Subjective sleep quality in premenstrual syndrome

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a cyclical disorder observed in late luteal phase and presenting with behavioral changes that can affect interpersonal relationships and normal daily activity. Sleep disturbances are also common. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between PMS and subjective sleep quality with Pitsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in the Medical Academy students, whom have considerable information about menstruation. PMS was detected with "Premenstrual Syndrome Scale", and PSQI was used to evaluate subjective sleep quality. Chi-square test and Kendall's rank correlation analysis were used in statistical analysis. p values (p < 0.05) were considered as statistical significant. Poor sleep quality was found in the 75.6% of the participants with PMS, and 58.8% of the participants without PMS (p < 0.05). Only component 5 (sleep disorder component) of the PSQI components revealed statistically significant difference (1.7 ± 0.6 in participants with PMS, and 1.5 ± 0.6 without PMS, p < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between total PSQI score and all of its' components, except component 6 (sleeping pill usage component) (p < 0.05). The strongest association was found to be in the component 5 (r = 0.528; p = 0.0001). Results of our study suggested the poor sleep quality due to sleep disorders in women with PMS.     

Perception versus polysomnographic assessment of sleep in CFS and non-fatigued control subjects: results from a population-based study

Background  

Complaints of unrefreshing sleep are a prominent component of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS); yet, polysomnographic studies have not consistently documented sleep abnormalities in CFS patients. We conducted this study to determine whether alterations in objective sleep characteristics are associated with subjective measures of poor sleep quality in persons with CFS.     

Subjective effects of glycine ingestion before bedtime on sleep quality

Sleep and Biological Rhythms - The effects of glycine on sleep quality were examined in a randomized double-blinded cross-over trial. The volunteers, with complaints about the quality of their...     

Temporal predictors of health-related quality of life in elderly people with diabetes: results of a German cohort study

Background

The aim of the study was to determine predictors that influence health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a large cohort of elderly diabetes patients from primary care over a follow-up period of five years.

Methods and Results

At the baseline measurement of the ESTHER cohort study (2000–2002), 1375 out of 9953 participants suffered from diabetes (13.8%). 1057 of these diabetes patients responded to the second-follow up (2005–2007). HRQOL at baseline and follow-up was measured using the SF-12; mental component scores (MCS) and physical component scores (PCS) were calculated; multiple linear regression models were used to determine predictors of HRQOL at follow-up. As possible predictors for HRQOL, the following baseline variables were examined: treatment with insulin, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), number of diabetes related complications, number of comorbid diseases, Body-Mass-Index (BMI), depression and HRQOL. Regression analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic variables and smoking status. 1034 patients (97.8%) responded to the SF-12 both at baseline and after five years and were therefore included in the study. Regression analyses indicated that significant predictors of decreased MCS were a lower HRQOL, a higher number of diabetes related complications and a reported history of depression at baseline. Complications, BMI, smoking and HRQOL at baseline significantly predicted PCS at the five year follow-up.

Conclusions

Our findings expand evidence from previous cross-sectional data indicating that in elderly diabetes patients, depression, diabetes related complications, smoking and BMI are temporally predictive for HRQOL.     

Ventilatory and arousal patterns during sleep in normal young and elderly subjects

Since elderly subjects have lower chemosensitivity, we postulated that ventilation might be more state dependent in the elderly. To address this we investigated the changes in ventilation, measured by respiratory inductive plethysmography, with sleep in 12 healthy young (19-29 yr) and 13 elderly (greater than 65 yr) subjects. Ventilation was measured in representative periods in each sleep state. These data showed that there is no difference between the elderly and the young either in mean ventilation or in the variability of ventilation awake or in the different states of sleep. In both groups ventilation was variable in stage 1-2 sleep and least variable in stage 3-4 sleep. The variability in stage 1-2 sleep was due to periodic breathing (cycle time approximately 45 s) in both age groups. Although within a sleep state no differences were observed, over the night of study the elderly behaved differently from the young. Apneas occurred more frequently in the elderly, and 5 of 13 elderly met the criteria for sleep apnea syndrome compared with 1 of 12 young subjects. Apneas tended to occur predominantly in stage 1-2 sleep and seem to be an exaggeration of the periodicity that is typical of this state. Four of the elderly with apnea remained in this stage of sleep throughout the night of study. The apneic episodes usually terminated with an electroencephalogram arousal that occurred prior to or simultaneously with the onset of ventilation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Effect of morning school schedule on sleep and anthropometric variables in adolescents: a follow-up study

