Light at night may cause depression for those with sleep apnea

Research claims that dim light at night can increase depression for people who have obstructive sleep apnea.

New research suggests the estimated 12 million Americans who have obstructive sleep apnea should sleep in a very dark room.

Scientists at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center have found exposure to dim light at night can interact with sleep apnea and lead to increased levels of depression and anxiety in mice.

“Although it is unclear at the present time whether sleep apnea causes depression, both conditions are commonly seen together in patients. Our research suggests that sleeping even with a minimum amount of light may increase symptoms of depression in those with sleep apnea,” says Dr. Ulysses Magalang, director of Ohio State’s Sleep Disorders Center and a co-author of the study.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a common problem, especially among smokers and people who are overweight. The disorder causes abnormal breathing while sleeping, lowers oxygen levels and is linked to high blood pressure, diabetes, and higher risk of stroke and heart failure. The most common signs include loud snoring, daytime sleepiness, irritability and memory problems.

Magalang offers these suggestions for improving sleep and reducing light exposure at night:

• Use room-darkening drapes or shades on windows to block outside light from traffic, streetlights and neighboring buildings.
• Turn off the television, computer and other electronic devices before going to sleep.
• Choose clocks or night lights with red lighting instead of blue or green.

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Camping helps you feel more rested

A study claims a week of camping giving a break from artificial light helps you feel more rested.

Getting away from it all really does make you feel well-rested.

A new study published in Current Biology says camping for a week can help improve sleep by resetting the body’s natural clock.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder found that spending time in the great outdoors —
and away from alarm clocks, electric lights and other modern distractions — can sync up sleep patterns to the sunrise and sunset. That’s the sleep schedule humans are meant to have, scientists say.

The study found that when artificial light is available, people tend to stay up much later than they should.

“What’s remarkable is how, when we’re exposed to natural sunlight, our clocks perfectly become in synch in less than a week to the solar day,” professor Kenneth Wright, who led the study, said in a report on the university’s website.

“Some people are morning types and others like to stay up later. What we found is that natural light-dark cycles provide a strong signal that reduces the differences that we see among people—night owls and early birds—dramatically,” Wright added.

For those who can’t take a week off to go camping, similar benefits can be achieved by turning off the lights earlier at night, dimming computer screens and by beginning the day with a walk outside.

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Recent estimates claim up to 70 million Americans have sleep disorder

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) claims that up to 70 million Americans are affected by sleep disorders with up to 50% of these sleep disorders being chronic conditions.

How often do you get enough sleep? You might say that your lifestyle doesn’t permit you to get very much. For millions of Americans, it’s not a choice; researchers say that sleep disorders are becoming an increasingly common health issue in the US, with an estimated 70 million Americans suffering the consequences of not being able to get enough rest.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) found that of the 70 million sleep disorder sufferers, nearly 50 percent had chronic disorders. Experts at Mind Body Spirit Wellness Center, a Georgia-based clinic specializing in alternative well-being methods, have given their best tips for reducing stress and harmonizing mind, body and spirit to get the most out of bedtime.

While the modern and hectic lifestyle of today’s working adult might place sleep and quality rest low on the list of priorities, it’s important to remember just how essential a good night’s rest actually is. The average adult needs seven or eight hours’ sleep to function normally – those that go without, risk disturbances to their emotional well-being, their ability to cope with stress and even digestive issues.

Wellness expert Dr. Maiysha Clairborne understands the importance of healthy sleep as well as the role routine plays within a good sleep pattern. She says: "It’s essential to carve out a bedtime routine that works for you and your body – it’s the best way to get yourself ready to make the most of your resting hours." She suggests setting boundaries for the bedroom and banning smartphones and tablets from use at bedtime, as these give out an artificial light which can trick our bodies into believing that it’s actually daytime. This prolongs the process of falling asleep and can encourage light, shallow sleep rather than the deep REM sleep that we need in order to feel revived and recharged in the morning.

Diet also plays a role in a successful sleep habit. Avoiding food with high levels of sugar and caffeine-laden drinks is a good for health in general, but avoiding consumption of these in the early evening is especially important. The ‘high’ created by these can play havoc with natural sugar and energy levels, so it’s important to wind down naturally in order to get to sleep.

Regular exercise is another example of good health practice that has sleep benefits. While it can boost energy levels in the day, it can also help to create a natural sleepiness that kicks in when you’re ready to sleep. Gentle stretching and yoga can also be beneficial in the hours before going to sleep.

Acupuncture holds benefits for those who need extra help with gehttp://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/7/prweb10929581.htmtting quality sleep. Dr Clairborne adds: "Acupuncture can have a really positive effect on those with insomnia and can help relieve anxiety, which can play a big role in sleep disorders." This is just one of the many treatments offered by the experts at MBS Wellness Clinic, which also specializes in stress management, weight loss and well-being life coaching.

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Daylight increases sleep quality

Exposure to daylight in the workplace leads to increased sleep quality and duration.

