WHAT'S HAPPENING: CHRONIC ILLNESS & SLEEP

After a brief hiatus, SleepyHeadCENTRAL's popular feature, This Week in Sleep News, returns today with a curation of news stories appearing since June 1 which highlight the relationship between sleep and chronic illness.

Sleep Hygiene Tip of the Week: Follow your heart

Infographic courtesy Carolinas HealthCare System.
Larger version

February is Heart Health Month. The relationship between sleep disorders and cardiovascular disease has been well established.

Sleep deprivation leads to a higher risk for cardiovascular disease no matter how young you are, and even for people who don't smoke, are a healthy weight and exercise regularly.

Not getting enough sleep leads to imbalances in your overall health that present as high blood pressure, systemic inflammation, and insulin resistance―all of which create gateways to chronic disease.

Here are some heart-healthy sleep hygiene tips that may improve your ability to get the sleep you need so you can prevent heart disease.

Get enough sleep. Perhaps it's too obvious, but it needs saying, as 1 out of 3 Americans is considered chronically sleep deprived. The National Sleep Foundation offers this video to illustrate why sleep is so crucial to heart health.

If you are over at 45 and you sleep fewer than six hours a night, you are twice as likely to have a heart attack than those who sleep six or more hours a night.

If you struggle to fall asleep or to maintain sleep, or if you wake up too early in the morning and can't get back to sleep, you are advised to speak to a physician about investigating the root cause. Learning relaxation techniques and making improvements to your sleeping environment (making it darker, cooler, and more quiet) are just a few of ways you can use sleep hygiene to help with your sleep struggles.

Listen to your loved ones. If they are telling you that you gasp, choke, snore, cough, or struggle to breathe as you sleep, don't delay in getting yourself checked out for a sleep-breathing disorder.

If you are certain you don't snore, then having a sleep test will prove you right... but if you do snore, and your snoring is related to apnea or upper airway resistance, you will want to treat it.

Though it's no cure for sleep-disordered breathing, sleeping on your left side can help reduce the severity of snoring or sleep apnea as well as make less work for your heart.

Check your medications with your doctor or pharmacist to ensure they don't depress your breathing functions at night, as well.

Get your exercise. It not only improves your heart health, but it can lead to healthy muscle tone in the upper airway, a stronger respiratory system, and positive support to your circadian rhythms. Exercising in the morning―outdoors, if possible―is especially good for nighttime sleeping habits.

Lose some weight. Obesity has been connected to all kinds of sleep problems, especially sleep-breathing disorders, insomnia, and sleep deprivation.

Weight loss relies on quality sleep at night. A well-practiced sleep schedule that gives you a minimum of 6 hours a night actually makes it easier to lose weight; adequate sleep prevents problems with chemical imbalances caused by sleep deprivation that lead to high-calorie cravings during the day. If you have ever eaten just to stay awake and find some energy, then you know the feeling of dealing with excessive daytime sleepiness or fatigue caused by poor sleep at night.

A heart healthy diet and regular exercise regimen, plus a devoted sleeping schedule, will go a long way toward removing those extra pounds. You'll also feel more energized during the day, and your sleep at night will be deeper and more regenerative.

Time your meals sensibly. Eating late at night―especially heavy meals or foods high in fat or carbohydrates―can send your digestive system reeling. We are not meant to eat large meals late into the evening; our liver, stomach, pancreas, and other organs are preparing to slow down for the not.

These late noshes, if they are feasts rather than snacks, can mess with your body in a number of ways. High fat foods can lead to indigestion or reflux disease, which will disrupt your ability to sleep. High carb foods might throw your glucose-insulin balance out of whack, creating the breeding grounds for insulin resistance. The digestive process itself will take much longer and could lead to daytime issues with constipation or diarrhea as a result.