The aim of this study was to assess whether the shift from afternoon to morning classes reduces the duration of sleep and whether this reduction has any relation to body fat measurements. This is a follow-up study in which students (n = 379), 12.4 (SD(+/-)0.7) yrs old, were evaluated before and after the school schedule shift, with a 1-yr interval between the first and second data collections. Adolescents were divided into two groups: an afternoon-morning group (students who shifted from afternoon to morning classes) and an afternoon-afternoon group (students who remained in afternoon classes). The morning schedule of classes lasted from 07:30 and 12:00?h, and the afternoon schedule of classes lasted from 13:00 and 17:30?h. Self-reported bedtime, wake-up time, and time-in-bed were obtained. Body mass index, waist circumference, and body fat percentage were obtained by direct measures. The results showed a reduction of time-in-bed during weekdays for those students who changed to the morning session (p < .001). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) for repeated measures of anthropometric differences between afternoon-afternoon and afternoon-morning groups showed no effect of the school schedule change on weight gain. In conclusion, the time-in-bed reduction in the period analyzed cannot be considered to be a mediating factor to modifications in overweight anthropometric indicators.     

Residual effects of eszopiclone and placebo in healthy elderly subjects: a randomized double-blind study

Sleep and Biological Rhythms - Next-day residual effects are a common problem with current hypnotics. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the residual effects of eszopiclone on the...     

Linear vertical jaw resorption potential in elderly complete denture wearers: a five-year follow-up study

Human bones decrease in quality and increase in porosity beginning at about the third decade of life. The aim of this study was to establish an equation to predict the maxillary and mandibular linear vertical resorption potential for elderly edentulous patients on the basis of the analysis of the cervical vertebrae in a single cephalometric radiograph. The morphology of the bodies of the third and fourth cervical vertebrae and measurements of linear vertical resorption in the frontal region of the jaws were analyzed in two consecutive cephalometric observations of 26 elderly edentulous patients over the five-year period of wearing complete dentures. An equation was determined to obtain maxillary and mandibular linear vertical resorption on the basis of measurements in the third and fourth cervical vertebral bodies and the average errors between the predicted and the actual values were 0.14 mm. The cervical vertebrae exhibited significant decrease in the height and width, and residual alveolar ridges exhibited significant decrease in the height over the 5-year period of wearing dentures (p < 0.01). These results suggest that using cervical vertebral measurements might allow predicting the maxillary and mandibular resorption for edentulous elderly patients wearing complete dentures.     

Cadmium in blood in Alzheimer's disease and non-demented subjects: results from a population-based study

Blood cadmium concentrations were studied in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and non-demented subjects. The 29 individuals were randomized from the ongoing population survey on ageing and dementia in Stockholm, the Kungsholmen Project. Smokers had, as expected, higher cadmium levels than non-smokers. Cadmium concentrations in blood were related to diastolic blood pressure in non-smoking, non-demented individuals. In contrast to previous reports no differences in blood cadmium levels were found between AD sufferers and non-demented subjects. Furthermore, there were no correlations between cadmium levels in blood and age or cognitive functions. The importance of quality assurance in sample collection and analysis of cadmium as well as scrutinizing smoking habits is emphasized.     

Level of education and incidence of caries in the elderly: a 5-year follow-up study

Objective: This study aimed to examine the possible association between level of education and 5‐year caries increment in the elderly inhabitants of Helsinki. Background: Low salivary flow and high numbers of salivary microorganisms are associated with the presence of caries, but cannot predict the increment in caries in the elderly. Materials and methods: This study group was derived from a population‐based Helsinki Aging Study, which consisted of a random sample of elderly born in 1904, 1909 and 1914. The 71 dentate elderly who underwent clinical oral examinations at baseline (1990–91) and 5 years later (1995–96) were included in the study group. Decayed, Missing or Filled Tooth (DMFT) and Root Caries Index (RCI) indexes were used to study subject’ caries experience. Data on subjects’ education came from questionnaire studies. The subjects were divided into four groups according to their level of education and occupation. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate relationships between subjects’ caries experience and level of education. Results: At baseline the elderly with high level of education had more teeth and more root surfaces at risk than those with low level of education. Number of teeth decreased (?1.085, p < 0.0001), while both DMFT (1.164, p < 0.0001) and RCI (0.081, p < 0.0001) indices increased during follow‐up. The increments in DMFT and RCI were not directly associated with the level of education. Multivariate analysis in which subjects’ gender, number of teeth, level of education, frequency of eating and frequency of brushing were taken into consideration, showed no significant association with caries increment. Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study it can be concluded that the level of education of the elderly is not directly associated with the increment in caries.     

Longitudinal epidemiological study of subjective sleep quality in Japanese adolescents to investigate predictors of poor sleep quality

Sleep and Biological Rhythms - To clarify the predictors of poor sleep quality in Japanese adolescents. In 2010, baseline surveys were administered to students at 24 randomly selected...     

