Sleep Disorders
Just edited the title of this forum so that it would be more generally about sleep disorders (Dec. 30, 2008)
New finding that people with a genetic variant in melatonin receptors are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Melatonin controls the body clock and insulin production varies according to that clock. The article goes on to say that the finding suggests treatments but doesn't say what they might be. I wonder if it would be as simple as melatonin supplements or whether something more complicated is going on.
Sleep deprivation and amygdla function
This Q&A from the Health section of the paper today cited a study about the effect of sleep deprivation on the amygdla and the medial-prefrontal cortex. Sleep deprivation increases activity in the amygdla, a part of the brain associated with emotional response--especially fear, at the same time that the prefrontal cortex which controls amygdla activity is suppressed. The article didn't say this but I'm speculating that this would make sense as a survival mechanism (in prehistory I mean, not in a contemporary setting)--if one is sleep deprived it is because the environment is more hostile so it makes sense to have fear sensitivity tuned up. The article goes on to say that this affects memory--more negative experiences are retained versus positive ones.
Cold Temperatures Improve Sleep
Cold Temperatures Improve Sleep
"Studies have found that in general, the optimal temperature for sleep is quite cool, around 60 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. For some, temperatures that fall too far below or above this range can lead to restlessness. "
I think all this means that Iowans are less crazy than Floridians.
Healthy sleeping habits is a complex balance
Here's the PubMed article linked in the article above. There's a lot more interesting information.
1: Presse Med. 1994 Mar 12;23(10):485-9.Links
[Prevention and treatment of sleep disorders through regulation] of sleeping habits]
[Article in French]
Onen SH, Onen F, Bailly D, Parquet P.
Clinique du Sommeil, CHRU, Lille.
Healthy sleeping habits is a complex balance between behaviour, environment and circadian rhythm. The quality of sleep can be improved by behaviour, e.g. eating tryptophan and carbohydrate rich foods, physical exercise in the afternoon or a cold shower just before going to bed. Total sleep time is maximal in thermoneutrality and decreases above and below the thermoneutrality zone. Thermoneutrality is reached for an environmental temperature of 30-32 degrees C without night clothing or of 16-19 degrees with a pyjama and at least one sheet. Noise also modifies sleep structure and above 50dB shortens total sleeping time. Although subjects do become subjectively accustomed to noise, vegetative cardiovascular reactivity to environmental noise remains unchanged. The spontaneous circadian awake/sleep cycle is 25 hours, slightly longer than the body temperature cycle, but when subjects are exposed to environmental synchronization, the two cycles coincide. In individuals undergoing temporal isolation, the two rhythms become independent often leading to subjective discomfort and fatigue. Certain factors including age can favour internal desynchronization. Other factors may include social contact, stress due to mental work load, and constant lighting which could lengthen the awake/sleep cycle. Caffeine blocks the receptors of adenosine, and thus its effects of inhibiting neurotransmission. Intake 30 to 60 minutes before sleeping shortens total sleep time and increases the duration of stage 2 and shortens stage 3 and 4. Alcohol may act as a relaxing, sedative agent when consumed just before sleeping but can also lead to night-time awakening due to sympathetic activation which does not return to baseline levels until the blood alcohol levels have returned to 0. Nicotine has a biphasic effect on sleep: at low concentrations, it leads to relaxation and sedation and at high concentrations inhibits sleep. A careful study of sleeping habits is the first step in evaluating complains of insomnia or hypersomnia. Before relying on drugs, treatment should start with attention to the sleep environment and personal habits.
PMID: 8022726 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Related articles
* Review[Etiology of adult insomnia]
Encephale. 2002 Nov-Dec; 28(6 Pt 1):493-502.
[Encephale. 2002]
* ReviewCircadian rhythm sleep disorders.
Chest. 2006 Dec; 130(6):1915-23.
[Chest. 2006]
Cool!
I've been taking the wrong temperature shower all this time!
Read another article about sleeping and age and the way people might have slept before artifical lighting. Showed it to my brother who said--yet another thing the Industrial Revolutiion has to answer for!
Tell me why the sky's so blue....
I've also heard that you can regulate your circadian rhythm (body clock) using a particular wavelength of blue light. So a specific type of phototherapy can correct the melatonin imbalance without taking supplements.
1 Feb 2006
By getting enough blue light at the right time and blocking it out at others, it is possible to correct distorted sleep patters for the elderly (who tend to wake up too early), teenagers (whose internal clock is usually set for late nights and sleep-in mornings), and shift workers.
