News http://sleepspecialists.co.uk/sleep-specialists News items that catch the eye of the editor(s). Journal links. daily 1 2011-03-26T11:17:53Z Does sleep loss cause dementia? http://sleepspecialists.co.uk/sleep-specialists/news/does-sleep-loss-cause-dementia This, very preliminary research, indicates that restricted sleep does NOT increase the chances of the brain being more susceptible to processes associated with the development of dementia. NOVATI, ARIANNA, HULSHOF, HENRIËTTE J., GRANIC, IVICA, MEERLO, PETER

Chronic partial sleep deprivation reduces brain sensitivity to glutamate N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor-mediated neurotoxicityJO  - Journal of Sleep Research

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2011.00932.x

DO  - 10.1111/j.1365-2869.2011.00932.x

Journal of Sleep Research

]]> No publisher admin 2012-01-30T19:20:38Z News Item A self-help book is better than sleep hygiene advice for insomnia: A randomized controlled comparative study http://sleepspecialists.co.uk/sleep-specialists/news/a-self-help-book-is-better-than-sleep-hygiene-advice-for-insomnia-a-randomized-controlled-comparative-study Scandinavian Journal of Psychology
BJØRN BJORVATN1,2, ELDBJØRG FISKE1,2, STÅLE PALLESEN2,3
Volume 52, Issue 6, pages 580–585, December 2011

Check out the how to sleep book section here!

]]> No publisher admin 2012-01-30T19:20:00Z News Item Zeo Mobile launched http://sleepspecialists.co.uk/sleep-specialists/news/zeo-mobile-launched Zeo have launched the mobile version of their automated sleep monitoring equipment. More on the Zeo.

]]> No publisher admin 2011-10-27T11:02:57Z News Item Validation of an automated wireless system to monitor sleep in healthy adults. http://sleepspecialists.co.uk/sleep-specialists/validation-of-an-automated-wireless-system-to-monitor-sleep-in-healthy-adults The aim of this study was to evaluate a novel wireless system (the Zeo) that does not require skilled preparation for the automatic collection and scoring of human sleep. Some data
  • The Zeo agreement with each of the two PSG scores for sleep stages was 75.8 and 74.7%, respectively.
  • The Zeo  agreement with each of the two PSG scores for sleep/wakefulness was 92.6 and 91.1%,
  • Actigraphy agreement with PSG was 86.3 and 85.7%.
  • The PSG scorers' agreement with each other for sleep stages was 83.2%, and 95.8%.

Shambroom, JR, SE Fabregas, & J Johnstone, ‘Validation of an automated wireless system to monitor sleep in healthy adults.’, Journal of Sleep Research 2011,

Zeo

PSG = Polysomnography - which uses multiple electrodes on the scalp, face and chin (for sleep scoring); the gold standard is manual scoring.

]]> No publisher admin 2011-09-21T10:10:42Z News Item Walking dreams in congenital and acquired paraplegia. http://sleepspecialists.co.uk/sleep-specialists/news/walking-dreams-in-congenital-and-acquired-paraplegia Patients with paraplegia dream about walking, running, dancing, standing up, cycling or competing even if they have not been able to walk since birth. Conscious Cogn. 2011 Jun 23. [Epub ahead of print]

Saurat MT, Agbakou M, Attigui P, Golmard JL, Arnulf I.

Abstract

To test if dreams contain remote or never-experienced motor skills, we collected during 6weeks dream reports from 15 paraplegics and 15 healthy subjects. In 9/10 subjects with spinal cord injury and in 5/5 with congenital paraplegia, voluntary leg movements were reported during dream, including feelings of walking (46%), running (8.6%), dancing (8%), standing up (6.3%), bicycling (6.3%), and practicing sports (skiing, playing basketball, swimming). Paraplegia patients experienced walking dreams (38.2%) just as often as controls (28.7%). There was no correlation between the frequency of walking dreams and the duration of paraplegia. In contrast, patients were rarely paraplegic in dreams. Subjects who had never walked or stopped walking 4-64years prior to this study still experience walking in their dreams, suggesting that a cerebral walking program, either genetic or more probably developed via mirror neurons (activated when observing others performing an action) is reactivated during sleep.

 

]]> No publisher admin 2011-08-16T10:36:48Z News Item Extra sleep improves elite athletic performance? http://sleepspecialists.co.uk/sleep-specialists/news/extra-sleep-improves-elite-athletic-performance Stanford University's basketball players were told to try to extend their sleep to at least 10h / day. If they didn't manage to do this because of travel and other requirements they were told to nap during the day. Sports measures such as sprint times and throwing accuracy improved. Formal psychological measures also showed improved performance and better mood. A Wired report here.

