Sleep disorders

Posted on Cognitive dysfunction, Exercise, Sleep disorders

Short-term cognitive boost from exercise may lasts till the next day

Autism and exercise
A study led by researchers at UCL (University College London) found that exercise provides a short-term boost in brain function that lasts the next day. Previous research in a laboratory setting has shown that people’s cognitive performance improves in the hours after exercise, but how long this benefit lasts is unknown.

The new study, published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, found that, on average, people aged 50 to 83 who did more moderate to vigorous physical activity than usual on a given day did better in memory tests the day after.
Less time spent sitting and six hours or more of sleep were also linked to better memory test scores the next day.
More deep (slow-wave*) sleep also contributed to memory function, and the research team found this accounted for a small portion of the link between exercise and better next-day memory.
The research team analysed data from 76 men and women who wore activity trackers for eight days and took cognitive tests daily.

Lead author Dr Mikaela Bloomberg (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care) said: “Our findings suggest that the short-term memory benefits of physical activity may last longer than previously thought, possibly to the next day instead of just a few hours after exercise. More sleep, profound sleep, seems to add to this memory improvement.
“Moderate or vigorous activity means anything that gets your heart rate up – this could be brisk walking, dancing or walking up a few flights of stairs. It doesn’t have to be a structured exercise.
“This was a small study, so it needs to be replicated with a larger sample of participants before we can be certain about the results.”
In the short term, exercise increases blood flow to the brain and stimulates the release of neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and dopamine, which help with a range of cognitive functions.
These neurochemical changes are understood to last up to a few hours after exercise. However, the researchers noted that other brain states linked to exercise were more long-lasting. For instance, evidence suggests exercise can enhance mood for up to 24 hours.
A 2016 study published by a separate research team also found more synchronised activity in the hippocampus (a marker of increased hippocampal function, which facilitates memory function) for 48 hours after high-intensity interval training (HIIT) cycling.  
Co-author Professor Andrew Steptoe (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care) said: “Among older adults, maintaining cognitive function is essential for good quality of life, wellbeing, and independence. It’s helpful to identify factors that can affect mental health daily.
“This study provides evidence that the immediate cognitive benefits of exercise may last longer than we thought. It also suggests that good sleep quality contributes to mental performance separately.
“However, we can’t establish from this study whether these short-term boosts to cognitive performance contribute to longer-term cognitive health, and though there is plenty of evidence to suggest physical activity might slow cognitive decline and reduce dementia risk, it’s still a matter of some debate.”
For the new study, the researchers looked at data from wrist-worn activity trackers to determine how much time participants spent being sedentary, doing light physical activity, and doing moderate or vigorous physical activity. They also quantified sleep duration and time spent in lighter (rapid eye movement, or REM) sleep and more profound, slow-wave sleep.
In looking at the links between different types of activity and next-day cognitive performance, the research team adjusted for a wide variety of factors that might have distorted the results, including the amount of moderate or vigorous physical activity participants did on the day of the tests.
They also accounted for participants’ average levels of activity and sleep quality across the eight days they were tracked, as participants who are habitually more active and typically have higher-quality sleep perform better in cognitive tests.
The team found that more moderate or vigorous physical activity compared to a person’s average was linked to better working memory and episodic memory (memory of events) the next day. More sleep overall was linked to improved episodic and working memory and psychomotor speed (a measure of how quickly a person detects and responds to the environment). More slow-wave sleep was linked to better episodic memory.
Conversely, more time spent being sedentary than usual was linked to worse working memory the next day.
Posted on Multiple Sclerosis, Sleep disorders

Managing Sleep Challenges with Multiple Sclerosis

“Many people with MS experience sleep issues, and this is also common among military veterans. This program will provide information on managing sleep problems in veterans with MS and introduce VA resources. Dr. Tiffany Braley, an associate professor of Neurology and section head of Multiple Sclerosis at the University of Michigan Health, will be featured in this program.”

Posted on ADHD, Sleep disorders

Melatonin secretion linked to ADHD in children

A groundbreaking study conducted by researchers from Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, in collaboration with several international institutions, has revealed a crucial connection between melatonin secretion and the severity of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) symptoms in children. The findings, published in Psychiatry Research Communications, suggest that genetic variations affecting melatonin production may significantly contribute to the development and worsening of ADHD symptoms.

