Total Daily Sleep Research Articles

Differential compliance instrument in the treatment of infantile colic: A report of two cases

Objective: To report on the novel use of a computer-assisted adjusting device as a potentially safe method for treatment of infantile colic. Clinical Features: Two infants were diagnosed by their pediatrician as having infantile colic, which was characterized by signs of distress, uncontrollable crying, and brief episodes of screaming. Both children had normal growth (despite low birth weight in the second) and no other abnormalities. Intervention and Outcome: A PulStar Function Recording and Analysis System (PulStar FRAS, Sense Technology, Inc, Pittsburgh, Penn) device was used to administer light impulses (≅1.7 joules, which produced a 3 to 4 lb force) at each segmental level throughout the dorsal spine, with probe tips spaced 2 cm apart straddling the spinous processes. Crying was reduced by 50% after a single session of instrumental adjusting in a 6-week old girl and after 4 sessions in a 9-week old boy, according to colic diaries kept by the mothers. Average hours of uninterrupted daily sleep increased from 3.5 to 6.5 hours after a single session. Within 10 days (5 and 8 sessions, respectively), colicky behavior disappeared and average total daily sleep improved to 14.5 hours (an average increase of 4.5 hours). Results continued over a 30-day follow-up. Conclusion: The PulStar mechanical adjusting device appears to have been well tolerated and beneficial in 2 cases of infantile colic. Further research is necessary to determine whether this device can enhance the safety and effectiveness of chiropractic treatment in infants with colic.

The effect of variations in total sleep time on the occurrence of rapid eye movement sleep in cats

Cats with chronically implanted electrodes were maintained on rigidly enforced schedules of daily total sleep time, each schedule lasting from 5 to 19 consecutive days. The percentage of REM sleep was highest when daily total sleep time was smallest. The restriction of NREM sleep was questionable when wakefulness was enforced by means of a treadmill since slow waves appeared in the EEG of the cats during behavioral wakefulness. However, with additional efforts to ensure full arousal during a second run, REM sleep was still favored by the cats when the opportunity to sleep was greatly reduced.