The Global Problem of Insufficient Sleep and Its Serious Public Health Implications

An update on adolescent sleep: New evidence informing the perfect storm model.

Sleep is integral to life1. Although insufficient or disrupted sleep increases the risk of multiple pathological conditions, including cardiovascular disease2, we know little about the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which sleep maintains cardiovascular health. Here we report that sleep regulates haematopoiesis and protects against atherosclerosis in mice. We show that mice subjected to sleep fragmentation produce more Ly-6Chigh monocytes, develop larger atherosclerotic lesions and produce less hypocretin-a stimulatory and wake-promoting neuropeptide-in the lateral hypothalamus. Hypocretin controls myelopoiesis by restricting the production of CSF1 by hypocretin-receptor-expressing pre-neutrophils in the bone marrow. Whereas hypocretin-null and haematopoietic hypocretin-receptor-null mice develop monocytosis and accelerated atherosclerosis, sleep-fragmented mice with either haematopoietic CSF1 deficiency or hypocretin supplementation have reduced numbers of circulating monocytes and smaller atherosclerotic lesions. Together, these results identify a neuro-immune axis that links sleep to haematopoiesis and atherosclerosis.

Sleep modulates haematopoiesis and protects against atherosclerosis.

Background: Digital health technologies, including telemedicine, mobile health (mHealth), and remote monitoring, are playing a greater role in medical practice. Safe and accurate management of medical information leads to the advancement of digital health, which in turn results in a number of beneficial effects. Furthermore, mHealth can help lower costs by facilitating the delivery of care and connecting people to their health care providers. Mobile apps help empower patients and health care providers to proactively address medical conditions through near real-time monitoring and treatment, regardless of the location of the patient or the health care provider. Additionally, mHealth data are stored in servers, and consequently, data management that prevents all forms of manipulation is crucial for both medical practice and clinical trials. Objective: The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a tamper-resistant mHealth system using blockchain technology, which enables trusted and auditable computing using a decentralized network. Methods: We developed an mHealth system for cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia using a smartphone app. The volunteer data collected with the app were stored in JavaScript Object Notation format and sent to the blockchain network. Thereafter, we evaluated the tamper resistance of the data against the inconsistencies caused by artificial faults. Results: Electronic medical records collected using smartphones were successfully sent to a private Hyperledger Fabric blockchain network. We verified the data update process under conditions where all the validating peers were running normally. The mHealth data were successfully updated under network faults. We further ensured that any electronic health record registered to the blockchain network was resistant to tampering and revision. The mHealth data update was compatible with tamper resistance in the blockchain network. Conclusions: Blockchain serves as a tamperproof system for mHealth. Combining mHealth with blockchain technology may provide a novel solution that enables both accessibility and data transparency without a third party such as a contract research organization. [JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2017;5(7):e111]

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Tamper-Resistant Mobile Health Using Blockchain Technology

Wheat from Chaff: Meta-Analysis as Quantitative Literature Review: Reply

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States has declared insufficient sleep a "public health problem." Indeed, according to a recent CDC study, more than a third of American adults are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis. However, insufficient sleep is not exclusively a US problem, and equally concerns other industrialised countries such as the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, or Canada. According to some evidence, the proportion of people sleeping less than the recommended hours of sleep is rising and associated with lifestyle factors related to a modern 24/7 society, such as psychosocial stress, alcohol consumption, smoking, lack of physical activity and excessive electronic media use, among others. This is alarming as insufficient sleep has been found to be associated with a range of negative health and social outcomes, including success at school and in the labour market. Over the last few decades, for example, there has been growing evidence suggesting a strong association between short sleep duration and elevated mortality risks. Given the potential adverse effects of insufficient sleep on health, well-being and productivity, the consequences of sleep-deprivation have far-reaching economic consequences. Hence, in order to raise awareness of the scale of insufficient sleep as a public-health issue, comparative quantitative figures need to be provided for policy- and decision-makers, as well as recommendations and potential solutions that can help tackling the problem.

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Why Sleep Matters-The Economic Costs of Insufficient Sleep: A Cross-Country Comparative Analysis.

Improving individual sleeping habits has huge implications. Small increases in sleep can make big differences to national economies. RAND Europe's novel study quantifies the economic and social costs of insufficient sleep among the global workforce.

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Why sleep matters — the economic costs of insufficient sleep

Corruption is a phenomenon that can inflict serious political, economic and social harms to societies around the world. In addition, it poses a significant challenge to social justice and the rule of law, which may undermine trust in democratic institutions and processes. This study looks at the cost of non-Europe in relation to corruption, examining potential added value or benefits of EU-wide implementation of anti-corruption policies.

The Cost of Non-Europe in the area of Organised Crime and Corruption: Annex II - Corruption

The economic implications of later school start times in the United States.

The report considers the effects of the UK national minimum wage on different labour market sub-groups since 1999 when it was first launched The findings suggest that increases in the national minimum wage had no negative employment effects on the overall UK labour market Many of the effects following these increases were largely positive in terms of reducing pay inequality and improving the standards of living for low-paid workers

/pdf/the-impact-of-the-national-minimum-wage-on-employment-a-meta-dcftm05zcp.pdf

Martin Stepanek

Papers

Why Sleep Matters-The Economic Costs of Insufficient Sleep: A Cross-Country Comparative Analysis.

Why sleep matters — the economic costs of insufficient sleep

The Cost of Non-Europe in the area of Organised Crime and Corruption: Annex II - Corruption

The economic implications of later school start times in the United States.

The impact of the National Minimum Wage on employment: A meta-analysis