Slightly fuller report here: ScienceDaily

Published in Sleep: Citation: Mah CD; Mah KE; Kezirian EJ; Dement WC. The effects of sleep extension on the athletic performance of collegiate basketball players. SLEEP 2011;34(7):943-950.

]]> No publisher admin 2011-07-07T12:15:07Z News Item Does sleep loss cause dementia? http://sleepspecialists.co.uk/sleep-specialists/news/does-sleep-loss-cause-dementia-1 This, very preliminary research, indicates that restricted sleep does NOT increase the chances of the brain being more susceptible to processes associated with the development of dementia. NOVATI, ARIANNA, HULSHOF, HENRIËTTE J., GRANIC, IVICA, MEERLO, PETER

Chronic partial sleep deprivation reduces brain sensitivity to glutamate N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor-mediated neurotoxicityJO  - Journal of Sleep Research

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2011.00932.x

DO  - 10.1111/j.1365-2869.2011.00932.x

Journal of Sleep Research

]]> No publisher admin 2011-06-19T10:08:35Z News Item Microsleeps: Some brain regions nap during wakefulness http://sleepspecialists.co.uk/sleep-specialists/news/microsleeps-some-brain-regions-nap-during-wakefulness Microsleeps usually refer to ultra-brief naps which compromise all behaviour. This paper finds that parts of the brain that can go to sleep whilst the person as a whole remains awake. This may account for those absent-minded lapses? (Dolphins though and some other aquatic species do it more sensibly, they shut half-their brain down while the other half sleeps!) Vladyslav V. Vyazovskiy, Umberto Olcese, Erin C. Hanlon, Yuval Nir, Chiara Cirelli, Giulio Tononi. Local sleep in awake rats. Nature, 2011; 472 (7344): 443 DOI: 10.1038/nature10009

]]> No publisher admin 2011-05-21T10:43:10Z News Item Mood lighting to maintain alertness and behaviour in classrooms http://sleepspecialists.co.uk/sleep-specialists/news/mood-lighting-to-maintain-alertness-and-behaviour-in-classrooms Observer article Mood lighting

]]> No publisher admin2 2011-05-01T10:59:01Z News Item Herbal remedies banned http://sleepspecialists.co.uk/sleep-specialists/news/herbal-remedies-banned Observer article Here

]]> No publisher admin2 2011-05-01T10:45:30Z News Item BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF MILD FACIAL WARMING ON SLEEP PROPENSITY AND SLEEP LATENCIES http://sleepspecialists.co.uk/sleep-specialists/news/beneficial-effects-of-mild-facial-warming-on-sleep-propensity-and-sleep-latencies Results: 4-way ANOVA with Subject, Day (first/second), Time of the day (1 to 8) and Heat (On/Off) revealed a significant main effect of the facial warming on sleep latencies (ON: 5.1 ± 5.3 minutes; OFF: 7.5 ± 6.1 minutes; F = 8.67, P < 0.001). Significant main effects also existed for Subjects, Day (likely due to adaptation) and time of the day (all P < 0.001). Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that mild facial warming can promote sleep onset Popovic D1,2, Westbrook P1, Berka C1 1Advanced Brain Monitoring Inc., Carlsbad, CA, United States, 2Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Sleep 33, 10, APSS abstracts

]]> No publisher admin 2011-04-12T11:33:10Z News Item Dreaming and the brain: from phenomenology to neurophysiology http://sleepspecialists.co.uk/sleep-specialists/news/dreaming-and-the-brain-from-phenomenology-to-neurophysiology Dreams are a remarkable experiment in psychology and neuroscience, conducted every night in every sleeping person. They show that the human brain, disconnected from the environment, can generate an entire world of conscious experiences by itself. Content analysis and developmental studies have promoted understanding of dream phenomenology. In parallel, brain lesion stu- dies, functional imaging and neurophysiology have advanced current knowledge of the neural basis of dreaming. It is now possible to start integrating these two strands of research to address fundamental ques- tions that dreams pose for cognitive neuroscience: how conscious experiences in sleep relate to underlying brain activity; why the dreamer is largely disconnected from the environment; and whether dreaming is more closely related to mental imagery or to perception. Yuval Nir and Giulio Tononi

Trends in Cognitive Sciences    Vol.14 No.2 88-100

]]> No publisher admin 2011-03-30T21:28:59Z News Item