fitful sleep Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Warning: This Nighttime Risk Could be Raising Your Blood Pressure

The AHA! Team — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 06:52:27 +0000

Patrick Tims via NaturalHealth365 – Often brushed off as a minor annoyance, snoring is now recognized as a potential indicator of significant health risks. Have you ever found yourself jolted awake in the dead of night, only to realize it was your own snoring that woke you? Or perhaps you’re one of the many lying awake beside a partner whose snores fill the silence, keeping you from getting the rest you need. If so, you’re far from alone. Snoring is more common – and more impactful – than many realize. Often brushed off as a minor annoyance, snoring is now recognized as a potential indicator of significant health risks. According to a recent study published in NPJ Digital Medicine, snoring may be more than just a nighttime nuisance. Is there something wrong with your blood pressure? Snoring is more than an annoyance to your bedmate. The study linked above found that snoring could be an early warning sign of high blood pressure, a serious condition that can lead to a range of cardiovascular issues. According to the study, the risk is especially pronounced in middle-aged, overweight men, highlighting that snoring might not just impact sleep but overall health. To uncover these insights, researchers used advanced, at-home monitoring tools, collecting data over six months on 12,287 participants. They found that regular snoring had a meaningful effect on blood pressure levels. Specifically, 15% of participants snored for more than 20% of their sleep hours, and these individuals had nearly double the risk of uncontrolled hypertension compared to those who snored less often. These findings suggest that consistent snoring could significantly impact cardiovascular health, yet it remains an overlooked risk factor for both the medical community and the general public. In-home sleep monitoring: How the study was conducted To accurately assess the relationship between snoring and hypertension, researchers leveraged innovative technology. Participants were monitored nightly with under-mattress sensors, which provided objective data on snoring frequency, sleep apnea, and other sleep quality indicators. This multi-night, real-world approach offered a more reliable snapshot of snoring patterns compared to previous studies that relied on single-night or self-reported data. Additionally, participants’ blood pressure levels were tracked with FDA-approved, at-home blood pressure monitors, providing precise and consistent daytime readings. Over nine months, researchers gathered sleep data and repeated blood pressure measurements from each participant, resulting in a comprehensive analysis of nearly 12,300 people. The findings were clear: those who snored regularly – especially those spending 10-20% of the night snoring – had higher blood pressure levels, even when accounting for sleep apnea. Natural ways to reduce or stop snoring The findings from the recent snoring study will be valuable for shaping future clinical treatments and therapies to reduce snoring and manage hypertension. While we’re still learning more, there are several things you can try right now to cut down on snoring or even eliminate it entirely. If you suspect a nasal airway obstruction, a simple nasal spray could help open up your airways. Consider using a Neti Pot or a similar device to flush out your sinuses with warm water for a more thorough approach. This can make a noticeable difference in clearing your nasal passages. If your own snoring wakes you up at night or if your partner has mentioned it, it’s a good idea to get checked for sleep apnea. There’s often a link between snoring and sleep apnea, and the risk of developing uncontrolled hypertension is nearly doubled for those who snore regularly and have sleep apnea. The vibrations from snoring that travel through your nasal passages can also be reduced by tackling some of the underlying risk factors. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, start by incorporating more physical activity into your routine. If you’re carrying extra weight, making healthier food choices and starting an exercise program can have a big impact on snoring and overall health. As a final note: dairy products and sugary foods will tend to create more mucus in the upper respiratory tract. Try to limit or avoid these products for improved breathing. Sources for this article include: Nature.com Scitechdaily.com To read the original article click here.

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How Bedtime Screen Use Affects Sleep in Early Adolescents

The AHA! Team — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 08:02:43 +0000

Dr. Sushama R. Chaphalkar, PhD. via News-Medical – In a recent study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, researchers investigate the potential link between bedtime screen use in early adolescents and sleep outcomes after one year. Overall, bedtime screen use was associated with shorter sleep durations and increased sleep disturbances one year later in early adolescence. How does screentime affect sleep? Research shows that screen use, which includes television, computers, and mobile phones, increases during early adolescence between the ages of 10 and 15 years and has been associated with academic, mental health, and sleep issues. Adequate sleep is vital for adolescents’ behavioral, emotional, and cognitive development. In fact, early sleep problems can be used to predict behavioral and emotional concerns, as well as weight gain later in life. Most studies on screen use and sleep are cross-sectional in design and focus on daily rather than bedtime use. Studies from Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Norway reported that bedtime screen use negatively impacts sleep; however, these studies were associated with several limitations. Likewise, the United States Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study recently reported that bedtime screen use was associated with sleep disturbances; however, the cross-sectional nature of this study prevented the researchers from establishing causality. About the study The present study included 9,398 participants between 11 and 12 years of age with complete data from the ABCD study. About 48% of the study participants were female, 45% were non-White, and the average age was 12. Screen usage around bedtime was assessed using a nine-item survey that included various screen activities, device presence, and phone usage at bedtime. The activities included gaming, social media use, texting, video calling, internet browsing, and watching movies, videos, or television. Overall screen usage data were collected through the Youth Screen Time Survey, which calculated average daily screen time. In years two and three of the ABCD study, caregivers assessed sleep disturbance using a 26-item measure, which calculated an overall sleep-wake disturbance score and subscale score for disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep. Sleep duration was assessed using the Munich Chronotype questionnaire, which calculated the weighted average sleep duration. Confounding data on sex, race/ethnicity, age, household income, parent education, study site, melatonin use, adverse childhood experiences, and depression symptoms were also collected. Statistical analysis involved using logistic, ordinal logistic, multiple linear regression models, and propensity weights. Study findings About 63% of participants had a television or electronic device in their bedroom, whereas 54.9% turned off their phones before going to sleep. In one week, 16.2% were woken by phone calls or messages, whereas 19.3% used a device if they woke up at night. Bedtime screen behaviors increased from years two to three. Having a television or electronic device in the bedroom was associated with shorter weekly sleep duration. While leaving the phone’s ringer on was associated with increased sleep disturbances and shorter sleep durations, putting the ringer on silent or vibrate was associated with shorter sleep durations. Using electronic devices before bed was associated with shorter weekly sleep durations and greater sleep disturbances. Specific activities like talking on the phone, texting, playing music, and using social media were associated with increased sleep disturbances and more severe insomnia. Total daily recreational screentime was also related to sleep disturbances and shorter sleep durations, although to a lesser extent. Being woken by phone calls or texts and using devices during the night were both associated with reduced sleep durations and increased sleep disturbances. Although bedtime screen use did not affect changes in sleep duration over time, total screen time and playing music before bed were associated with higher sleep disturbance scores. Important strengths of the current study include the large and diverse study cohort, strong external validity, and a prospective design focusing on early adolescents. However, the study findings are subject to potential recall, social desirability, and selection biases. Furthermore, the current study did not include details on screen use context, changes in screen use patterns, and sleep disturbance classifications. Conclusions The study findings emphasize the urgent need for clinicians to address bedtime screen use among adolescents. Moreover, the researchers suggest that parents should implement strategies like a ‘Family Media Use Plan’ to limit screen time before bed. These observations provide important insights into the potential benefits of reducing bedtime screen use for improving sleep. Future studies should explore the mechanisms that contribute to this association, use objective measures, and assess how bedtime screen use impacts sleep as adolescents age. Journal reference: Nagata, J. M., Cheng, C. M., Shim, J., et al. (2024). Bedtime Screen Use Behaviors and Sleep Outcomes in Early Adolescents: A Prospective Cohort Study. Journal of Adolescent Health. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2024.06.006 To read the original article click here.

