076 Bright light during wakefulness improves objective and subjective sleep quality: a forced desynchrony study

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A32-A32
Author(s):  
Renske Lok ◽  
Tom Woelders ◽  
Marijke Gordijn ◽  
Minke van Koningsveld ◽  
Klaske Oberman ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Under real life conditions, increased light exposure during wakefulness seems associated with improved sleep quality, quantified as reduced time awake during bed time, increased time spent in non-REM (NREM) sleep or increased power in the EEG delta band (0.5–4 Hz). The causality of these important relationships and their dependency on circadian clock phase and/or time awake has not been studied in depth. To establish causality of light effects during wake time on subsequent sleep, and to disentangle possible circadian and homeostatic interactions, we employed a forced desynchrony (FD) protocol under dim light (6.5 lux) and bright light (1307 lux) during wakefulness. Methods The protocol consisted of a fast cycling sleep-wake schedule (13h wakefulness – 5h sleep; 4 cycles), followed by 3h recovery sleep in a within subject cross-over design. Individuals (7 men) were equipped with 10 polysomnography electrodes. Subjective sleep quality was measured immediately after wakening. Results Results indicated that circadian variation in delta power was only detected under dim light. Circadian variation in time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and wakefulness were uninfluenced by light. Prior light exposure increased accumulation of delta power and time in NREM sleep, while decreasing wakefulness, especially during the circadian wake phase. Subjective sleep quality scores showed that participants were only able to assess light induced improvement of sleep quality correctly when the circadian system promoted wakefulness. Conclusion This study presents significant effects of bright light exposure on sleep architecture, leading to sleep pressure related changes in objective sleep quality. At the end of the scheduled sleep phase after increased light exposure, more delta power and NREM sleep were detected, especially when sleep occurred outside the normal sleep phase. Subjective sleep quality scores showed light-induced improvements coinciding with increased delta power and time spend in NREM sleep, suggesting that light during wakefulness may improve subsequent sleep quality. These findings may have important implications for insomnia treatment and clinical applications of light therapy. Support (if any) This research was funded by the University of Groningen Campus Fryslân (Grant No. 01110939; co-financed by Philips Drachten and Provincie Fryslân). Additional financial support was obtained from a NWO-STW Program Grant “OnTime” (project 12185).

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A15-A16
Author(s):  
Jonas Beck ◽  
Erna Loretz ◽  
Björn Rasch

Abstract Introduction Cognitive processes (e.g., rumination, perception of an unfamiliar sleeping environment, relaxation techniques) alter our sleep, but the underlying mechanisms are still unknown. Theories of embodied or grounded cognition assume that semantic meaning is stored in multimodal neuronal networks. We therefore assume that cognitive concepts are closely linked to related bodily functions. We propose that mental processes are active to a greater or lesser extent during sleep and that this degree of activation affects our sleep depth. Methods We examined this notion by activating the concept of “relaxation” during sleep using relaxation-related words in 50 healthy participants. After an adaption night, subjects slept in the sleep laboratory for two experimental nights according to a within-subject cross-over design. During one experimental night, relaxing words (e.g., “sea”, “relax”) were presented to promote sleep depth. During the other experimental night, control words were presented (e.g., “produce”, “materials”). As the amount of SWS peaks within the first sleep cycle, words were presented during NREM sleep starting with the second sleep cycle (at the latest 120 min after sleep onset). In addition, a mood and a subjective sleep quality questionnaire was conducted. Results In support of our hypothesis, playing relaxing words during non-rapid eye movement sleep extended the time spent in slow-wave sleep during the period, when words were presented. Furthermore, power in the slow-wave activity band was increased several seconds after the cue for relaxing compared with control words. The increased sleep depth by means of relaxing words was accompanied by a reduced interhemispheric asymmetry of SWA and slow-wave density in the during-cueing period. The changes observed in objective sleep translated to the subjective level with an increase in subjective sleep quality and alertness ratings. Conclusion The present study showed that the semantic meaning of words presented during NREM sleep is capable of affecting sleep physiology, SWS maintenance and the subjective evaluation of sleep quality. Our results support the notion that the activation of mental concepts during sleep can influence sleep depth and provide a basis for interventions using targeted activations to promote sleep depth and sleep quality to foster well-being and health. Support (if any):


SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A312-A312
Author(s):  
S Hartmann ◽  
M Baumert