Watch the intake of coffee and wine. Too much coffee, too late into the day, can wreak havoc with your ability to fall asleep, and caffeine can wreak havoc on a compromised heart. Too much alcohol, too late in the evening, can wreak havoc with your sleep architecture and will guarantee your sleep will be fragmented across the night as a result.

Separately, these are bad habits. Together, they spell disaster for both heart health and sleep hygiene.

Make a sleep schedule that matters. Going to bed at the same time every night is not just a challenge for schoolchildren. Adults really do much better if they turn out the lights at around the same time every night and rise at around the same time every morning. These habits support circadian rhythms, which allow your body to get adequate, high-quality sleep at night.

Your body requires these rhythms in order to fend off all kinds of health issues, including (but certainly not limited to) congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, high cholesterol, hardening of the arteries, and high blood pressure.

Try to avoid too many late nights in a row, and make it a goal to avoid hitting the snooze button. Staying in bed well past the 8-hour mark can also pose hazards to your health and well being.

ABCs of Sleep || Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a condition in which acid rises from the stomach and breaches the valve separating the bottom of the esophagus from the top of the stomach. This valve, also known as a sphincter, is meant to keep stomach acid out. If it comes into contact with the stomach acid on a regular basis, it can become damaged and no longer prevent the "reflux" of stomach acid from rising back into the esophagus and even into the trachea and other parts of the upper airway. 

The highly corrosive nature of stomach acid means it will wreak havoc on other parts of the body outside the stomach as they are not lined with the heavy mucosal barrier like the stomach. If allowed to enter the airways, stomach acid reflux can lead to, trigger or aggravate respiratory disorders like chronic cough, wheezing and asthma. 

Other common complaints of GERD include chest pain; problems with the ears, nose and throat, such as postnasal drip, vocal cord damage, upper airway resistance and congestion; and inflammatory diseases like bronchitis and pneumonia, in which particles of stomach acid are accidentally aspirated (inhaled) into the lungs. 

Researchers are also looking into relationships between GERD and obesity as well as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as each of these conditions relates to physiologically challenged upper airways.

GERD can happen at any time of day and to nearly anyone at any age and of any size. But at nighttime, it can be especially troublesome. People laying completely flat (and especially while supine) are most susceptible to the creeping up of stomach acid. 

This can make bedtime frustrating because GERD leads to frequent awakening, requiring its sufferers to rise out of bed, take an antacid, and even sit in a chair in order to fall asleep again, as the gravity of a vertical position can help pull the acid back into the stomach where it belongs. 

However, sleeping is hardly easy or comfortable to achieve in an upright position. GERD may be a key reason why many older people sleep in reclining chairs, as they have the flexibility of raising and lowering the back of the chair to suit their issues with GERD. 

There are several things a person with GERD can do to help prevent their condition from interrupting with their nightly sleep. 


Elevate the head of the bed by 3 inches. This increases the angle of the bed enough to help use gravity to one's advantage without being too noticeable for people sleeping in bed. Individuals might consider sleeping in a reclining chair or using a wedge pillow that helps them sleep more upright. 

Quit smoking. Smoking exacerbates any issues with asthma or other pulmonary conditions that could develop as a result of GERD.

Dietary changes. Eating a low-fat diet, avoiding high acid foods, eating lighter meals at dinner and eating at least two hours before bedtime can help alleviate GERD and improve sleep quality.

Avoid alcohol. Alcohol relaxes the body's muscles, which increases the chance that the sphincter which serves to keep stomach acid out of the esophagus will lose its ability to seal. 

Sleep on your left side. This sleeping position is most likely to support the closure of the sphincter between the esophagus and the stomach; sleeping on the right side is more likely to break that important seal.

Treat GERD. There are a number of approaches to managing reflux disease; some are over-the-counter, while others are more aggressive prescription approaches that should be monitored by a healthcare professional.

