep optimisation and enhance inpatient care.

The assessment of the correlation between sleep quality and irritable bowel syndrome among medical students

Introduction: Remarkable high rates of functional gastrointestinal disorders, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in particular, is prevalent among medical students. On the other hand, nature of studying medicine leads to sleep disorders in this population. Increased innate immunity in the intestinal mucosa and lamina propria, particularly mast cells and monocytes along elevated numbers of T cells along with antibody production suggest a role for the adaptive immune response. Objectives: The current study aims to assess the prevalence and association between IBS and sleep quality in medical students. Patients and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study on 100 medical students to assess the correlation between sleep disorders and IBS. ROME IV criteria were utilized to determine the diagnosis of IBS and The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to evaluate sleep disorders. The students’ length of sleep, age, gender and residence were recorded. Results: According to ROME-IV criteria, 24 medical students, including 18 females (75%) were diagnosed with IBS. As measured by the PSQI, 66% of the students reported disturbed sleep quality. The mean length of sleep of the participants was 6.02 (±1.29 hours). The IBS incidence was not associated with age (P=0.56), gender (P=0.49) or residence (P=0.66). The logistic regression assessment revealed that impaired sleep quality was an independent risk factor for IBS diagnosis among the medical students (P&lt;0.001, OR: 10, 95% CI: 4.3-23.3). Conclusion: Based on the current study, IBS was diagnosed in 24% of the medical students in Isfahan. The length of sleep was significantly associated with IBS; however, age and gender and also sleep quality did not have any significant association with it.

Health status and some indices of the day mode of preschool children as predictors of readiness for school learning

Introduction. Low health potential and irrationally organized daily routine of preschool children can be predictors in the structure of causes of violations of cognitive development and behavior of the child. Material and methods. An analysis of the health status of children aged 6 to 7 years old divided by age into three groups: 6-6.5, 6.5-7, and 7-7.5 years. Some indices of the preschool children’s daily routine, including sleeping and walking, were evaluated from the data taken from a questionnaire of parents and teachers. Results. Analysis of the health groups of children aged 6 to 7.5 years old revealed the predominance of group II (48.46%). The number of children who fit into the first health group decreases from 6 to 7.5 years of age. The abnormalities in the musculoskeletal system of the body and ENT diseases, most chronic diseases, prove to be dominated conditions. Boys under seven years of age are significantly more likely to have functional mental disorders and ENT diseases. In general, according to the availability of daytime sleep, the mode of stay of preschoolers differs by 80.0% sleep during the day in kindergarten; 36.3% sleep at home. The length of night sleep in 77.7% of children does not meet the age norms. During the day outside of a preschool educational institution, the outdoor walks are noted in 76.1% of six to seven-and-a-half-year children. The duration of the walk, only in 24.1%, corresponds to the norm. The survey results did not reveal significant differences in the availability of daytime and nighttime sleep in children, depending on age. The number of children who have outdoor walks in their routine daily increases from 6 to 7.5 years of age. The duration of walks is dominated by boys in older age groups. Conclusion. Children’s health potential and daily routine have their own characteristics during the preschool period, which can be considered a risk of developing maladaptation in upcoming systematic training at school.

REVIEW LITERATURE: MENGKAJI PEMBERIAN PIJAT BAYI DENGAN MUROTTAL AL-QUR’AN UNTUK MENINGKATKAN DURASI TIDUR BAYI USIA 3-12 BULAN

ABSTRACT&#x0D; &#x0D; Introduction: Most babies (44.2%) had sleep disturbances, and 72% of parents thought that this was not a significant problem. Sleep problems in babies are generally due to insufficient sleep in the baby. One of the efforts to improve baby sleep uration is by offering baby massage accompanied by the chanting of the Al-Qur'an murottal. Methods: International literature searched using electronic media by using several databases such as Google Scholar, Link Spinger and PubMed. The article used is 8 articles that discuss the effect of baby massage on baby sleep and the effect of listening to the Murottal Al-Quran on the duration of baby sleep. Results: There was a significant effect between infant massage and murottal Al-Qur'an on the increase in infant sleep duration. Discussion: One way to meet the sleep needs of babies is by increasing the duration of the baby's sleep. Efforts to increase sleep duration in babies can be done by giving baby massage accompanied by Al-Qur'an murottals. Baby massage can increase serotonin neurotansmiter levels, and listening to the murottal Al-Qur'an, the brain can produce neuropeptide substances so that it provides feedback in the form of a sense of comfort, safety, after that the baby's sleep will be more soundly. Conclusion: Baby massage with murottal Al-Qur'an is effective for increasing sleep duration in babies.&#x0D; Keywords: Baby massage; Murottal; length of sleep for babies

