Showing posts with label menopause. Show all posts
Showing posts with label menopause. Show all posts

15 January 2016

This week's sleep news, Jan 7 - 14



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 SPECIAL  || Recalls, special announcements, breaking news, events

Jack & Julie Narcolepsy Scholarship application process now open. Project Sleep’s Jack & Julie Narcolepsy Scholarship is a national effort to support students with narcolepsy and to raise awareness about narcolepsy in high school and college. From their website: "In 2016, Project Sleep will award 5 scholarships of $1,000 each to high school seniors who will attend a 4-year university and who exemplify courage and hope while living with narcolepsy. Applications are due April 1, 2016." Apply here 

Of interest to Westport CT seniors: On Thurs Jan 21 at 1:15pm, Dr. Stasia Wieber presents “Normal Adult Sleep and 5 Common Sleep Disorders” at the Westport Center for Senior Activities at 21 Imperial Avenue. Topics to cover include the importance of sleep, snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia and sleep deprivation. This free program, sponsored by Yale New Haven Health, requires pre-registration. More info: 203-341-5099 or visit the senior center website. 

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 TOP TEN  || Sleep news picks this week — newest to oldest

  CURATOR'S CHOICE 
1. JAN 14 || SLEEP REVIEW MAGAZINE
How one sleep center flags high-risk apnea patients, raises its volume, and lowers hospital readmissions
Business & Workplace
From the curator: These new models for healthcare are encouraging. 

  CURATOR'S CHOICE 
2. JAN 13 || THE VERGE
Google's self-driving cars would've hit something 13 times if not for humans: New report shows when and why test drivers have to take the wheel
Technology
From the curator: This technology is not ready for primetime, methinks.

 CURATOR'S CHOICE 
3. JAN 12 || BUZZ
Students and modafinil
Drugs
From the curator: Madness. We have to stop thinking a drug will fix human imperfection. 

 CURATOR'S CHOICE 
4. JAN 12 || NETDOCTOR
How to overcome menopause-related sleeplessness
Women
From the curator: More research like this, please. 

  CURATOR'S CHOICE 
5. JAN 11 || STANFORD CENTER FOR SLEEP SCIENCES AND MEDICINE
Medicare Regulations Are Driving a Wedge Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients and Their Providers
Public Health & Safety
From the curator: Bean counters are not doctors. When will insurance step out of the way of legitimate healthcare?

  CURATOR'S CHOICE 
6. JAN 9 || THE NEW YORK TIMES
The Lark-Owl Scale: When Couples’ Sleep Patterns Diverge
Lifestyle & Hygiene
From the curator: This is some very thoughtful and educational reportage. I like the takeaway at the end.

  CURATOR'S CHOICE 
7. JAN 8 || DOCTOR'S LOUNGE
Financial Obstacles Only Partly to Blame for Low CPAP Acceptance
Therapies
From the curator: When patients don't use their therapies, doctors have to look at the full range of reasons why. 

  CURATOR'S CHOICE 
8. JAN 8 || FLAVORWIRE
Wellesley’s “Triggering” ‘Sleepwalker’ Sculpture Makes For Genuinely Meaningful Public Art
CultureFrom the curator: Sometimes art says what we can't comprehend as readers. 

 CURATOR'S CHOICE 
9. JAN 8 || THE GUARDIAN
As a medical student I’m terrified – but it’s not just my future at risk: Jeremy Hunt’s new contract is set to wreak havoc not only on today’s junior doctors, but on future inexperienced starters like myself, and our patients
Opinion
From the curator: More testimonials from the trenches, please. 

  CURATOR'S CHOICE 
10. JAN 8 || VAN WINKLE'S
The Surprising New Link Between Smoking Weed and Sleep
Marijuana
From the curator: I'm afraid the news isn't all that good for tokers.