Don't let GERD ruin your Thanksgiving OR your sleep

According to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD), "Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a chronic disease that can occur when stomach contents repeatedly flow backwards into the esophagus (food pipe). Though generally a treatable disease, serious complications can result if GERD is not treated properly." GERD can have a dramatic impact on sleep, leading to risks of aspirating these stomach acids while sleeping, aggravating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and experiencing the sleep fragmentation that comes with every time you wake up to the discomfort of heartburn symptoms.

The IFFGD encourages people who have long-term problems with heartburn (more than once a week, worsening, or continuous over time) to talk to their doctor, as these symptoms may signal something more serious than occasional digestive distress caused by overeating. An accurate diagnosis can help you find the correct treatment so you can sleep comfortably again.

More information at the IFFGD website

SLEEP NEWS THIS WEEK, Nov 13 - 20

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

• Disclosure: The curator of SHC is now a regular contributor to the blog for the Somnosure Education Center blog. 

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


1.  NOV 17 || ABC ACTION NEWS
Trucking company suspends driver who bragged on FB that he drove 20+ hours with no sleep
Curator's comments: OUTRAGEOUS. SHC hopes he never gets behind the wheel of a truck again.
Public Health & Safety

2. NOV 17 || ABC NEWS LIVE BLOG
Good Morning America: Watch Dan Childs Stay Awake for 40 Hours Straight
Media

3. NOV 17 || LIFEHACKER
Use the Rule of Threes to Find Out If You Have a Sleep Problem
Lifestyle & Hygiene

4. NOV 17 || SLEEP REVIEW
Sleep May Counter Impulse Buys
Culture

5. NOV 16 || ENGADGET
Experts say phones need a 'bedtime mode' to fix our sleep
Technology

6. NOV 15 || THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVORMcCrory donor sparked Highway Patrol campaign against napping truckers
Public Health & Safety

7. NOV 15 || THE NATIONAL
Dying for a place to sleep

Public Health & Safety

8.  NOV 14 || METRO
What would happen if you didn’t sleep?
Science of Sleep

9. NOV 13 || AMERICAN SLEEP ASSOCIATION
Sleep apnea remedy may be life altering – Houston Chronicle
Therapies

10. NOV 13 || FOX SAN ANTONIO
Linx treatment for GERD, heartburn
Therapies

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 WORLD  || International sleep news

NOV 13 || CHRONICLE HERALD [CANADA]
New effort aims to help sleep apnea sufferers without health plan

NOV 13 || TIMES OF INDIA [INDIA]
Six injured, two critically, after bus hits divider on Yamuna Expressway

NOV 14 || THE JAPAN TIMES [JAPAN]
Zzzz — a novel way to manipulate sleep

NOV 17 || ISRAEL [ISRAEL]

Israeli tech cracks ‘sleep DNA’ to beat insomnia

Curator's comments: Great progress made here!

NOV 18 || ASHBOURNE NEWS TELEGRAPH [UK]

Fatal A50 lorry crash: Driver was not wearing seatbelt and might have fallen asleep

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 NATIONAL  || Sleep news across the U.S.

NOV 13 || KFVS 12 [IL]
ISP: Semi crashed on IL Rte. 13 after driver fell asleep at wheel

NOV 13 || NORTHWEST GEORGIA NEWS [GA]
Community rallies around Gordon family; Model grad Matt Gordon at Erlanger after wreck

NOV 13 || OWATONNA PEOPLE'S PRESS [MN]
The hidden link between sleep and pain

NOV 13 || VAN WINKLE'S [VA]
Homeless Veterans Can Now Sleep Soundly in Virginia

Curator's comments: It's a start but let's get all fifty states in on this effort.