110 Physiological correlates of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale reveal different dimensions of daytime sleepiness

Abstract Introduction The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) is used as a clinical tool for determining excessive daytime sleepiness. However, the behavior and biology that underlie ESS scores remain to be elucidated. The main objective of this analysis is to determine objective behavioral and physiologic correlates of the ESS. Secondarily, we examine the relationship of the ESS to parallel subjective and objective endpoints that could represent measures of daytime sleepiness. Methods Using two separate machine learning algorithms, Random Forest and Lasso, we determined the association between ESS scores and 55 sleep and medical variables in individuals who participated in the Sleep Heart Health Study (N=2105). These variables include self-reported sleep characteristics (e.g., habitual sleep length and latency, frequency of not getting enough sleep), polysomnographic sleep measures from a single night, medication use, and mental and physical health status. Additional analyses were conducted on data stratified by age and gender. To investigate the relationship between ESS and other measures of daytime sleepiness, cross-correlation analysis was conducted on the ESS and five variables that could analog daytime sleepiness (feeling unrested, nap duration and frequency, sleep latency, frequency of not getting enough sleep). Results Analysis of the main dataset resulted in low explained variance (7.15 - 10.0%), with self-reported frequency of not getting enough sleep as most important predictor (10.3–13.9% of the model variance). Stratification by neither age nor gender significantly improved explained variance. Habitual sleep length was not an important predictor in any model. Cross-correlational analysis revealed low correlation of other daytime sleepiness measures to ESS score. Conclusion Data analyses indicate that ESS scores are not well explained by habitual or polysomnographic sleep values, or a variety of other biomedical characteristics. This suggests that there are different, potentially orthogonal dimensions of the concept of “daytime sleepiness” that may be driven by different aspects of sleep physiology. Caution should be used when considering the ESS as a clinical measure given that the physiologic correlates still remain to be elucidated. Support (if any):

Validity and Usage of the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) in a French Population of Patients with Depression, Bipolar Disorders and Controls.

The Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ), by Rosenthal et al. (1984), is by far the most used questionnaire to evaluate seasonal effects on mood and behavior. It includes a general seasonality score (GSS), composed of 6 items, from which cutoffs have been established to screen for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). However, it has never been validated in French and associations with circadian rhythm and symptoms of depression and bipolarity remain unclear. In this study, including 165 subjects (95 controls and 70 patients with depression or bipolar disorder), we confirmed the validity of the French version of the SPAQ, with a two-factor structure (a psychological factor: energy, mood, social activity and sleep length; and a food factor: weight and appetite) and a good fit was observed by all indicators. Mood and social activity dimensions were significantly affected by seasons in the depressed/bipolar group and a stronger global seasonality score (GSS) was associated with more severe phenotypes of depression and mania. Subjects meeting SAD and subsyndromal-SAD criteria also showed a delayed circadian rhythm compared to controls. Simple tools, such as the SPAQ, can aid the identification of significant seasonal changes and have direct implications on therapeutics including the use of bright light therapy in order to enhance personalized treatments, but also to prevent adverse seasonal effects.

Day-of-week mood patterns in adolescents considering chronotype, sleep length and sex

In this study, the day-of-week effect on positive and negative affect, taking into account the moderating effect of chronotype, sleep length and sex, was analyzed. Ninety-four adolescents (16.1 ± 1.24 years old) attending high schools in the morning filled out diaries to assess the natural day-to-day fluctuations in mood and sleep. Using multilevel modeling, the results indicated that positive affect increased and negative affect decreased over the weekend. Negative affect was moderated by chronotype such that negative affect decreased less over the weekend in evening adolescents. Short sleep length was related to negative affect, and girls reported higher negative affect. Individual differences in weekly mood patterns should be taken into account when designing psychosocial interventions for adolescents.