Association between internet addiction and sleep quality among students: a cross-sectional study in Bangladesh

Sleep and Biological Rhythms - Internet addiction has been a major behavioral disorder over the past decade. There remains a paucity of research to find the relationship between internet addictions...     

Periodontal health status in the elderly with different levels of education: a 5-year follow-up study

doi: 10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2010.00437.x Periodontal health status in the elderly with different levels of education: a 5‐year follow‐up study Objective: To assess the association between the periodontal health status and level of education over a 5‐year period among the elderly aged 75 years and older. Background: Oral health among the higher educated is known to be better than among the less‐well educated. On the other hand, the prevalence and severity of periodontal disease has been found to grow with increasing age. Methods: The participants were derived from a population‐based Helsinki Aging Study, a random sample of 76‐, 81‐ and 86‐year‐old elderly. The 170 dentate elderly who underwent clinical oral examinations at baseline and 71 who participated in the follow‐up were included in this study. The data was collected from intraoral and radiological examinations and from a structured questionnaire. Results: Subjects with a higher level of education had more retained teeth than subjects with a lower level of education. According to CPITN index, better‐educated participants had more healthy sextants, but they also had more sextants with periodontal pockets. Radiographic examination showed similar results. Conclusion: Level of education has a clear effect on the periodontal health status in the elderly. More treatment need seems to polarise into those elderly who are better educated as they retain more teeth into old age.     

Subjective sleep quality exclusively mediates the relationship between morningness-eveningness preference and self-perceived stress response

Eveningness preference has been associated with lower sleep quality and higher stress response compared with morningness preference. In the current study, female morning (n = 27) and evening (n = 28) types completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and were additionally challenged with an arithmetic stress-induction task. Evening types reported lower subjective sleep quality and longer sleep latency than morning types. Furthermore, evening types reported higher self-perceived stress after the task than morning types. Subjective sleep quality fully mediated the relationship between morningness-eveningness preference and stress response. Poor sleep quality may, therefore, contribute to the elevated health risk in evening types.     

Sleep and intellectual functioning in the elderly: the role of sleep quality and apnea--literature survey

In both relatively healthy and in demented elderly people mental abilities and sleep quality decrease in becoming older and nocturnal respiratory disturbance increases. Perhaps there is an association between sleep and cognition. The hypothesis that specific sleep phenomena are necessary to assure an adequate level of cognitive functioning is called the sleep cognition hypothesis. In this article the findings of research in older people are reviewed. 23 research reports were found in which sleep was measured with polysomnography. The findings in relatively healthy older people do not suggest a strong association between sleep and cognition nor a causal effect between a specific cognitive dysfunction and a specific sleep variable. The findings in demented older people concerning sleep and cognition are inconsistent. In relatively healthy older people a significant correlation between nocturnal respiratory disturbance and cognitive functioning was seldom found, whereas in demented older people a clear association was shown. Therefore, in demented older people prudence is necessary in prescribing psychopharmaca because these can enhance the appearance of sleep apneas.     

Somatic comorbidity in anorexia nervosa: First results of a 21-year follow-up study on female inpatients

Background  

Anorexia nervosa is a severe psychosomatic disease with somatic complications in the long-term course and a high mortality rate. Somatic comorbidities independent of anorexia nervosa have rarely been studied, but pose a challenge to clinical practitioners. We investigated somatic comorbidities in an inpatient cohort and compared somatically ill anorexic patients and patients without a somatic comorbidity. In order to evaluate the impact of somatic comorbidity for the long-term course of anorexia nervosa, we monitored survival in a long-term follow-up.     

Shift work tolerance and the importance of sleep quality: a study of police officers

The aim of this study was to examine how subjective shift work tolerance was related to general health variables, with the expectation of inter-individual differences in the nature of this relation. A total of 740 employees of the Dutch Police force completed a questionnaire, covering seven health-related domains: sleep quality, sleep duration, need for recovery, fatigue, physical health, mental health, and work–life balance. Based on subjective reports of shift work tolerance, participants were classified as intolerant, medium-tolerant, or tolerant workers. Analysis involved group comparisons, regression, and cluster analysis. Eighteen percentage of the shift workers were classified as intolerant. The intolerant and medium-tolerant workers expressed more severe complaints than the tolerant workers, for all seven health-related domains. Shift work tolerance was primarily related to sleep quality and subsequently to need for recovery, fatigue, and work–life balance. No indications were found for systematic inter-individual differences in the nature of this relationship. For all participants equally, the degree of shift work tolerance was related to the severity of health-related complaints. This study highlights the central role of sleep for tolerance to shift work and underlines the need for occupational medicine to take explicit account of sleep.