NOV 14 || FOX 29 SAN ANTONIO [TX]
Tired driver crashes car into retaining wall

NOV 14 || SFBAY.ca [CA]
Drowsy duo appear to drive car off cliff: Drowsy driving may be behind a plunge two people took late Friday night in their vehicle off a cliff near Stinson Beach in unincorporated Marin County, California Highway Patrol officials said

NOV 16 || BUFFALO NEWS [NY]
Grand Island man fell asleep at wheel, crashed into trees

NOV 16 || THE COURIER [OH]
Findlay councilman’s car crashes, wife hurt

NOV 16 || IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY [IA]
Change Agent: Zlatan Križan

NOV 16 || KMA LAND [NE]
Nebraska man hurt in northwest Missouri crash

NOV 16 || WIBW [KS]
7-year-old pushes to put the brakes on fatalities

NOV 17 || 12 NEWS [AZ]
Casa Grande baby's sleep pattern worries parents, doctors

NOV 17 || BLUE RIDGE NOW [NC]
Car nearly hits house after driver falls asleep

NOV 17 || KPTV [OR]
Car smashes into building after driver falls asleep at the wheel

NOV 18 || WEST VIRGINIA METRO NEWS [WV]
3 injured in Kanawha school bus crash

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

NOV 13 || THE EXAMINER
Dangers of sleep deprivation

NOV 13 || PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL
Concerns about widely available sleeping pill

NOV 16 || WBIR
Staying safe behind the wheel of a big rig

NOV 17 || AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE
New drowsy driving position statement calls for greater public awareness, education: American Academy of Sleep Medicine reports that drowsy driving prevention efforts can save lives
Curator's comments: Look at the Public Health & Safety and National departments in this weekly curation: these news stories alone should be enough to convince us all to forego getting behind the wheel when we are drowsy. DRIVE ALERT; ARRIVE ALIVE.

NOV 18 || CROZER-KEYSTONE HEALTH SYSTEM

Losing sleep? You may be more likely to catch a cold

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

NOV 17 || TRIB LIVE [PA]

Pitt study to explore shift work's effects on sleep

NOV 18 || FORTUNE

Do Successful CEOs Sleep Less Than Everyone Else?

NOV 18 || HOSPITALITY.net
Creating A Quiet And A Peaceful Urban Oasis: Why A Quality Night’s Sleep Is So Important

NOV 18 || SAN JOSE INSIDE

Breakneck Work Culture Leads to Shift in How We Treat Sleep
Curator's comments: Something's gotta give, people. Heroics at work using sleep deprivation as a badge of honor isn't the way.

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

NOV 15 || THE NEWS INDEPENDENT
What Sleeplessness Says about your Sugar Level

NOV 16 || CURRENT MEDICAL RESEARCH AND OPINION

Effects of rotigotine on daytime symptoms in patients with primary restless legs syndrome: a randomized, placebo-controlled study

NOV 17 || RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL

Snoring, drowsiness could mean sleep apnea

NOV 17 || SLEEP REVIEW

Circadian Clock Controls Insulin, Blood Sugar In Pancreas

NOV 17 || SLEEP REVIEW

Update on REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, Its Management, and Its Strong Link With Parkinsonism

NOV 18 || CELL

The Yin and Yang of Sleep and Attention (abstract)

NOV 18 || NEWS-MEDICAL.net

Scientists develop potent compound that promotes wakefulness, remedies sleep disorder narcolepsy

NOV 18 || SLEEP REVIEW

Study Identifies Links Between Genetics, Sleep Behavior

NOV 18 || SOMNOSURE

The Relationship Between Sleep Apnea and Diabetes

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

NOV 13 || FORBES
The App That 'Hears' You Sleep

NOV 17 || GOOD
Can Technology Solve Our National Sleep Crisis?

Curator's comments: Maybe. If it works. Some of it works, some of it doesn't. But let's not pan all tech because some of it doesn't work. It makes sense to keep on trying. 