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 WORLD  || International sleep news

JAN 11 || NEWS & STAR [UK]
More wanted to take part in Winter Warmth Appeal Big Sleep

 JAN 11 || TIMES OF INDIA [INDIA]
Bombay HC allows special sleep aid for arrested corporator in jail

 JAN 12 || CBC NEWS [CANADA]
BCIT nap room aims to help students focus on their studies: The pilot program follows in the footsteps of companies like Apple and Google

 JAN 12 || DAILY MAIL [UK]
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 NATIONAL  || Sleep news across the U.S.

JAN 12 || THE DAILY ITEM [PA]
Police: Suspect took sleeping pill, drove

 CURATOR'S CHOICE 
JAN 12 || HARTFORD BUSINESS JOURNAL [CT]
Middlebury firm to pay $600K ‘whistleblower’ claim
From the curator: Dear consumers, this inspires a reminder: Please demand that the labs you visit are registered with the AASM and that they are using licensed RPSGTs and credentialed sleep physicians. Most sleep clinics are legit, but there are still some out there considered "fly by night." Don't give them your money.

 JAN 12 || THE JOURNAL-GAZETTE [IN]
TRAA to distribute infant sleep kits

 JAN 13 || GRAYSLAKE PATCH [IL]
Driver May Have Fallen Asleep at Wheel, Caused Fatal Crash: Police || Police said a Crystal Lake teen may have fallen asleep at the wheel and collided head on with the woman's car, according to media reports

 JAN 14 || DAILY MAIL [NV]
Driver of bus that hit and killed woman 'was seen falling asleep at the wheel, but insisted the victim was jaywalking'

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 PUBLIC HEALTH & SAFETY || Community health: epidemiology, transportation, industry, education

  CURATOR'S CHOICE 
JAN 14 || JOURNAL OF CLINICAL SLEEP MEDICINE
Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Obstructive Sleep Apnea Screening and Treatment in the United States: An Update and Recommendation Overview (abstract)From the curator: Protecting jobs is important, but so is protecting innocent people from sleepy drivers.

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 BUSINESS & WORKPLACE  || Workplace safety, corporate news, the business of sleep

JAN 12 || PR NEWSWIRE
Sleep Easily Launches with the Promise of Helping People Sleep Well Without Medication (press release)

JAN 13 || CRAIN'S NEW YORK BUSINESS
NYU Langone sleep lab to shutter after doctors bolt for Mount Sinai 

JAN 13 || REPORT LINKER
Global Sleep Apnea Market Outlook 2020 (abstract)

JAN 13 || SLEEP REVIEW
ResMed Acquires Inova Labs 

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 THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP  || Scientific research and basic sleep health resources

 JAN 7 || OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGY BLOG
Somatic arousal and sleepiness/fatigue among patients with sleep-disordered breathing (abstract)

 JAN 7 || SLEEP
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure on Glucose Tolerance in Obese Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (abstract)

JAN 7 || SPACE REF
Biological Clock Misalignment Affects Astronaut Sleep

JAN 8 || DOVE PRESS
Temporal tuning of daily rhythms helps advanced cancer patients and cancer survivors feel better, live better, and live longer (abstract)

 JAN 9 || ADVANCED EXPERIMENTAL MEDICAL BIOLOGY
Treatment Options for Central Sleep Apnea: Comparison of Ventilator, Oxygen, and Drug Therapies (abstract)

JAN 9 || THE EXAMINER
Scientists discover new link between sleep deprivation and Alzheimer’s Disease

JAN 11 || SLEEP HEALTH
Short-term moderate sleep restriction decreases insulin sensitivity in young healthy adults (abstract)

JAN 12 || NEWS 2
2 Your Health Study connects sleep disorder with heart problems

 JAN 12 || PHYSIOTHERAPY THEORY AND PRACTICE
Using near infrared light to manage symptoms associated with restless legs syndrome

 JAN 13 || ARKLATEX
New study finds that central sleep apnea later develops into heart arrhythmia

 JAN 13 || SLEEP REVIEW
Keratoconus Linked to Sleep Apnea

JAN 14 || SLEEP REVIEW MAGAZINE
Change of Heart: Electrophysiologists are increasingly acknowledging the link between atrial fibrillation and sleep apnea