Total Wake: Natural, Pathological, and Experimental Limits to Sleep Reduction.

Sleep is not considered a pathological state, but it consumes a third of conscious human life. This share is much more than most optimistic life extension forecasts that biotechnologies or experimental and medical interventions can offer. Are there insurmountable physical or biological limitations to reducing the duration of sleep? How far can it be avoided without fatal consequences? What means can reduce the length of sleep? It is widely accepted that sleep is necessary for long-term survival. Here we review the limited yet intriguing evidence that is not consistent with this notion. We concentrate on clinical cases of complete and partial loss of sleep and on human mutations that result in a short sleep phenotype. These observations are supported by new animal studies and are discussed from the perspective of sleep evolution. Two separate hypotheses suggest distinct approaches for remodeling our sleep machinery. If sleep serves an unidentified vital physiological function, this indispensable function has to be identified before “sleep prosthesis” (technical, biological, or chemical) can be developed. If sleep has no vital function, but rather represents a timing mechanism for adaptive inactivity, sleep could be reduced by forging the sleep generation system itself, with no adverse effects.

Body composition and health behaviors among older women attending regular fitness classes: a pilot study

Background: The average lifespan is increasing worldwide, although the healthspan and quality of life is not. Many older adults either have a chronic disease, excessive body mass, or do not follow the healthy lifestyle recommendations as for nutrition and physical activity. Aim of the study: This study aimed to assess the relationship between body composition among senior women and health behaviors in the five domains of nutrition, body care, rest, safety and physical activity. Material and methods: The study group consisted of 36 women attending fitness classes. The Positive Health Behavior Questionnaire was used as the qualitative measurement and participant height, weight and body composition were measured. Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR ), Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) were calculated. Results: Significant correlations (p≤0.05) were found between attending organized physical activities and higher muscle mass and higher BMR. Moreover, (a) sleeping at least six to seven hours at night correlated with a lower BMI and lower body fat mass; (b) spending at least 20–30 minutes a day resting correlated with lower visceral fat; (c) devoting at least 30 minutes daily to moderate or heavy physical exertion correlated with lower body fat mass, percent of body fat and visceral adiposity. Conclusions: The study shows strong relationships between physical activity, dietary patterns, rest, length of sleep, BMI, adiposity and muscle mass of physically active senior women. The results suggest it is necessary to actively promote and support older women in implementing healthy behaviors consistently in their life.

Associations between Sleep and Work-Related Cognitive and Emotional Functioning in Police Employees.

AimWe aimed to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between sleep and work-related impaired cognitive and emotional functioning in police employees.MethodsThis study included 410 participants (52% men) employed in a police district in Norway at baseline, of which 50% also participated in the study at 6 months later follow-up. The questionnaires included items measuring work schedule, sleep length, insomnia, as well as impaired cognitive and emotional functioning at work.ResultsThe results showed that insomnia was related to impaired work-related emotional functioning measured at baseline, and to impaired cognitive functioning measured at both baseline and follow-up. Sleep length and rotating shift work were not associated with future decline in cognitive or emotional functioning.ConclusionOur study indicates that the relationship between insomnia and emotional functioning at work may be transient, whereas insomnia can be related to both immediate and future impaired cognitive functioning. Replication of the findings in larger samples is advised. The findings call for an emphasis on the prevention and treatment of sleep problems among police employees as a mean of maintaining and improving cognitive and emotional functioning at work, and thereby reducing the risk for impaired performance and negative health and safety outcomes.

