Sleep and Heart Disease

New research suggests that getting a good night's sleep might be connected with a lower risk of heart disease in some people.

The research, Short Sleep Duration and Incident Coronary Artery Calcification, was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers studied 495 healthy subjects aged between 35 and 47 years. They found a strong correlation between increased sleep and lower risk of coronary artery calcification.

It's worth noting that the group studied only slept for an average of 6.1 hours a night, so the findings don't necessarily apply to those who are already getting a good night's sleep.

It's also important to remember that correlation doesn't necessarily mean causality. One of the paper's authors, Professor Diane Lauderdale, said:

It may be that there is some other factor that influences how much people sleep and independently influences calcification

Immune System Stronger During Sleep

We all know that we tend to sleep more when we're sick - having just got over a bad dose of 'flu I can personally confirm that! Now scientists have confirmed what many have long suspected: the immune system is more active during sleep. At least it is in fruit flies, and the scientists seem to think that this suggests the same will be true of humans.

Researchers at Stanford University infected fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) with bacteria at different times of the day. The results, reported to the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB), showed that those infected when asleep fought the bacteria better and were more likely to survive.

According to Mimi Shirasu-Hiza of Stanford University:

"These results suggest that immunity is stronger at night, consistent with the hypothesis that circadian proteins upregulate restorative functions such as specific immune responses during sleep, when animals are not engaged in metabolically costly activities"

Er, yes, just what I was about to say...

Sleep Apnea and Alzheimer's

The flurry of research findings concerning Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) continues, this time in connection with Alzheimer's Disease.

New research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society studied patients who suffered from mild to moderate Alzheimer's and also sleep apnea. The study looked at the effect of CPAP treatment: half the group were given therapeutic CPAP for six weeks, the other half placebo CPAP for three weeks followed by therapeutic CPAP for three weeks.

At the end of the six week trial tests on the group as a whole showed "suggested improvements in verbal learning and memory as well as some aspects of executive function such as cognitive flexibility and mental processing speed".

Professor Sonia Ancoli-Israel who led the study said:

"Although it is unlikely that OSA causes dementia, the lowered oxygen levels and sleep fragmentation associated with OSA might worsen cognitive function. This study, which showed significant improvement in patients' neurological test scores after treatment with CPAP, suggests that clinicians who treat patients with Alzheimer's disease and sleep apnea should consider implementing CPAP treatment"

Sleep Apnea May Result in More Sick Days

For many years Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) - a serious condition which can be a cause of snoring - was little known outside the medical world. However its profile may well be set to rise following suggestions that it might harm something far more precious to our society than mere health: company profits.

New research from the University of Bergen, Norway, has found that workers with sleep apnea take more time off work. Over a four year study, workers with symptoms of OSA were far more likely than others to take more than eight weeks of sick leave. They were also more likely to go onto permanent work disability. These correlations remain after adjusting for factors such as lifestyle and other medical conditions.

Of all the OSA symptoms studied the one most commonly associated with time off sick was daytime sleepiness.

If you suspect that you suffer from sleep apnea then you should consult your doctor.

Night Terrors: Cause Partially Genetic

Night Terrors - also known as sleep terrors can be a dreadful experience for an adult. How much worse they must be for a child. Up to now scientists have been unsure what causes the condition, however new research published in Pediatrics suggests it could be at least partially inherited.

Rsearchers from Montreal's Sacre-Coeur Hospital studied 390 sets of twins and found that identical twins were far more likely to suffer from the terrors than fraternal twins. This suggests a strong genetic element to the condition. According to Bich Hong Nguyen:

"Our results show that there is a substantial effect of genetics factors in sleep terrors"

This research offers hope for a better understanding of night terrors but not necessarily a way to prevent them. However there is some consolation for distressed parents: the study also noted that half the children suffering night terrors at 18 months were free of the condition at 30 months.