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Fitful Nightly Sleep Linked to Chronic Inflammation, Hardened Arteries

AHA Publisher — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 07:00:25 +0000

University of California – Berkeley via EurekAlert – Disrupted nightly sleep and clogged arteries tend to sneak up on us as we age. And while both disorders may seem unrelated, a new study from the University of California, Berkeley, helps explain why they are, in fact, pathologically intertwined. UC Berkeley sleep scientists have begun to reveal what it is about fragmented nightly sleep that leads to the fatty arterial plaque buildup known as atherosclerosis that can result in fatal heart disease. “We’ve discovered that fragmented sleep is associated with a unique pathway — chronic circulating inflammation throughout the blood stream — which, in turn, is linked to higher amounts of plaques in coronary arteries,” said study senior author Matthew Walker, a UC Berkeley professor of psychology and neuroscience. The findings, published June 4 in the journal PLOS Biology, adds poor sleep as a key risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which ranks as the top killer of Americans, with some 12,000 deaths each week — although COVID-19, which has killed, on average, 1,000 a day during the pandemic in the U.S., comes close. “To the best of our knowledge, these data are the first to associate sleep fragmentation, inflammation and atherosclerosis in humans,” said study lead author Raphael Vallat, a postdoctoral researcher in Walker’s Center for Human Sleep Science at UC Berkeley. Established risk factors for cardiovascular disease in humans include poor diet, lack of exercise, obesity, high blood pressure and smoking. Using statistical modeling, the researchers analyzed the diagnostic data of more than 1,600 middle-aged and older adults using a national dataset known as the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. To isolate the effect of sleep quality on heart health, the study controlled for age, ethnicity, gender, body mass index, sleep disorders, blood pressure and high-risk behaviors such as smoking. The researchers then tracked the results of the study participants, analyzing their blood tests, their calcium scores that can gauge plaque buildup, as well as several different measures of sleep, including wristwatch-assessed sleep across a week and a night in a sleep laboratory that measured electrical brainwave signals. The final outcome clearly linked disrupted sleep patterns to higher concentrations of circulating inflammatory factors and, specifically, of white blood cells known as monocytes and neutrophils, which are key players in atherosclerosis. “In revealing this link with chronic inflammation, the findings suggest a missing middleman that is brokering the bad deal between fragmented sleep and the hardening of blood vessels,” Walker said. “Indeed, these associational results in humans mirror recent data in which experimentally manipulated sleep disruption in mice led to higher levels of circulating inflammation that caused atherosclerotic lesions in the rodents,” added Vallat. The findings linking poor sleep to atherosclerosis via chronic inflammation have major public health implications, researchers said. For example, atherosclerosis often begins in early adulthood. “Unfortunately, this process goes largely unnoticed until the plaque buildup, in middle or old age, suddenly blocks arterial blood flow to the heart, lungs, brain and/or other organs, hence its moniker, ‘silent killer,'” said Vallat. “The insidious nature of the disease requires that we pay attention to our sleep hygiene, even starting in early to midlife,” said study co-lead author Vyoma Shah, a doctoral student in Walker’s lab. To more accurately gauge one’s sleep quality, the researchers recommend the use of clinical grade sleep trackers, because the study found that people’s subjective assessments of their sleep were not reliable. “If you track your sleep patterns using objective measures, the same way you track your weight, blood pressure or cholesterol, you can make modifications to your sleep habits, which could make a tangible difference to later life health outcomes,” said Shah. With chronic inflammation shaping up to be a bridge connecting poor sleep to cardiovascular disease, it’s worth exploring its role in a plethora of other diseases where inflammation is known to be a possible factor, the researchers said. “This link between fragmented sleep and chronic inflammation may not be limited to heart disease, but could include mental health and neurological disorders, such as major depression and Alzheimer’s disease,” Walker said. “These are new avenues we must now explore.” To read the original article click here.

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