Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Sleep-related breathing disorders, functional disorders, and anxiety disorders

Here is a fascinating article (at least to me) about a possible link between sleep-related breathing disorders like obstructive sleep apnea and other disorders. The other disorders are classified as "functional", meaning no etiology is agreed upon, such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and migraines. The other disorders include anxiety disorders like panic attacks and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The researcher that is discussed in article is Dr. Gold at Stony Brook University and has published research studies on this topic. His theories about how mild OSA disorders can worsen functional and anxiety disorders is not without controversy. However, if further research confirms his theories, treatment for OSA may also help these difficult-to-treat disorders.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Sleep and memory

Research has shown that sleep is connected to memory. This article discusses research about that topic. I don't have access to the original research study, only the summary article provided in the link. The study setup had participants learn made-up words prior to a night of sleep or the same amount of time awake. The participants were then asked to recall the words after a period of sleep or wakefulness.

The results showed that when compared to wakefulness, sleep helped the participants recall forgotten words. One of the researchers concluded that "sleep almost doubles our chances of remembering previously unrecalled material. The post-sleep boost in memory accessibility may indicate that some memories are sharpened overnight. This supports the notion that, while asleep, we actively rehearse information flagged as important."

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Sleep and long distance running

This article isn't just about sleep. It's about a runner who does ultra-marathons - typically 50k or 100k races. This runner broke the unofficial record for completing the Appalachian Trail. He finished the 2189 mile journey in only 46 days - this comes out to be 47.5 miles per day! I've ran a marathon and have done many 3-5 night backpacking trips in the Smoky Mountains, but I can't imagine walking or running 47.5 miles per day. What an amazing feat.

The reason I am blogging about this, though, is because the article mentions how the runner only got 4-5 hours of sleep per night. On the last few days, he only got 1-2 hours per night! So this elite athlete could continue to function at his high level even with very little sleep. This fact is interesting because some studies show that athletes perform better when they get plenty of rest. The article doesn't say how much sleep the runner typically gets when not racing. It may be that he only sleeps 5-6 hours on a regular night - so 4-5 hours of sleep would not be that much deprivation.