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 TECHNOLOGY  || Devices and tools for diagnosing and treating sleep health issues

JAN 8 || MEDICAL NEWS TODAY
Snappy Sleep Stager system identifies gene related to shorter sleep

 JAN 8 || THE VERGE
The Hush smart earplugs nearly sent me to sleep at CES

 JAN 11 || C|NET
The next iPhone software update will help you sleep better 

JAN 11 || EMAIL WIRE
Conscious Choices Announces Sleep Mask With Cool Earplugs A Way To Erase Sleep Debt (press release)

 JAN 14 || SOMNOSURE
SomnoSure Education Center Sleep Dentistry: The Dental Appliance as a First-Line Therapy for OSA (disclosure: this article was written by the SHC curator) 

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 PROCEDURES  || Inpatient, outpatient, and surgery-related discussions

JAN 14 || SLEEP-DOCTOR.com
3-Year Outcomes for Inspire Medical Upper Airway Stimulation

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 DRUGS  || Over the counter drugs, prescription medications, illicit substances, nutraceuticals

JAN 7 || ABC 2 NEWS
Report: Melatonin use can have side effects
Melatonin

 JAN 7 || CDC - NCHS DATA BRIEF
Sleep Duration, Quality of Sleep, and Use of Sleep Medication, by Sex and Family Type, 2013–2014
Sleep aids

JAN 7 || CONSUMERIST
Melatonin Helps People Fall Asleep, But Has Potential Problems And Side Effects
Melatonin

 JAN 7 || FOX 2 NOW
Study indicates sleep aids may lead to dementia
Over-the-counter sleep aids

 CURATOR'S CHOICE 
JAN 7 || MEN'S JOURNAL
Can Statins Lower Sleep Apnea Risks? What You Need to Know
Statins
From the curator: Interesting research.

JAN 10 || BUSINESS INSURANCE
Awakening to better sleep therapies: Painkillers, sedatives often not a helpful mix
Prescription drugs

 JAN 11 || PROACTIVE INVESTORS
 THERAPIES  || Cognitive behavioral therapy, chronotherapy, phototherapy, complementary alternative medicine, functional medicine

 JAN 8 || CHRONOBIOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
A unique, fast-forwards rotating schedule with 12-h long shifts prevents chronic sleep debt
Chronotherapy

 JAN 9 || KEARNEY HUB
Inhale, exhale, relax to catch some sleep
Yoga

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 CULTURE  || Cultural and social expressions and discussions about sleep

 JAN 7 || VAN WINKLE'S
Seven Strange, Scary Tales From Celebrity Sleepwalkers
Celebrities

 JAN 12 || GEEKWIRE
Video inspired by ‘The Martian’ tackles real-life mystery: How to sleep in space
Film

 JAN 13 || SCV NEWS
Princess Cruises Study Says Americans Want More Sleep
Travel

JAN 14 || OFFICIAL SITE OF THE COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
The Science of Naps: Yes, this is an actual story
Sports

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 LIFESTYLE & HYGIENE  || Helps for patients and clues for sleep self-improvement

JAN 7 || ITV NEWS
Top tips for a good night's sleep

 JAN 11 || FOX 4 KC
Little things can make a big difference for those struggling to fall asleep

 JAN 11 || SELF 
JAN 11 || TECH TIMES
Sleep Deprived? Some Tips To Help You Recover

 JAN 11 || THOUGHTLEADERS
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 FAMILY  || Sleep health through the lifespan: pediatrics, womens health, family health, eldercare

JAN 8 || HEALTH AIM
Sleep: Women Are More Susceptible To Disorders
Women

 JAN 8 || INTERIM HEALTHCARE
Aging may affect circadian rhythms, study finds
Aging

 CURATOR'S CHOICE 
JAN 8 || UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN HEALTH SYSTEM
Even children with higher IQs behave better when their sleep apnea is fixed
Kids
From the curator: It shouldn't be surprising how much better we perform during the day when we breathe well as we sleep at night.

