Prospective comparison of subjective arousal during the pre-sleep period in primary sleep-onset insomnia and normal sleepers

Psychophysiological insomnia (PI) is the most common insomnia subtype, representing 12-15% of all sleep centre referrals. Diagnostic guidelines describe PI as an intrinsic sleep disorder involving both hyperarousal and learned sleep-preventing associations. Whilst evidence for the first component is reasonably compelling, evidence for learned (conditioned) sleep effects is markedly lacking. Indeed, to date no study has attempted to capture directly the conditioned arousal effect assumed to characterize the disorder. Accordingly, the present study explored variations in subjective arousal over time in 15 PI participants (sleep onset type) and 15 normal sleepers (NS). Self-report measures of cognitive arousal, somatic arousal and sleepiness were taken at three time points: 3 h before bedtime (early to mid-evening); 1 h before bedtime (late evening); and in the bedroom at lights out (bedtime) across four, 24-h cycles. Fluctuations in mean arousal and sleepiness values, and in day-to-day variation were examined using analyses of variance. Participants with PI were significantly more cognitive aroused and significantly less sleepy relative to NS, within the bedroom environment. These results support the tenet of conditioned mental arousal to the bedroom, although competing explanations cannot be ruled out. Results are discussed with reference to extant insomnia models.     

Determinants of excessive daytime sleepiness in a French community-dwelling elderly population

Epidemiological studies have suggested that excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is associated with depression, but the association between EDS and other psychiatric disorders has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of EDS with a wide range of psychiatric disorders and health-related conditions in the elderly population. Two thousand two hundred and fifty-nine non-institutionalised persons aged 65-years and over randomly recruited from the Montpellier district, France, completed the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Psychiatric status was assessed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview and demographic and other health information was obtained. This cross-sectional study was conducted from March 1999 to February 2001. Men were significantly more likely to report EDS (ESS score>10) compared with women (12.0% versus 6.0% respectively). EDS was significantly associated in univariate analyses with chronic diseases, early awakening, snoring, severity of depression and lifetime prevalence of manic and hypomanic episodes. A multivariate analysis revealed that the lifetime prevalence of manic and hypomanic episodes, snoring and gender (male) were independently associated with EDS. No independent association with other psychiatric disorders was found.     

The dynamics of neurobehavioural recovery following sleep loss

Rate of recovery of daytime performance and sleepiness following moderate and severe sleep deprivation (SD) was examined when recovery opportunity was either augmented or restricted. Thirty healthy non-smokers, aged 18-33 years, participated in one of three conditions: moderate SD with augmented (9-h) recovery opportunities, moderate SD with restricted (6-h) recovery opportunities, or severe SD with augmented recovery opportunities. Each participant attended the laboratory for 8-9 consecutive nights: an adaptation and baseline night (23:00-08:00 hours), one or two night(s) of wakefulness, and five consecutive recovery sleep opportunities (23:00-08:00 hours or 02:00-08:00 hours). On each experimental day, psychomotor vigilance performance (PVT) and subjective sleepiness (SSS) were assessed at two-hourly intervals, and MSLTs were performed at 1000 h. PSG data was collected for each sleep period. For all groups, PVT performance significantly deteriorated during the period of wakefulness, and sleepiness significantly increased. Significant differences were observed between the groups during the recovery phase. Following moderate SD, response speed, lapses and SSS returned to baseline after one 9-h sleep opportunity, while sleep latencies required two 9-h opportunities. When the recovery opportunity was restricted to six hours, neither PVT performance nor sleepiness recovered, but stabilised at below-baseline levels. Following severe SD, sleepiness recovered after one (SSS) or two (physiological) 9-h sleep opportunities, however PVT performance remained significantly below baseline for the entire recovery period. These results suggest that the mechanisms underlying the recovery process may be more complicated than previously thought, and that we may have underestimated the impact of sleep loss and/or the restorative value of subsequent sleep.     

Daytime sleepiness in an adult, Finnish population

Hublin C, Kaprio J, Partinen M, Heikkilä K, Koskenvuo M (Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology and the Department of Public Health (The Finnish Twin Cohort), University of Helsinki, Helsinki; and the Department of Public Health, University of Turku, Turku; Finland). Daytime sleepiness in an adult, Finnish population. J Intern Med 1996; 239: 417–23.
Objectives. To investigate the prevalence of and the factors associated with daytime sleepiness occurring every or almost every day.
Design. A cross-sectional, questionnaire survey.
Subjects. A total of 11354 adults (aged 33–60 years) representative of the Finnish population.
Main outcome measures. Frequency of daytime sleepiness, naps and sleep attacks; occurrence of emotion-associated muscle weakness, sleep debt, insomnia, sleep apnoeas and type of snoring; Beck Depression Inventory score; and the use of hypnotics and tranquillisers.
Results. A total of 11.0% of women and 6.7% of men suffered from daytime sleepiness every or almost every day. Amongst those with sleepiness ( n = 1026) 19.5% of women and 42.3% of men reported snoring 3 nights per week, 25% had scores suggesting moderate to severe depression, 11% used hypnotics or tranquilizers on more than 180 days per year, and 9% reported insufficient sleep. Insomnia at least every other day was reported by 20.7% of women and by 28.6% of men. Amongst those with sleepiness, narcolepsy was found in 0.3%, with the diagnosis confirmed in a sleep laboratory evaluation.
Conclusions. Daytime sleepiness occurring daily or almost daily is most often associated with depression, insomnia and sleep-disordered breathing. In most cases, indications of the cause of sleepiness can be obtained by using simple screening questions.     