More information on this story :
Lighting Research Center
http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
21 Union St.
Troy, NY 12180
Tel: 518-687-7100
On the Web:
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
http://www.aasmnet.org/
ScienceDaily article: Adapted from materials provided by John Carroll University , via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
The John Carroll researchers have created glasses designed to block blue light, therefore altering a person's circadian rhythm, which leads to improvement in ADHD symptoms and sleep disorders.
The individual puts on the glasses a couple of hours ahead of bedtime, advancing the circadian rhythm. The special glasses block the blue rays that cause a delay in the start of the flow of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Normally, melatonin flow doesn't begin until after the individual goes into darkness.
Studies indicate that promoting the earlier release of melatonin results in a marked decline of ADHD symptoms.
Major uses of the blue-blocking glasses include: providing better sleep, avoiding postpartum depression, preventing Seasonal Affective Disorder and reducing the risk of cancer.
Information from Bio-Medicine.org
Copyright © 2003-2009 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved.
Blue light tends to dissuade sleep, and it may be the best remedy for those people who work on night shifts, according to latest research reports. The alertness levels of human // beings can be altered with the color of the light they are working under, according to neuroscientist Steven Lockley belonging to the Brigham & Women's Hospital.
The wavelengths of blue colored light are reportedly shorter, and convinces the human brain that it is daytime.
For instance, daylight is dominated by short, visible wavelengths of light that provides a blue visual sensation, like the blue sky. But l how bright the light is, how far away, how long you're exposed and when you're exposed to light also have to be considered.
(Please Note: Large doses of blue light may also damage the eyesight. )
If you find yourself feeling as if you need a supplement to deal with an interrupted sleep pattern, try drinking tart cherry juice. Tart cherries specifically contain "significant quantities" of natural melatonin.
The highest quantities of melatonin are found in tart cherries, particularly the Montmorency variety. However, other foods such as milk, peanuts, turkey, chicken or almonds contain tryptophan, which raises brain serotonin that in turn can be converted to melatonin. Other foods, such as bananas, also contain melatonin but not in significant levels to be effective.
Individuals who take melatonin supplements need to exercise caution, in that an overabundance of melatonin in the blood can cause insomnia and nightmares rather than peaceful sleep. Researchers point out that the maximal effective sleep-inducing dose to be 0.1 to 0.3 milligrams (mg). The amount found in tart cherries provides a significant amount to positively affect sleep. However, dosages sold in over-the-counter supplements are a minimum of 2-3 mg and sometimes much higher. These levels are at least ten times the maximal effective dosage.
Blue light and liver function
Liver function seems to be affected by blue light specifically.
This is indicated by the efficacy of blue, blue-green light treatments for jaundice in infants.
Blue light is one of the best natural acne treatments available. It works by destroying acne bacteria on and just under the skin. Acne is also affected by excess estrogen/hormone levels which your liver regulates. I would be interested in seeing studies on blue light treatments for acne and the measurable effects on the liver during the whole process. The skin disease of acne is related to the inflammation response. Acne has been called "diabetes of the skin" by dermatologist Dr. Perricone due to the effect diet plays in the metabolization of sugar and the exacerbation of the condition.
Type 2 diabetes is classified as a metabolic disorder, but a growing number of researchers are beginning to think of it also as a disease of the innate immune system. Inflammation, a key component of the early immune response, is chronically elevated in people with type 2 diabetes. While the pro-inflammatory pathways of type 2 diabetes have received much attention, the anti-inflammatory side of the equation is less well known.
It's possible that inflammation can be an important factor in causing heart attacks.
Perhaps how the inflammation response affects a body's genetic chemistry is what determines which disease is expressed in an individual.
In any case, who would have known that when momma told you to sleep well, go out and have fresh air, sunshine and exercise that she was taking care of your liver?
Possible link between disturbed sleep patterns & Type 2 diabetes
Study reports: Mid day nappers had a 26% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
(Article Excerpt) Researchers said waking from a short nap activates hormones in the body that stop insulin from working correctly. Insulin controls the levels of blood sugar in the body.
"This research could be another step towards explaining the possible link between disturbed sleep patterns and Type 2 diabetes," Dr Iain Frame, director of research at the charity organization Diabetes UK, said in the Daily Mail.
Sleep and heart disease
Study shows that sleeping longer reduced calcium deposits in arteries.
Scientists find rare gene behind short sleepers
Scientists have discovered a gene that helps a mother and daughter stay alert on about six hours sleep a night, two hours less than the rest of their family needs.
It's believed to be a very rare mutation, not an excuse for the rest of us who stay up too late."