Hubungan Senam Hamil dengan Lama Tidur Ibu Hamil Trimester III di Puskesmas Putri Ayu Kota Jambi

Pregnancy is a period that is eagerly awaited by mothers. In conditions of pregnancy there are hormonal and physiological changes. The changes that occur are expected to be carried out by pregnant women in order to have a comfortable pregnancy. Sleep disturbance is one of the complaints that occurs during pregnancy, the complaint is caused by various physiological, hormonal, vascular and metabolic changes. Empirical studies show that up to 25% of pregnant women report significant sleep disturbances in the first trimester, with rates rising to 75% in the first trimester. third trimester. Overcoming sleep disorders during pregnancy can be done in various ways in order to stabilize good sleep quality, such as determining a good and comfortable sleeping position while sleeping, basic relaxation exercises, one of which is pregnancy exercise. This study aims to determine the relationship between pregnancy exercise and sleep duration of pregnant women. Quantitative research design. The subjects in this study were pregnant women in their third trimester at Puskesmas Putri Ayu Jambi City. The subjects of the study were seen the length of sleep for pregnant women before doing pregnancy exercise and the length of sleep for pregnant women after participating in pregnancy exercise classes. The research was conducted at the Putri Ayu Health Center, Jambi City. The collected data will be analyzed univariately. It is hoped that the results of this study can be used as a source of information for pregnant women about physiological changes during pregnancy and can overcome complaints of difficulty sleeping by doing pregnancy exercise.Keywords: exercise for pregnancy, pregnant women, sleep duration

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LIVING HABITS AND METABOLIC DISEASES IN COMMUNITY POPULATIONS BASED ON ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSIS OF NAFLD

ABSTRACT As a common metabolic disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common type of liver disease in western developed countries and an important liver disease in the Asia Pacific region. At present, NAFLD lacks targeted conventional therapy and its basic treatment is the correction of bad living habits. In order to verify the effectiveness of the basic treatment of NAFLD, and explore the prevention methods of NAFLD, this study used ultrasound diagnosis, baseline survey and follow-up survey, and conducted a cross-sectional study on the correlation between nighttime and midday sleep duration and NAFLD, and carried out a prospective study on the correlation between sleep duration and NAFLD. The results showed that there was a negative correlation between the length of sleep at night and the prevalence of NAFLD, while the length of midday sleep was positively correlated with the prevalence of NAFLD. The time of night sleep was an independent factor of NAFLD, and the relationship between midday sleep time and NAFLD was not statistically significant. NAFLD-susceptible people can prevent NAFLD by ensuring adequate sleep at night and reducing midday sleep. This study is expected to provide theoretical reference and data support for the prevention and treatment of NAFLD.

Owner reported breathing scores, accelerometry and sleep disturbances in brachycephalic and control dogs: A pilot study.

To compare physical activity and length and quality of sleep between brachycephalic dogs and a control population. Brachycephalic and control dogs were prospectively enrolled. Length of activity and sleep were determined via accelerometer use. Owners completed a questionnaire regarding typical daily activity, sleep patterns and an 'owner reported breathing score (ORBS)'. One hour of normal home sleep was recorded for each dog, and a veterinary observer subjectively scored the dogs' sleep quality. Twenty brachycephalic and 15 control dogs were included. There were no differences between age and weight. Owners reported brachycephalic dogs to be less active (p = 0.022) and have higher ORBS (p < 0.001) compared to control dogs. Brachycephalic dogs had increased sleep disturbances compared to control dogs (p = 0.001), and video sleep score was positively correlated with increased sleep disturbances (r2 = 0.47, p = 0.007). There were no differences in active and sleep times based on accelerometry between groups. Brachycephalic dogs have more disturbed sleep, which may have negative implications on welfare, but there were no differences in activity or length of sleep between groups. There is evidence that signs suggestive of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) as assessed by ORBS is correlated with poorer sleep quality, indicating that reduced sleep quality is part of BOAS. Owners may underestimate disturbed sleep or may perceive disturbed sleep to be normal.