ADHD is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder affecting approximately 5% of children worldwide. Persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity characterize it. While it has long been known that children with ADHD often struggle with sleep disorders, the precise relationship between sleep and ADHD symptoms has remained unclear—until now.

The study, using data from the Hamamatsu Birth Cohort for Mothers and Children (HBC Study), which tracks children’s development from birth, revealed that children with genetic traits that reduce melatonin secretion at night exhibited more severe ADHD symptoms at age 8 to 9.

“Our findings indicate that disruptions in melatonin secretion may contribute to the difficulties children with ADHD face in maintaining regular sleep patterns,” said Associate Professor Nagahide Takahashi, the lead author and a clinical expert on ADHD. “This could potentially worsen their ADHD symptoms, creating a vicious cycle that can be challenging to break.”

This research has significant implications as it highlights the importance of good sleep habits for children with ADHD. These include consistent bedtime routines, limiting screen time before sleep, and increasing exposure to natural light during the day. Additionally, the study indicates that taking melatonin supplements could help manage ADHD symptoms, but more research is required to confirm its long-term effectiveness.

“This study represents a major advancement in comprehending the intricate relationship between sleep and neurodevelopmental disorders. As researchers delve deeper into these connections, parents and healthcare providers could discover fresh strategies to assist children with ADHD in better managing their symptoms.”

Posted on Multiple Sclerosis, Sleep disorders

How can I improve my sleep while dealing with Multiple Sclerosis?

Sleep problems are more common in people with MS than in the general population, with around half of people with MS experiencing disturbed sleep. In this episode, we discuss common sleep problems and potential ways to improve sleep. We spoke with Professor Michael Banissy, who has written several books on the topic, and also caught up with TikTok star Jo, also known as the Yorkshire wife, to discuss her sleep issues.

Posted on Diabetes, Sleep disorders

Unhealthy sleep linked to diabetes in a diverse population

Kelsie Full

Kelsie Full, PhD, MPH, a behavioural epidemiologist and assistant professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Persistently unhealthy sleep, either not enough or too much, is associated with a significantly increased risk of Type 2 diabetes in a racially and economically diverse adult population, an international team of researchers has reported.

Suboptimal sleep duration is defined as sleeping fewer than seven hours or more than nine hours a night.

Previous studies have found that Black adults are more likely than their white counterparts to experience long-term, unhealthy sleep patterns, as well as a disproportionately high burden of diabetes. Low-income people also are more likely to sleep poorly and develop diabetes.

The current study was based on questionnaires completed by approximately 36,000 adult participants in the Southern Community Cohort Study, which follows the health of a racially and economically diverse group of people in 12 south-eastern states. Most members of the cohort were recruited through community health centers.

Unlike prior studies, which were conducted in predominantly white or exclusively Chinese populations with sleep assessment at a single point in time, approximately 62% of participants in the current study were Black, and their sleep durations were reported in two separate surveys administered an average of five years apart.

“One of the main strengths of our study was that we focused on long-term sleep pattern rather than one-time measurement,” noted Xiao, associate professor of epidemiology, human genetics, and environmental sciences at the UT Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health.

“Moreover, we conducted the study in a large cohort of predominantly low-income and Black populations, which have been traditionally understudied in health research,” she said. “By focusing on longitudinal sleep patterns, we demonstrated the importance of maintaining a healthy sleep pattern over time for metabolic health.”

The strongest association with diabetes was found among participants reporting more extreme changes and higher variability in their sleep durations. Highly variable periods of sleep have been linked in other studies to poorer control of blood glucose levels, as well as to obesity and diabetes.

The current findings “suggest that a highly variable sleep duration in disadvantaged populations may be an important contributing factor to racial and socioeconomic disparities in cardiometabolic health,” the researchers concluded.

While an abnormally long sleep duration may not directly cause diabetes, it may reflect the presence of other diabetes risk factors, including diabetes-related fatigue. As such, “long sleep is still an important behavioral predictor of diabetes risk that may be used for risk prediction and disease screening,” they added.

The authors recommended further investigation to identify social and environmental factors, such as living in stressful, disadvantaged neighborhoods, which can disrupt normal, healthy sleep, and how sleep disruption may contribute to racial and socioeconomic disparities in health outcomes.

“Intervention studies are also needed to evaluate whether improving sleep health may reduce health disparities in the USA,” they wrote.