Abstract Introduction The micro-architecture of NREM sleep displays a cyclic alternating pattern (CAP) comprising activation phases of slow high-amplitude waves (A1), fast low-amplitude brain activity rhythms (A3) or a mixture of both (A2). In this study, we investigated the relationship between CAP and subjective sleep quality parameters reported by community-dwelling older men from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Sleep Study. Methods CAP was scored in 2,811 overnight EEG recordings using a high performance automated CAP detection system. We quantified the ratio between CAP time and NREM sleep time (CAP rate), the number of A1-phases per hour of NREM sleep (A1 index), and the number of A2+A3-phases per hour of NREM sleep (A2+A3 index). Also, participants were asked to score the quality of their sleep on a Likert scale with five items from light to deep, from short to long, and from restless to restful. The relationship between CAP parameters and the subjective sleep quality measures was determined using ANCOVA with traditional sleep disturbance indices such as obstructive apnea-hypopnea index and arousal index as covariate. Results CAP rate decreased significantly with increasing quality of sleep for all three subjective measures (light vs. deep: 58.8±22.3% vs. 54.6±20.5%, p < 0.001; short vs. long: 58.4±21.4% vs. 55.1±20.5%, p < 0.001, restless vs. restful: 59.4±20.8% vs. 55.6±21.0%, p = 0.002). The A1 index did not show any significant variations across all three sleep quality parameters. The A2+A3 index behaved similarly to the CAP rate with decreasing values for each subjective measure (all: p < 0.001). Conclusion CAP rate, especially A2+A3-phases, are reduced in older men who report good sleep quality, while A1 index did not show any significant relationship with subjective sleep quality measures. Hence, CAP is an indicator of sleep quality. Support The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) provides funding for the MrOS Sleep ancillary study “Outcomes of Sleep Disorders in Older Men” under the following grant numbers: R01 HL071194, R01 HL070848, R01 HL070847, R01 HL070842, R01 HL070841, R01 HL070837, R01 HL070838, and R01 HL070839.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aki Kawasaki ◽  
Morgane Udry ◽  
Mohamad El Wardani ◽  
Mirjam Münch

Glaucoma damages retinal ganglion cells, including intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). These cells modulate various non-visual physiological and psychological functions which are modulated by light. In patients with glaucoma, we assessed the effect of daily bright light exposure (LE) on several melanopsin-dependent functions, such as the pupil constriction, circadian rest-activity cycles, sleep and subjective well-being including relaxation, alertness and mood. Twenty patients participated in the study (9 women, 11 men, mean age = 67.6 ± 7.5 y). Pupillometry was performed before the LE weeks and repeated on the last day of LE. The post-illumination pupil response (PIPR) was calculated as a proxy for melanopsin-dependent activation. Participants continuously wore an activity monitor and self-assessed sleep quality, well-being and visual comfort for 7 days before and during 4 weeks of daily bright LE (30 min to 10,000 lux polychromatic bright white light). After the LE, there was a significantly greater PIPR and higher subjective sleep quality when compared to the pre-LE week (p < 0.05), but no significant changes in 24-h rhythms or sleep parameters. A greater PIPR was correlated with an increase in circadian amplitude and higher inter-daily stability (derived from rest-activity cycles; p < 0.05). In a small group of patients with glaucoma, scheduled daily bright light exposure could improve subjective sleep quality. These findings highlight the importance to evaluate and maintain non-visual functions at different levels in patients with progressive loss of ipRGCs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 664
Author(s):  
Lin Li ◽  
Qian Yu ◽  
Wenrui Zhao ◽  
Fabian Herold ◽  
Boris Cheval ◽  
...  

Objectives: the current study aimed to investigate the relationship between physical activity (PA) level and inhibitory control performance and then to determine whether this association was mediated by multiple sleep parameters (i.e., subjective sleep quality, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, and sleep disturbance). Methods: 180 healthy university students (age: 20.15 ± 1.92 years) from the East China Normal University were recruited for the present study. PA level, sleep parameters, and inhibitory control performance were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Scale (PSQI), and a Stroop test, respectively. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results: A higher level of PA was linked to better cognitive performance. Furthermore, higher subjective sleep quality and sleep efficiency were associated with better inhibitory control performance. The mediation analysis revealed that subjective sleep quality and sleep efficiency mediated the relationship between PA level and inhibitory control performance. Conclusion: our results are in accordance with the literature and buttress the idea that a healthy lifestyle that involves a relatively high level of regular PA and adequate sleep patterns is beneficial for cognition (e.g., inhibitory control performance). Furthermore, our study adds to the literature that sleep quality and sleep efficiency mediates the relationship between PA and inhibitory control performance, expanding our knowledge in the field of exercise cognition.


2021 ◽  
pp. 019459982110295
Author(s):  
Jacob Fried ◽  
Erick Yuen ◽  
Kathy Zhang ◽  
Andraia Li ◽  
Nicholas R. Rowan ◽  
...  

Objective To determine the impact of treatment for patients with nasal obstruction secondary to allergic rhinitis (AR) and nasal septal deviation (NSD) on sleep quality. Data Sources Primary studies were identified though PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Review Methods A systematic review was performed by querying databases for articles published through August 2020. Studies were included that reported on objective sleep parameters (apnea-hypopnea index) and sinonasal and sleep-specific patient-reported outcome measures: Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire, Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (EpSS), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results The database search yielded 1414 unique articles, of which 28 AR and 7 NSD studies were utilized for meta-analysis. A total of 9037 patients (8515 with AR, 522 with NSD) were identified with a mean age of 35.0 years (35.3 for AR, 34.0 for NSD). Treatment for AR and NSD significantly improved subjective sleep quality. For AR, the EpSS mean difference was −1.5 (95% CI, –2.4 to –0.5; P = .002) and for the PSQI, –1.7 (95% CI, –2.1 to –1.2; P < .00001). For NSD, the EpSS mean difference was −3.2 (95% CI, –4.2 to –2.2; P < .00001) and for the PSQI, –3.4 (95% CI, –6.1 to –0.6; P = .02). Conclusion Subjective sleep quality significantly improved following treatment for AR and NSD. There were insufficient data to demonstrate that objective metrics of sleep quality similarly improved.


2019 ◽  
Vol 64 ◽  
pp. S231-S232
Author(s):  
D. Lorrain ◽  
D. Bélisle ◽  
I. Viens

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