Effects of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on lifestyle and mental health of students: A retrospective study from Karachi, Pakistan

IntroductionDue to the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries imposed lockdowns on their citizens in an attempt to contain the disease. Pakistan is one of these countries. A government mandated lockdown can have mitigating psychological effects on young adults, out of which a large fraction is made up of students. This study aims to investigate the correlations between changes in sleep pattern, perception of time, and digital media usage. Furthermore, it explores the impact of these changes on the mental health of students of different educational levels. MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted via a web-based questionnaire, from March 24 to April 26, 2020. The survey was targeted at students and 251 responses were obtained. It was a 5-section long questionnaire. The first section inquired about demographics of participants. Each of the other 4 sections was devoted to changes in sleep pattern, perception of time flow, digital media usage and mental health status of students. Close-ended questions with multiple choice responses, dichotomous, interval and 4-point Likert scales were used in the construction of the survey questionnaire. Chi2 T-tests multinomial and binary logistic regression were used as primary statistical tests. All data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). ResultsOut of 251 adolescents that participated in our study, the majority (70.2%) were females. The mean age of the participants was 19.40±1.62 years. Two-thirds of the respondents did not have much trouble falling asleep (66.5%). The analysis found no significant association between longer sleep periods and procrastination level (P=0.054). Nearly three-fourths (72.9%) of our participants felt that getting through quarantine would have been more difficult if they did not have any electronic gadgets. Of these, a majority (85.8%) had a general feeling of tiredness and lacked motivation (P=0.023). Additionally, a large number of students (69.7%) had reported that time is seemingly moving faster. A significant relationship between increased usage of electronic items and longer sleep periods was also noted (P=0.005). With respect to the level of education, statistically significant values were noted for alarm use both before and after quarantine began (P=0.021 and P=0.004, respectively). Further analysis showed that there was a significant difference in the median difference of time spent on social media before the outbreak (3.0±32.46) and time spent on social media after the outbreak (6.0±3.52) in a single day (P=0.000). ConclusionsOur research has revealed that due to the lockdown imposed by the government in response to COVID-19, the sleeping patterns of the students was affected the most. Our findings show that the increase in use of social media applications led to a widespread increase in the length of sleep, worsening of sleep habits (people sleeping at much later hours than usual), and a general feeling of tiredness. A general lack of recollection regarding what day of the week it was, as well as a change in the perceived flow of time were also notable. All these findings indicate the decline in mental health of students due to the lockdown. Promoting better sleep routines, minimising the use of digital media, and encouragement of students to take up more hobbies could collectively improve the health and mood of students in self-quarantine.

Sleep habits and circadian preferences in school-aged children attending a Mexican double-shift school system

ObjectiveTo determine the differences between sleep habits and circadian preference in school-aged children attending a Mexican double-shift school system. MethodsThis cross-sectional study consisted of 400 elementary public-school children (mean age = 10.77, SD = 0.70 y, from fourth, fifth and sixth grades) in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, in northeastern Mexico. Attending a double-shift school system: 200 from the morning shift and 200 in the afternoon shift. Specific questions regarding sleep habits were collected and for circadian preference, the Morningness-Eveningness Scale for Children (MESC) was used. ResultsMultivariate analysis reported no sex differences. Children attending at the morning shift during weekdays rose earlier, reported shorter time in bed and earlier midpoint of sleep than those in the afternoon shift. On weekends, morning shift children went to bed later than afternoon shift. Morning shift reported greater social jetlag, shorter average sleep length and more sleep deficit than afternoon shift. During weekdays and weekends evening type children went to bed later, rose later and reported later midpoint of sleep. Also, evening type reported more social jetlag than morning types. ConclusionThis study suggests that early school start times can have a detrimental effect on Mexican children. Moreover, the morning shift children may be at more risk of poor health due to the higher social jetlag, as well as a higher tendency to be sleep deprived. On the other hand, the afternoon shift represents an important social environment that allows children to follow their natural physiological needs and a more optimal sleep health.

Academic Performance of Students Effect of Sleep Length

Overall longer duration of sleep correlated with better grades. Factors such as sleep, stress, family background etc. makes an effect on academic performance of students. Sleep deprivation impairs learning processes and memory consolidation. Sleep habits and academic performance are correlated.Sleep length and SGPA are dependent.