 JAN 9 || DECCAN HERALD
A good night's sleep
Kids

 JAN 11 || BEHAVIORAL SLEEP MEDICINE
Mandatory Nap Times and Group Napping Patterns in Child Care: An Observational Study
Preschoolers

  CURATOR'S CHOICE 
JAN 11 || PARADE
Miles Brown Wants Kids to Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Kids
From the curator: Gotta love this kid!
JAN 11 || PHILLY.com
Battling alarming trend among teens: Lack of sleep
Teens

 JAN 12 || THE HEALTH SITE
How much sleep do you need during pregnancy?
Pregnancy

JAN 12 || PSYCHOGERIATRICS
Rapid eye movement sleep without atonia may help diagnose Lewy body disease in middle-aged and older patients with somatic symptom disorder
Elderly

 JAN 12 || SOMNOSURE
The Relationship Between Low Testosterone and Sleep Apnea: Reasons, Risks, & Treatments (disclosure: this article was written by the SHC curator) 
Men

JAN 14 || WESTERN DAILY PRESS
Disturbed sleep with frequent waking up in the elderly could be a sign of stroke
Elderly

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 MULTIMEDIA  || Sleep health education and issues captured in graphics, photos, audio, film

  CURATOR'S CHOICE 
JAN 12 || FOX 16
Ask the Doctor: Sleep apnea and sore throats
TV news video
From the curator: And if not sleep apnea, then UARS. Either way, it needs to be fixed before long-term problems develop.

JAN 12 || HEALTH CENTRAL
Five Signs You're a True Insomniac
Slide show

 JAN 12 || WABI TV
Healthy Living: Seasonal Affective Disorder – Identification and Treatment
TV news video

 JAN 14 || DAILY MAIL
Night terrors causes woman to scream until woken from sleep
TV news video

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 FIRST PERSON  || Individual accounts of living with sleep disorders

 CURATOR'S CHOICE 
JAN 9 || GIZMODO
The Deadly Reality Of Living With Sleep Apnea
Commentary
From the curator: Deadly in multiple ways. Sleep is a systemic process, people. Lack of it has an impact on all the body's systems. Untreated sleep apnea is an invitation to cut one's life short every night they go to bed. 

 CURATOR'S CHOICE 
JAN 9 || HUFFINGTON POST SLEEP + WELLNESS
Here's What Happened When I Slept For An Extra Hour Each Night
Personal experiment
From the curator: I'd love to hear more of these stories from readers. 

JAN 11 || CLINICAL ADVISOR
Quantity of sleep continues to decline in Americans
Column

 JAN 13 || APPEAL-DEMOCRAT
Dear Abby: Addicted to Ambien
Advice column

  CURATOR'S CHOICE 
JAN 13 || THE PHILLIPINE STAR
Where psycho cabbies come from
Opinion
From the curator: This certainly makes me rethink the use of cabs.

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 DREAM LIFE  || The art and science of dreaming

JAN 7 || YAHOO! TECH
These sensor-studded headphones can sense when you’re in deep sleep, trigger lucid dreams

 JAN 12 || VAN WINKLE'S
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The next news curation will be published on Friday January 22 2016

Have a sleep-related news tip? Share it here!



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22 May 2015

WOMEN & SLEEP: Hormones, how could you?

When it comes to sleep problems, women get the added bonus of hormone-related issues which can disrupt nighttime sleep. Even healthy women with no other health conditions and no measurable sleep disorders can still struggle to get good sleep, thanks to visits with their monthly "friend." It can start as early as puberty and the start of menses (called menarche); can continue through young adulthood, pregnancy, and middle-age; and finally, it can lead right into the shifts we know as menopause. Any hormone therapies used at any time during the lifespan can also contribute to some sleep issues as well.

What is happening with female hormones that mess with the sleep process?

Let's review a typical menstrual cycle first.

Generally speaking, the menstrual cycle describes the full range of hormonal shifts generated by the body over a typical four-week period (of course, this varies widely from one individual to the next, but for our purposes, we're calling the cycle a 28-day one).

