FromLos Angeles Times

Both night-shift work and chronic sleep deprivation are increasingly implicated in mental and cognitive problems.

* Alzheimer’s risk: Abnormal insulin levels (common in shift workers and sleep-deprived people) may increase the risk for certain neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, scientists at the University of Washington have found. Normally, insulin acts on the brain to promote learning and memory. However, insulin resistance may cause inflammation in the brain, a key process in the development of Alzheimer’s.

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* Learning: Proper alignment between sleep times and internal circadian time is crucial for optimal cognitive performance. And numerous recent studies show learning is enhanced if it’s immediately followed by restorative sleep. In other words, students who pull all-nighters studying for an exam are doing themselves more harm than good.

* Mood: Even moderate changes in sleep times can have a big effect on mood. Diane Boivin of the Centre for Study and Treatment of Circadian Rhythms at Douglas Mental Health University Institute in Montreal published research last year in the journal Sleep showing that serotonin levels — a key substance for mood stability — are lower in shift workers than day workers. Other studies have found that exposure to bright light in the morning can lift the moods of people with depression, and that prescribed periods of sleep deprivation can interrupt a bout of depression.

* Bipolar disorder: Flawed circadian rhythms may be to blame for bipolar disorder. In a study published last year in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center identified a gene that, if disrupted, causes mice to behave as if they have bipolar disorder. Correcting the gene mutation could lead to a therapy for the illness, the scientists said.

Viewing, especially before bedtime, is linked to irregular sleep patterns for the very young, experts say

From HealthDay

It may seem like a good idea: Use a bit of TV viewing to help your young child get to sleep.

But a growing body of research is finding that infants and children under the age of 3 who watch TV — even too much TV during the day — struggle with interrupted sleep and irregular bed and naptime schedules.

“We know that many, many parents rely on TV and video as part of their child’s sleep routine,” said Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a pediatrician at the University of Washington and co-author of “The Elephant in the Living Room: Make TV Work for Your Kids”.

“Watching television before bed makes it more difficult for children to fall asleep,” he added. “Scientific data support that.”

As proof, Christakis pointed to a recent study he led with University of Washington colleague Dr. Darcy Thompson that found that children under age 3 who watch television are at higher risk of disturbed sleep. Other studies have looked at the effects of TV viewing on older children and teens, and also found a link between TV, poor sleep and later bedtimes.

Christakis and Thompson examined data from a national health survey of children aged 4 months to 35 months, and evaluated parent interviews for more than 2,000 children. The result: 27 percent of the youngsters had irregular bedtime schedules, and almost 34 percent had irregular nap schedules.

But here’s the kicker — the number of hours of television viewed was associated with a greater likelihood of an irregular sleep schedule, although no cause-and-effect relationship could be definitively established. On average, the babies younger than 12 months watched 0.9 hours of television; those 12 months to 23 months watched 1.6 hours daily; and those 24 months to 35 months watched 2.3 hours a day.

Thompson explained that a regular sleep schedule is important, because it influences the quality and quantity of sleep that children get. And, healthy sleep habits can prevent problems such as bedtime resistance or nighttime awakenings, she said.

Thompson said one possible explanation is that television viewing causes irregular sleep schedules. Another is that irregular sleep leads to more TV viewing, a kind of vicious cycle.

Another uncertainty is whether the timing of television viewing, say, before bedtime, has an impact on sleep. In theory, Thompson reasoned, children who watch a lot of shows with content that is violent or inappropriate for their age could have sleep disturbances no matter when they watched those shows. Others would argue that viewing disturbing content before bedtime impedes sleep.

The bottom line, according to Christakis: “If your kid is having a sleep problem, look at TV [habits] and see if it is playing a role. There is no need to modify TV if your kid is not having sleep problems.”

Dr. Nancy Maynard, a pediatrician at the Great Falls Clinic in Great Falls, Mont., agreed.

“I do tell parents it is good to limit the amount of TV during the day to less than two hours of screen time, including TV, computer, video games,” she said.

“And don’t use TV as a go-to-sleep aid,” Maynard advised. That holds true even for high schoolers, she added.

Maynard said she understood why the parents of younger children might be tempted to park their kids in front of the TV right before bedtime. “It gets them to stay in one place. But it’s not [helping them in] making changes the brain needs to make to the transition to sleep. And it may make it worse. The visual stimulation amps them up.”

“I think of it as going to the state fair,” Maynard tells parents when advising them not to let their children watch TV before bed. “You are on the midway, with all the lights and the noise. Walking away from that, I don’t know how many people are relaxed.”

Are you struggling with a young child who’s troubled by troubled sleep? The National Institutes of Health offers these suggestions:

Set a regular time for bed each night and stick to it.

Establish a relaxing bedtime routine, such as giving your child a warm bath or reading him or her a story.

Make after-dinner playtime a relaxing time. Too much activity close to bedtime can keep children awake.

Avoid feeding children big meals close to bedtime.

Avoid giving children anything with caffeine less than six hours before bedtime.

Set the bedroom temperature so that it’s comfortable — not too warm and not too cold.

Make sure the bedroom is dark. If necessary, use a small nightlight.

Keep the noise level low.

Kids’ sleep patterns also vary by season, day, researchers report

From HealthScout

Children who get less than nine hours of sleep a night are more likely to be overweight or obese, new research shows.

Sleep-deprived kids also have more than a 3 percent increase in body fat on average compared to youngsters who sleep for more than nine hours nightly.