STUDI KOMPARATIF MODEL ASUHAN KEPERAWATAN PROFESIONAL (MAKP) TIM DAN FUNGSIONAL DENGAN TINGKAT KEPUASAN PASIEN DI RUMAH SAKIT UMUM DABO KECAMATAN SINGKEP KABUPATEN LINGGA TAHUN 2019

Age is one of the determinants of the length of sleep that the body needs. This problem often occurs in the elderly, so it has an impact on the quality of sleep. The Lingga Regency PPKB Health Office reports that 20-60% of elderly people experience poor sleep quality. This study aims to determine and observe whether there is an effect of warm water bathing on the quality of old age sleep in Posyandu in Singkep District, Lingga Regency. This study used a quasi experiment method with a pre-test and post-test without control design. The sample used was total sampling with the number of respondents as many as 30 people. Analysis of research data using the Wilcoxon Test which had previously been tested in the Normality of Shapiro Wilk. The intervention used is foot soak (warm water). The results showed a significant change, in which the p-value was 0,000 &lt;0,05 with an average increase in sleep quality before foot soaking 10.00 and after intervention 1.60. So that it can be concluded that there is the effect of foot soak (warm water) on the quality of old sleep. It is hoped that the elderly will apply this relaxation technique to maintain their sleep quality.

Sleep Disturbances in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder at a Malaysian Tertiary Hospital.

Introduction: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a variety of co-morbid medical problems, including sleep disturbances. Prevalence of sleep disorders has been reported to be higher in this group as compared to the general population. Identifying sleep problems in children with ASD may help increase awareness and improve the overall quality of care for them. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of sleep problems and associated factors in a group of Malaysian children aged 6–16 years, with ASD.Method: This is a cross-sectional study at the Child Development Centre of UKM Medical Centre (UKM MC) on ASD children aged 6–16 years. Demographic data was obtained and the Sleep Disturbances Scale for Children (SDSC) questionnaire was completed by the main caregiver. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors related to higher total SDSC scores.Results: A total of 128 patients were recruited (111 boys) with a median age of 8 years 3 months (IQR: 2 years 10 months). Forty-seven (36.7%) of them obtained total SDSC scores in the pathological range with 19 (14.8%) scoring high for overall disturbances and 28 (21.9%) for at least one subtype of sleep disorders: 25 (19.5%) DIMS, 18 (14.1%) SBD, 10 (7.8%) DOES, 5 (3.9%) DOA, 6 (4.7%) SWTD, and 3 (2.3%) SHY. More than half of the children (57.8%) were reported to have sufficient sleep duration of 8–11 h, but longer sleep latency of at least 15 min (82.8%). Half of the ASD children also had co-morbidities in which one-third (34.4%) had attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using logistic regression analysis, four factors were significantly associated with higher total SDSC scores; female gender (p = 0.016), older age group (11–16 years old) (p = 0.039), shorter sleep length (p = 0.043), and longer sleep latency (p < 0.001).Conclusion: The prevalence of sleep disturbances is high among Malaysian children with ASD, especially DIMS. Female gender, older age group, shorter sleep length, and longer sleep latency were found to be associated with the sleep disturbances. Evaluation of sleep problems should form part of the comprehensive care of children with ASD.

The effect of age and chronotype on seasonality, sleep problems, and mood

Seasonal affective disorder has been associated with sleep problems, young age, and an evening chronotype. A chronotype refers to an individual’s preference in the timing of their sleep-wake cycle, as well as the time during the sleep-wake cycle when a person is most alert and energetic. Seasonality refers to season-dependent fluctuations in sleep length, social activity, mood, weight, appetite, and energy level. Evening chronotype is more common in young adults and morning chronotype more common in the elderly. This study aimed to estimate the differential contribution of chronotype and age on seasonality.A sample of n=410 participants were included in the study. The age groups showed significantly different results according to sleep parameters, depression, anxiety, stress, seasonality, and chronotype. The oldest group (>59 years) showed the lowest scores on all of these scales. According to a path analysis, chronotype and age predict propensity for seasonality. However, sleep problems were linked to chronotype but not to age. Older adults seem to be more resistant to seasonal changes that are perceived as a problem than young and middle aged adults. Future studies would benefit from considering cultural aspects and examine seasonality, chronotype, depression, and insomnia in longitudinal designs.