Sleep apnea and alzheimer's

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and Alzheimer's dementia get more common as we age. This article discusses research that shows that markers of Alzheimers increase as the severity of OSA increases. And this was more true for lean patients than for obese ones. In other words, the more severe your OSA, the more likely you are to have these markers for Alzheimer's. The authors of the study speculate that obesity may somehow be protective of alheimer's, and that's why they were less likely to have the markers even if the have OSA. Maybe. But perhaps the lean people had OSA much longer, and had more time to damage the brain, resulting in changes seen in Alzheimers.

12 interesting sleep facts

This article from discusses facts learned at the Harvard University for the Medical School's Corporate Sleep Health Summit. It's a collection of tidbits of interesting info about sleep.

Red lighting may improve alertness

Here is an article demonstrating a misleading title. Humans have a normal dip in alertness in the afternoon - hence the siesta in Spain for example. The study cited in this article showed that having people stare at a red light for almost an hour improved alertness as measured by brainwaves. However, the subjects did not report feeling more alert. So thinking that getting red light bulbs will stave off sleepiness is misleading and more studies are needed. Getting enough sleep and treating any sleep disorders will help more than the color of the lights in your office.

Graph that demonstrates effects of sleep loss on performance

This article has a graph showing the effects of sleep loss on performance, and how it is similar to being intoxicated with alcohol.

Diet and sleepiness

This article discusses research showing a link between diet and sleepiness. The results showed that fat intake made subjects sleepier while carbohydrate intake caused alertness. Protein had no affect on sleepiness. This is confusing and contradicts some other studies showing carbohydrates increase sleepiness and protein causes alertness.

Sleep problems may increase risk of prostate cancer

The study findings reported about in this article have been getting lots of press. The study showed that those that report regular sleep difficulties have a higher risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Remember correlation does not equal causation - meaning the study results do not mean insomnia causes prostate cancer. It may be that men with prostate cancer have more insomnia, perhaps from pain or frequent urination.

Gene becomes more active with sleep loss

It's been said that an objective measurement of sleep loss could like finding the Holy Grail. It's been elusive. Here is an article that discusses research showing that a particular gene is expressed more during sleep deprivation. And this gene product could be tested in saliva samples of humans someday. It is not a measurement of sleepiness, but could indicate if a person is sleep deprived. More testing will be needed to see if the gene would be more active in people who get enough sleep, but have an untreated sleep disorder like sleep apnea.

Sleep complaints common in older population

This article discusses research showing how frequent insomnia symptoms occur in older people. The article does not define how old the study population was - I assume it's 65 years or older. The results showed that over 90% of those surveyed reported insomnia symptoms. And over half reported using some form of treatment to help them sleep better - whether that was prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, alcohol, or behavioral treatment. Sleep apnea is not discussed, and it's known that sleep apnea worsens with age and can cause insomnia.

Training the mind may improve insomnia in older persons

This article discusses research showing how training older person's minds (called cognitive training) can improve sleep quality. Effects were modest but were not seen in the control population. This could be a non-drug way to help older persons with chronic insomnia.

Sleep disorders and schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental illness that impacts a persons thinking and behavior. It's hard to treat and there is no cure. Sleep problems are common. This article discusses that point - in particular insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and sleep-related movement disorders. This is what I see in my practice when patients with schizophrenia are referred to me. OSA is common due to obesity, and obesity can be worsened by the medications used to treat schizophrenia. Also, movement disorders when asleep can be more common due to the medications used for schizophrenia.

Restless legs syndrome linked to erectile dysfunction

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological sleep disorder characterized by an overwhelming urge to move the legs at night. This study showed a link between RLS and erectile dysfunction (ED). Men with RLS had a 38% increased risk of ED compared with men without RLS, after adjusting for age, smoking status, and other potential confounders. What's not known, is if the men had obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). RLS is often seen in OSA. The OSA could have attributed to the ED, not the RLS.

Sleep loss may impact blood vessels

Sleep loss has been linked to cardiovascular disease. Researchers think that the sleep loss my cause inflammation that negatively affects blood vessels. This study showed that short term sleep loss did negatively affect blood vessels. Researchers took 8 people and had them sleep only 4 hours a night for 3 nights. By second night of sleep loss, there was significant impact on blood vessels. But by the third night of sleep loss, things had returned to normal. So chronic, nightly sleep loss may allow for compensation. But if people lose sleep for 1-2 nights, then sleep normally a few nights, followed by another 1-2 nights of poor sleep may be at increased risk due to the effects on blood vessels.