Think of your ideal workspace. Do you prefer fluorescent lights flickering overhead, or daylight streaming in through wide windows?

If you need help deciding, consider new findings that suggest a strong link between windows in the workplace and workers' sleep, vitality, and quality of life.

In preliminary research presented this week at the SLEEP 2013 conference in Baltimore, a team led by doctoral candidate Ivy Cheung of Northwestern University found that those who had windows in the workplace slept an average of 47 more minutes per night compared to workers in offices without daylight exposure.

They also had 173 percent more white light exposure during the workday, were more physically active, and reported better sleep quality and efficiency.

"The extent to which daylight exposure impacts office workers is remarkable," said Cheung.

Cheung's study included 49 day-shift office workers, 27 of whom worked in a windowless workplace and 22 of whom worked with windows.

The participants answered the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), self-report questionnaires that assess their general quality of life and sleep quality, respectively.

In a subset of 21 participants, including 10 windowless workers and 11 workers with windows, researchers measured light exposure, activity, and sleep-wake patterns with actigraphy, a monitoring technique in which wrist monitors record motor activity and other sleep-related factors like light and temperature.

The workers without windows in the workplace had worse quality of life measures related to vitality and physical problems, and poorer scores on measures of overall sleep quality, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, and daytime dysfunction on the PSQI. No significant actigraphy results were reported.

The researchers suggest that architects and employers should take natural daylight exposure and light levels into account when considering the structural forces that motivate office workers and encourage overall health.

"Enhanced indoor lighting for those with insufficient daylight in current offices as well as increased emphasis on sufficient daylight exposure in the architectural design of future office environments may improve office workers' physical and mental well-being," they conclude.

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Effects of Artificial Light on Sleep

Artificial light from electronics and energy-saving lightbulbs may be negatively effecting your sleep.

"The use of electricity for lighting is in no way harmful to health, nor does it affect the soundness of sleep," wrote Thomas Edison. However, one sleep expert says the father of the modern light bulb got it wrong: artificial lighting is one of the worst things for getting a good night's rest.

Professor Charles Czeisler from the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School in the US warns that exposure to artificial light after sunset is contributing to the growing problem of insufficient sleep in modern society. Furthermore, he says that sleeplessness in children may be mistaken for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD).

Writing in the journal Nature, he argues that our problems are set to get worse because of the push towards adopting energy-saving light bulbs and the proliferation of smart phones, tablets and laptops.

However, one UK expert cautions that there is no evidence that people in the UK are more sleep deprived than 20 years ago.

Circadian rhythms: Telling night from day

According to Professor Czeisler, our lack of sleep can be attributed to a number of factors, including caffeine, early starts to the school and working day and long commuting times. However, he believes we sometimes fail to appreciate how much the electric light bulb has disrupted our circadian rhythms.

"As a result, many people are still checking e-mail, doing homework or watching TV at midnight, with hardly a clue that it is the middle of the solar night," he writes. "Technology has effectively decoupled us from the natural 24-hour day to which our bodies evolved, driving us to go to bed later."

He argues that there has been a 10-fold rise in the number of working adults in the US averaging less than six hours of sleep each night over the last half-century. He says that sleep deficiency and sleep disorders increase the risk of obesity,diabetes, heart disease, depression and stroke.

Energy-saving light bulbs

According to Professor Czeisler, the situation is likely to get worse once we have abandoned the traditional incandescent light bulb and switched to energy-saving light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

LEDs are used to illuminate our laptop screens, smartphones and other electronic gadgets, and have recently become a popular choice for everyday lighting.

The problem, says Professor Czeisler, is that LED white light is typically rich in short-wavelength blue light, which is known to be more disruptive to the circadian rhythm.

Medium or media?

Professor Jim Horne from the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University tells BootsWebMD there is a danger in singling out artificial light and illuminated devices as the cause of sleep problems. "I don't see any hard evidence that we adults in the UK are sleeping any shorter or worse than we did 20 or so years ago before the advent of these visual media," he says.

The only exception to this may be in children, he adds. "Also attributing obesity to inadequate sleep is exaggerated well beyond the facts."

According to Professor Horne, it is not the little glowing LEDs under the screen of our TVs, computers, smart phones and hand-held games consoles that are likely to be the problem, "but the messages and excitement conveyed by these media, which in my opinion has a much more powerful effect in keeping people awake than do these forms of light".

Tips for sleeping well

The Sleep Council has a series of tips for helping you get a good night's rest. These include:

• Make sure you have a good, supportive mattress
• Keep your room completely dark, using blackout curtains or an eye mask if necessary
• Make sure your room isn’t too hot or too cold (16-18°C is ideal)
• Keep clutter out of your room
• Avoid having a television or computer in the bedroom
• Turn off your mobile phone and anything with an LED display (including clocks)
• Only use your bedroom for sleep and sex, not as an extension to your living room or study.

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