Menstruation involves several key organs: the ovaries, the uterus and endometrium, the vagina and the cervix.

The ovaries house a female's eggs; she is born with all of these, but they are not mature and will not be released until puberty, after new hormones flood the bloodstream and prompt their maturity. They are then distributed monthly over the reproductive lifespan of the female for the purpose of reproduction.

The uterus is the womb, the large organ meant to house and grow a fetus from a fertilized egg or embryo to a full-grown baby. Its lining is known as the endometrium.

The vagina is the passageway that connects the interior of the women's reproductive system to the body's exterior.

The cervix is the opening between the vagina and the uterus; think of it as a gatekeeper that opens more easily during the most fertile time, but is less accessible during the infertile stages of one's menstrual cycle.

Let's talk about hormones now.

The ovaries also release varying amounts of two key hormones to help regulate this process: estrogen and progesterone. Their levels in the bloodstream influence the quality of the lining of the uterus as well as the quality of the cervix. Both organs are extremely sensitive to this changing chemistry. These two hormones work in synch to prepare all the female reproductive organs for the potential implantation of a fertilized egg. When no eggs are fertilized, the lining of the uterus sheds via the blood and other fluids and tissues that have collected there over the cycle (this is what we think of as our "period,") and then a new cycle begins.

Estrogen is responsible for helping the body to develop all the accessory organs of the reproductive system (the uterus, the breasts, pubic hair, fatty deposits along the hips and breasts) as well as encourage the widening of the pelvis in preparation of a potential pregnancy. Estrogen also plays a role in metabolism. But you can think of estrogen as the harbinger of puberty.

Progesterone is the key hormone for the growth of the embryo, so it plays a much larger role during pregnancy than at other times, by inhibiting contractions in the uterus during pregnancy and helping the breasts to develop milk. However, progesterone during pregnancy is no longer produced by the ovaries, but by the placenta, the sac inside which the embryo grows.

Two other critical hormones include follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH); the roles these hormones play are described below.

Though women think of their "time of the month" as just being a few days, the actual menstrual cycle is not just a one-week process.

The first five days of the cycle are called the menstrual phase. This is the actual "period" part of menstruation, where blood and cells are sloughed away from the lining of the uterus and voided through the vagina as "flow." There is a major drop in progesterone at this time due to the absence of an implanted embryo. This is a time of infertility with no ovarian activity.

From days 6 through 14, the proliferative phase, estrogen production amps up, stimulating the process of relining the uterus. This is the fertility period, in which eggs in the ovary are developed and released for potential fertilization (usually around day 14). Another hormone is responsible for this process: follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). It helps to mature eggs in the ovary. Because of FSH, there is more mucus in the cervix, which will also dilate somewhat and soften to receive released eggs for potential fertilization and implantation.

The secretory phase, from days 15 through 28, leads to higher production of progesterone by a separate organ within the ovary (the corpus luteum), prompted by the estrogen-primed status of the uterus. Luteinizing hormone (LH) helps aid in the actual release of the mature egg. Progesterone is the hormone that helps to nourish the organs of both mother and baby in the event an embryo (fertilized egg) has been implanted in the lining of the uterus.

At the tail end of this phase, women who are not pregnant will experience cramping, bloating, mood swings and other premenstrual discomforts as the hormones respond by shifting to the infertility phase. The ovaries continue their careful chemistry balance and egg maturation, the lining of the uterus breaks down to be released in the flow described in the menstrual phase (above) and the cervix dries and firms up.

However, if there is an embryo, the progesterone levels continue to rise and the placenta takes over its production, allowing the ovaries to take a break during pregnancy.

This description of the menstrual cycle more or less describes what happens throughout a female's lifespan between the age of puberty onset and menopause, unless they are pregnant. During pregnancy, the major rise in progesterone during that period of time can lead to all kinds of side effects: See our introduction to sleep during pregnancy here for more details.