The researchers also reported that children’s sleep patterns vary by season and day. Children sleep fewer hours in the summer and on weekends, according to the study.

Researchers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand studied the sleep patterns of 591 seven-year-old children using actigraphy — a movement-based, noninvasive method used to study sleep-wake patterns and circadian rhythms. The children were assessed at birth, at one year of age, at three-and-a-half years and at seven years.

The team found that the children slept 10.1 hours on average. They slept fewer hours on weekend days than on weekdays, in the summer and when bedtime was set as after 9 p.m. They also slept fewer hours if they had no younger siblings.

In addition to increased weight and body fat, shorter sleep periods correlated with more emotional volatility, reported the research team.

“Sleep is important for health and well-being throughout life,” said lead author Ed Mitchell in a prepared statement. “Few studies have objectively measured sleep duration. In this large study of sleep in seven-year-olds, there was considerable variation in duration of sleep. Sleep duration was 40 minutes longer in winter than summer and was 31 minutes longer on weekdays than on the weekend. Short sleep duration was associated with a threefold increased risk of the child being overweight or obese. This effect was independent of physical activity or television watching. Attention to sleep in childhood may be an important strategy to reduce the obesity epidemic.”

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that children in preschool sleep between 11 and 13 hours a night and school-aged children between 10 and 11 hours of sleep a night.

The academy suggested that parents give their children an opportunity to get the recommended amount of sleep by keeping a consistent bedtime routine in a relaxed setting. Children may also sleep better if they have a parent to relate to before bed, instead of TV or video games. Food, drinks and medicines that contain caffeine are all enemies of sleep, according to the academy.

The study is published in the January issue of Sleep.

From washingtonpost.com

When Shakespeare called sleep the “chief nourisher of life’s feast,” he may have been well ahead of his time, medically at least. Researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center report that disrupting sleep damages the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels, potentially raising the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

More than 18 million Americans have diabetes and the most common form is type 2, in which the body either becomes resistant to insulin or doesn’t produce enough of it to regulate sugar in the bloodstream.

In a small experiment, researchers led by Dr. Esra Tasali, an assistant professor of medicine, found that disrupting the deepest sleep periods of volunteers rapidly resulted in reduction in their ability to regulate blood-sugar levels.

The findings are reported in Monday’s online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The researchers studied the sleep patterns of nine volunteers, five men and four women, all of normal weight, in good health and aged 20 to 31.

Normal sleep is divided into several stages, with the so-called slow-wave sleep considered the deepest.

Whenever the volunteers went into slow-wave sleep the researchers made noise _ enough to disturb the sleep though not to fully awaken them.

After just three days the ability of the volunteers to regulate blood sugar was reduced by 25 percent, the researchers reported.

Earlier studies have indicated that lack of sleep can reduce the ability to regulate sugar, and this report adds evidence that poor sleep quality is also a diabetes risk.

“This decrease in slow-wave sleep resembles the changes in sleep patterns caused by 40 years of aging,” Tasali said in a statement. Young adults spend 80 to 100 minutes per night in slow-wave sleep, while people over age 60 generally have less than 20 minutes. “In this experiment,” she said, “we gave people in their 20s the sleep of those in their 60s.”

“Since reduced amounts of deep sleep are typical of aging and of common obesity-related sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea, these results suggest that strategies to improve sleep quality, as well as quantity, may help to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in populations at risk,” said co-author Dr. Eve Van Cauter, a professor of medicine.

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Experts offer tips on spotting problems and achieving better, longer sleep

From HealthDay

Making and keeping a New Year’s resolution to sleep better could help you achieve other health goals, experts at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine say.

“There is growing medical literature showing that many of us in today’s 24/7 society are not getting the basic sleep we need every day,” Dr. Ron Kramer, a physician at the Colorado Neurology Institute’s Sleep Disorders Center in Englewood, Colo., said in a prepared statement.

“At the same time, there is increasing evidence from human sleep researchers that chronic lack of even a few hours of sleep a night can result in significant health consequences,” he said. “These consequences include an increased risk of accidents; fatigue that makes you prone to depressive symptoms or not enough energy to exercise; and even chemical changes that stimulate your brain to eat more and to eat more salty and sugary food.”

“Resolve to sleep well this year, and you may find that the energy to exercise and the self-control for healthy eating may then more easily follow,” said Kramer.

Adults need seven to eight hours of sleep each night, while teens should sleep about nine hours per night. School-aged children require between 10 to 11 hours a night, and children in preschool need between 11 and 13 hours a night, according to the AASM.

Wondering if you’re getting the shuteye you need? The society offers seven key signs that you need more sleep:

Depending on an alarm clock — and repeatedly smacking the snooze button — to wake up in the morning.

Driving drowsy or falling asleep at the wheel.

Drinking more than one cup of coffee a day to stay alert.

Making mistakes that could be avoided with better concentration.

Forgetting things more easily.

Feeling blue, anxious or frustrated.

Becoming sick more frequently. Sleep is necessary for a strong immune system.

These problems can be resolved with more and better sleep, according to the AASM, which offers these tips on getting a good night’s sleep:

Follow a consistent bedtime routine.

Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.

Get a full night’s sleep every night.

Do not go to bed hungry, but don’t eat a big meal before bedtime either.

Avoid alcohol, foods or drinks that contain caffeine, and any medicine that has a stimulant, prior to bedtime.

Avoid any rigorous exercise within six hours of your bedtime.

Make your bedroom quiet, dark and a little bit cool.

Get up at the same time every morning.