Patients’ preference of established and emerging treatment options for obstructive sleep apnoea

Background

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is the most common form of sleep-disordered breathing. The standard treatment, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), has limited long-term compliance. Alternative treatment options are required and new methods, including hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HNS) and continuous transcutaneous electrical stimulation (CTES), are currently emerging. We report on patients’ preference for different treatments of OSA.

Methods

We recorded patients’ age, gender, body mass index (BMI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire with 10 questions (FOSQ10), severity of OSA, and current treatment. We showed pictures of existing [CPAP, mandibular advancement device (MAD)] and emerging treatments (HNS and CTES). We then asked (I) whether participants were interested in further information about HNS/CTES; (II) if they would be willing to try HNS/CTES; and (III) if they were to choose only one of the four listed treatments, which one would they prefer to use every night.

Results

One hundred sixty-two patients completed the survey {81 males, mean age 52 [12] years, BMI 34 [7] kg/m², ESS 10.2 (6.0) points, FOSQ10 28.5 (8.1) points}. The majority of the respondents (89.5%) had been diagnosed with OSA. A total of 91.3% of the respondents were interested in more information and were willing to try HNS/CTES. Most respondents preferred the potential use of CTES (56.7%), while 21.7% chose HNS, 17.8% CPAP, and 3.8% the MAD. There were no differences in the characteristics of the patients who preferred CTES compared to those who preferred other treatments, but a regression analysis revealed that a low ESS score was an independent predictor of patients choosing CTES (P<0.05).

Conclusions

More than 9 out of 10 of the respondents were interested in trying emerging technologies to treat OSA, most preferring CTES. Less sleepy patients were more likely to choose less invasive treatments. These findings will likely impact on future research and development of therapies for sleep-disordered breathing.     

脑卒中伴阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停低通气综合征临床分析

目的 分析阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停低通气综合征（OSAHS）对脑卒中的影响。方法 选取2013年10月~2014年9月江苏省徐州医学院附属医院50例脑卒中伴OSAHS作为研究组,55例不伴OSAHS的脑卒中患者作为对照组,比较两组患者多导睡眠图、睡眠结构、认知功能和嗜睡程度的差异。结果 与对照组比较,研究组患者AHI明显增高,夜间平均动脉血氧饮合度（Sa O2）降低、夜间最低Sa O2下降明显、夜间呼吸事件明显增多,觉醒时间、N1期及N2期延长,N3期、REM期时间缩短,MMSE评分下降,ESS评分增高,差异均有统计学意义（均P〈0.05）。结论 脑卒中伴OSAHS患者夜间缺氧及睡眠结构紊乱症状严重,认知功能下降,白日嗜睡明显。     

Prevalence and predisposing factors of smartphone addiction,sleep quality and daytime sleepiness of nursing students: A cross-sectional design

AimThe current study aimed to determine the prevalence of smartphone addiction, sleep quality and daytime sleepiness of nursing students and to identify the predisposing factors of these parameters.BackgroundThe use of smartphones, which has become an indispensable part of daily life, has various effects on addictive behavior and sleep.DesignThe present study was performed with a cross-sectional design.MethodsThe population of the study comprised of nursing students attending all grades at two universities (N = 940). A total of 771 students were included in the study. Data were collected through a personal information form, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and the Smartphone Addiction Scale. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the data.ResultsThe prevalence of smartphone addiction was 42.4%. Of the students, 57.3% had poor sleep quality and 82.5% had normal daytime sleepiness. Daily smartphone use duration, owning of a smartphone duration, daytime sleepiness and academic success were significant influencing factors for smartphone addiction (p < 0.05). Daily sleep duration, daytime sleepiness and school region were found significant risk factors for sleep quality (p < 0.05). Sleep quality and smartphone addiction significantly influenced daytime sleepiness (p < 0.05).ConclusionsThe study revealed that almost half of nursing students presented smartphone addiction and more than half of them had poor sleep quality. The prevalence of normal daytime sleepiness among nursing students was high.     

Predicting Outcome in Childhood Leukemia

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common and debilitating condition characterized by recurrent episodes of upper airway obstruction, resulting in intermittent occurrence of apnea–hypopnea. Clinical features include snoring or disturbed sleep, reduced concentration and memory, mood disorders, and excessive sleepiness (ES). Left undiagnosed and untreated, OSA may have detrimental consequences, including cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality, decreased health-related quality of life, and increased incidence of motor vehicle accidents. As most individuals affected by OSA will initially present in the primary care setting, primary care physicians have the opportunity to recognize the condition and refer patients for treatment when necessary. Management of the condition should include lifestyle changes and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment if required. Wakefulness-promoting agents may be considered if ES persists despite CPAP. Effective intervention for OSA not only provides symptomatic benefits, but also improves hypertension and reduces the risk for fatal and nonfatal CV events associated with the condition.