At menopause, estrogen levels drop as there are fewer eggs to mature and release until, eventually, your cycles stop entirely. These changes in hormone levels lead to erratic changes in flow, mood swings, hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbances and vaginal pain during intercourse. Perimenopause marks the period of this transition in hormones, whereas menopause marks the point in which 12 months have passed without a menstrual cycle, which confirms the egg supply is empty.

But how does any of this relate to sleep?????

Hormone levels have a tremendous impact on sleep. When women are younger, they experience fewer problems with hormone-related sleep disturbances, but as they age (or during pregnancy), their sleep can become more disturbed, lighter and less refreshing. Estrogen and progesterone both have a chemical influence on sleep and can be partly to blame for problems with daytime sleepiness and sleep disturbances when their levels are out of balance (usually during the premenstrual period, pregnancy, postpartum periods and perimenopause). Also, it's been shown that lower estrogen levels during menopause may lead to problems with increased upper airway resistance during sleep, snoring, and obstructive sleep apnea.

For those women, from menarche all the way to perimenopause, who are not pregnant, rapidly changing hormones on a monthly basis can still lead to pain, such as headache or cramping, that can disrupt sleep.

Pregnant women (see our 4-part series on Adventures in Sleep for the Pregnant Woman to learn more) can encounter a multitude of sleep problems that are related not only to the circumstances of pregnancy, but to raging hormones.

For women who are in perimenopause, side effects caused by changing hormone levels, like night sweats and mood swings, can also interrupt sleep. Dr. Sharon Wong of Adventist Medical Center in Portland quotes sleep studies that show that "women are more prone to having their sleep disturbed in the first half of the night by having a hot flash.” However, “[d]uring REM sleep, in the latter half of the night, women seemed to be more able to suppress their sleep disturbances.”

Fortunately, once menopause sets in, these side effects do subside.

What can a woman do about sleep problems that she suspects are related to hormonal changes? It's always a good idea to speak with your doctor first about your concerns. Sleep problems have multiple causes and root causes need to be ruled in or out. If your doctor determines your sleep issues are related to hormones, you will have to decide what therapy is right for you. There are drug therapies, herbal therapies, lifestyle changes and/or simply riding out the phase. Your therapy will reflect what is most important for you.

Ultimately, if hormones are messing with your sleep, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to practice excellent sleep hygiene and address any issues you may have with depression, mood swings or anxiety, which may be aggravating your sleep as well as the hormone shifts themselves.

Spectrum Health offers this informative Q&A Session with Dr. Diana Bitner, an OB-Gyn who has some good advice for dealing with sleep problems that could be the result of menstrual cycle issues.


Sources

Hertz G, Cataletto ME, Benbadis SR. "Sleep Dysfunction in Women." Medscape. (2013, May 14). Retrieved on May 22, 2015 from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1189087-overview

Marieb EN. (2012). Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology. San Francisco: Pearson Education.

Popovic RM, White DP. "Upper airway muscle activity in normal women: influence of hormonal status." Journal of  Applied Physiology. March 1998;84(3):1055-62

Ross, M.  "Women: Depressed, agitated, can't sleep? It could be hormones." Contra Costa Times. (2014, April 30). Retrieved on May 22, 2015 from http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-living/ci_25661843/women-depressed-agitated-cant-sleep-hormones

Shaw, G. "Women, Hormones and Sleep Problems." WebMD, nd. Retrieved on May 22, 2015 from http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/women-hormones-sleep-problems



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01 May 2015

Introducing May's theme at SHC: Women & Sleep

Women have specific sleep issues which are related to their physiology. While any woman may experience (just like any man) any of the typical disorders of sleep as outlined by the International Classification of Sleep Disorders reference, they can also have sleep problems that are directly related to menstrual cycles, pregnancy, postpartum motherhood, menopause and those disorders related specifically to female reproduction.

For May, SHC focuses on sleep problems specific to women throughout the lifespan, as well as common sleep disorders that women may be surprised to learn are not limited to their male counterparts. SHC will also discuss how lifestyle choices and demands may impact sleep quality and quantity and why this reality for women may be different than for men.

To get a jump on the topic, you can visit SHC's comprehensive page on Women's Health here.
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