Sleep disorder

About: Sleep disorder is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 19380 publications have been published within this topic receiving 884281 citations. The topic is also known as: somnipathy & non-organic sleep disorder.

Sleep and circadian rhythms in mood disorders

Abstract: Objective: Self-reported sleep disturbances are present in over 80% of patients with depression. However, sleep electroencephalography (EEG) findings, based on overnight polysomnography have not always differentiated depressed patients from healthy individuals. Method: The present paper will review the findings on sleep EEG studies in depression highlighting how recent technological and methodological advances have impacted on study outcomes. Results: The majority of studies, including our own work, do indicate that sleep homeostasis and sleep EEG rhythms are abnormal in depression, but the sleep disturbances were strongly moderated by gender and age. Melancholic features of depression correlated significantly with low slow-wave activity in depressed men, but not in depressed women. Women with depression showed low temporal coherence of sleep EEG rhythms but the presence or absence of melancholic features did not influence correlations. Conclusion: Diagnostic classification schemas and clinical features of depression may influence sleep EEG findings, but gender may be a more important consideration.

Alleviation of Sleep Maintenance Insomnia with Timed Exposure to Bright Light

Abstract: Objective: Half of the population over 65 suffers from chronic sleep disturbance. As a consequence, almost 40% of hypnotic medications are prescribed to people over age 60. Yet, hypnotics are often of little benefit in this population. As such, an effective non-drug alternative could prove important in the management of age-related sleep maintenance insomnia. The current study sought to evaluate the efficacy of bright light exposure in the treatment of sleep maintenance insomnia. Design: Following baseline sleep and circadian rhythms assessment, subjects with sleep-maintenance insomnia were treated with timed exposure to either bright white light or dim red light for 12 consecutive days. Sleep and circadian rhythms recordings were subsequently obtained and measures of sleep quality were compared to assess efficacy of the treatments. Setting: Baseline and post-treatment sleep and circadian rhythms assessments took place in the Laboratory of Human Chronobiology, Department of Psychiatry, Cornell University Medical College. The treatment phase of the study was conducted in participants' homes. Participants: Sixteen men and women between the ages of 62 and 81 years were studied. All subjects were free of hypnotic medication, and all had experienced sleep disturbance for at least 1 year prior to entering the study. Results: Exposure to bright light resulted in substantial changes in sleep quality. Waking time within sleep was reduced by an hour, and sleep efficiency improved from 77.5% to 90%, without altering time spent in bed. Increased sleep time was in the form of Stage 2 sleep, REM sleep, and slow wave sleep. The effects were remarkably consistent across subjects. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of timed exposure to bright light in the treatment of age-related sleep maintenance insomnia. With further refinement of treatment regimens, this non-drug intervention may prove useful in a large proportion of sleep disturbed elderly.