NOV 17 || TECH TIMES
The Juvo Sleep Monitor Helps Turn Your Room Into A Sleep Haven

NOV 17 || SLEEP REVIEW

SleepCogni Seeks Funding Via Kickstarter

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 DRUGS & THERAPIES  || Pharmacology, therapeutics, alternative medicine

NOV 13 || MY FOX 8 
Sleep Concerns: Sleep aids
Drugs

NOV 13 || REUTERS
Jaw support good alternative to breathing mask for sleep apnea
Therapies

NOV 18 || PLOS ONE
Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (ICBT-i) Improves Comorbid Anxiety and Depression—A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Therapies

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

NOV 13 || THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Couples find rest in slumbering separately

NOV 13 || THE CONVERSATION
Can listening to music help you sleep?

NOV 13 || WIAT
Sleep experts recommend ideal times for napping

NOV 15 || DETAILS
Pulling an All-Nighter Is Worse Than Six Months of Unhealthy Eating: Diet and exercise mean nothing if you're not getting enough sleep.

NOV 15 || VAN WINKLE'S 
Whatever Happened to the Waterbed?

NOV 18 || DENVER CHANNEL
Sleep experts: TV, video game screen time making night terrors worse in children

Curator's comments: Something that just seems obvious anecdotally now has some evidence to back it up. 

NOV 18 || HUFFINGTON POST SLEEP + WELLNESS

Good Sleep Is No Accident

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 FAMILY  || Sleep health through the lifespan: pediatrics, women's health, family health, eldercare

NOV 13 || SLEEP REVIEW
Common Causes, Effects, and Solutions to Sleep Deprivation in Children
Kids

NOV 13 || TODAY.com
Sneaky problem: Sleep apnea may be worse for women than men
Women's Health

NOV 15 || JUNEAU EMPIRE
Baby Box program to be launched in Juneau
Babies

NOV 16 || HUFFINGTON POST
Sleep-Deprived Dad's 'Shut Up And Dance' Parody Is The Ultimate Bedtime Anthem
Families

NOV 16 || SLEEP APNEA BLOG
Can sleep apnea affect children?
Curator's comments: Sleep apnea is a mechanical breathing problem, not a disease of aging.
Kids

NOV 17 || PLOS ONE

Modified STOP-Bang Tool for Stratifying Obstructive Sleep Apnea Risk in Adolescent Children
Diagnostics


NOV 17 || VERDE NEWS
'Unsafe sleep conditions' cause of spike in deaths of children in Arizona
Kids

NOV 19 || NEWS.com.au

Why toddler sleep issues are different to those in babies

Kids

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

NOV 13 || BUSTLE
What Are The Best Sleep Positions? Probably Not What You're Using
Infographic

NOV 13 || WBIR 
Experts: Stress is proven to interfere with sleep
Video

NOV 13 || WSU HEALTH SCIENCES SPOKANE 
Sleep researcher presents on drowsy driving
Video

NOV 16 || CARTOON MOVEMENT
Insomnia and the error in counting sheep
Cartoon

NOV 16 || MOTHERBOARD
Sleep Deprivation Slowly Kills Your Brain
Video

NOV 17 || GQ
Incredible Video Shows What Happens When You Don't Get Enough Sleep
Video

NOV 17 || HEALTHiNATION
Sleep Well to Improve Heart Health (from the National Sleep Foundation)
Video


NOV 18 || CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
Los Angeles' homeless can now sleep in cars, but will that help?
Curator's comments: It's a start.
Video

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 FIRST PERSON  || Individual accounts of living with sleep disorders

NOV 15 || DAILY HERALD
REM: the non-musical dream
Column

NOV 15 || THE GLOBE AND MAIL
Airway to Heaven: How I Finally Hit Snooze on my Snoring
Personal Narrative

NOV 18 || THE NOTRE DAME OBSERVER

Suffering from Insomnia

Editorial

NOV 18 || THE REGISTER-GUARD

Sleep is essential for survival

Letter to the Editor

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 DREAM LIFE  || The art and science of dreaming

NOV 17 || BUSTLE
Sleep? Everything You Need To Know About Your Midnight Musings

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