Study: People with autism may be more susceptible to genetic sleep issues

A study indicates that people with autism might be more susceptible to carrying genetic mutations that changes their circadian clock.

People with autism are twice as likely to carry alterations in genes that regulate the circadian clock, or the body’s sleep-wake cycle, as those without the disorder. The findings, published 6 May in Brain and Development, may help to explain why most children with autism have troubled sleep¹.

Insufficient sleep is known to exacerbate the core symptoms of autism, such as social deficits and repetitive behaviors. The new findings suggest that the relationship between sleep and autism may have genetic roots.

“Sleep disturbance seems to be a main feature of autism,” says lead researcher Takanori Yamagata, professor of pediatric developmental medicine at Jichi Medical University in Shimotsuke, Japan. “My hypothesis is that some circadian genes may be related to some of the genetics of autism.”

To investigate this potential link, Yamagata and his team sequenced 18 genes known to govern the body’s day-night rhythms in 28 children and adults with autism, half of whom have sleep disorders, as well as 23 controls.

They identified a total of 68 mutations in 15 of these genes. About half of the mutations are ‘silent,’ which means they have no effect on the proteins the genes encode. But the other half are ‘missense’ mutations that disrupt the corresponding protein sequence. Nine of the mutations had never been reported before, Yamagata says.

People in the autism group have about twice as many mutations in circadian genes as do members of the control group, regardless of whether they have a sleep disorder.

Within the autism group, the researchers found seven missense mutations among individuals who have sleep disorders and the same number in those who sleep normally. By contrast, just one person in the control group carries a missense mutation in a circadian rhythm gene.

“We detected many mutations only in patients with autism, but almost nothing in the control group,” Yamagata says. “So I think these genes relate to some pathophysiology of autism.”

The researchers then used three types of computer algorithms to predict the impact of the missense mutations on the gene’s function. They found that 25 of the 33 missense mutations are likely to be benign, but 8 appear to be damaging.

One of the analyses found more damaging mutations in the individuals with autism who have sleep disorders than in those who sleep normally.

But the algorithms did not agree on which mutations are likely to be harmful. “Some of these virtual programs may reflect real damage, but they are not perfect,” Yamagata says.

The researchers are investigating whether these eight mutations in circadian genes interfere with brain development in mice. They’re starting with a mutation in a gene called TIMELESS that they found in a 9-year-old boy with autism who sleeps all day and stays awake all night. The boy’s mother, who also struggles with sleep but does not have autism, has the same mutation.

The results of these mouse studies may help elucidate the genetic relationship between sleep and autism.

“It is not yet clear exactly what the basis of this interaction is,” says Mustafa Sahin, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, who was not involved in the study. “It will be very interesting to further investigate the effects of these sequence variations.”

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How to avoid issues from Daylight Savings Time

With Daylight Savings on March 8th, we will lose an hour of sleep. This article explains why it may be an issue for people and gives tips on how to avoid any problems.

You may find you feel a little more tired than usual next month as you adjust to the start of Daylight Saving Time, which begins at 2 a.m on Sunday, March 8.

“An hour seems like a minor change, but moving the clock ahead one hour can be very stressful or disruptive for some people, particularly for those who are already sleep deprived,” says to Jeffrey P. Barasch, M.D., FACCP, FAASM, Medical Director of The Valley Hospital Center for Sleep Medicine.

“The problem goes beyond just the loss of a single hour of sleep on the night of the clock change,” Dr. Barasch says, “The time change also plays havoc with the body’s circadian rhythm, or biological clock.”

This biological clock, located within a part of the brain behind the eyes, determines when we feel alert and when we are sleepy. The internal clock keeps our bodies synchronized with the daily light-dark cycle of the outside world. The biologic clock is ‘set’ or fixed to the time of day by two factors: the time we regularly wake up in the morning and our exposure to sunlight during the day. It can be reset, but (as anyone who has traveled by airplane across several time zones has experienced), the biological clock cannot be adjusted too quickly.

When we move the time clock one hour earlier for daylight savings time, our bodies remain partly on the prior schedule (known as ‘jetlag’ in plane travel). The result: 7 am in daylight savings time is equivalent to 6 a.m. standard time. Also, your typically sunlit mornings will now be dark, and that lack of morning light makes it even more difficult for your internal clock to adjust. So not only are we losing an hour of sleep, but since it can take some time to readjust, we’re left feeling tired for more than the one day on which the clocks change.

People who normally sleep well can usually adjust to the time shift with relatively little difficulty. However, if someone has been barely coping with an undiagnosed and untreated sleep disorder, daylight saving time can exacerbate and therefore unmask problems such as sleep apnea, insomnia or periodic limb movement disorder.

The following tips from Dr. Barasch can help you get a good night’s sleep:
• On the nights after the time change, go to bed at your usual time. You may experience some difficulty falling asleep, because your body’s clock has not yet adjusted.
• Get up at your usual time regularly. Although you may find this a bit difficult, it will help you adjust to the time change.
• Avoid sunlight or bright light in the first few evenings after the time change, as this will tend to keep you awake later and prevent adjustment of your body’s clock.
• Try to get sunlight exposure soon after awakening in the first few mornings after the time change, as this will help you adjust to the new time.
• A short nap can help make up for less sleep, but won’t help you acclimate to the new schedule. Don’t nap within a few hours of your regular bedtime to avoid disrupting nighttime sleep.
• Create a sleep-friendly environment that is dark, cool, comfortable and quiet.
• Have a relaxing routine before bedtime, such as soaking in a hot bath, reading or listening to soothing music.
• Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol for several hours prior to bedtime, as they can disrupt sleep.

If you regularly experience daytime drowsiness, fatigue or disturbed sleep, speak to your doctor or consult with a sleep medicine specialist.

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Tips to beat insomnia

This article gives 10 tips to help you beat insomnia.

Insomnia is the inability to get enough sleep needed to wake up feeling refreshed and well-rested.  Millions of people are suffering from this sleeping disorder.   You can cure insomnia without the additional cost of medication with just little changes in your lifestyle.

1. What you drink and eat before bedtime are also factors that can induce insomnia.  Cut down on alcohol, and do not eat heavy meals before bedtime.  Stick to light snacks and chamomile tea.Cut the caffeine – caffeine is a stimulant.  Cut down on other drinks and foods that have caffeine also, like sodas, teas, and tiramisus.  Coffee should be drank in the morning or at least eight hours before sleep.
2. Keep a quite, dark, and cool bedroom – an uncomfortable sleeping area will not induce sleep. Noise, light, and heat interfere with sleep.
3. The bed is for sleeping and sex – train your brain and body that the bed is for sleeping and sex. Doing office work and reading in bed is a no-no.  The goal is to associate the bed with relaxation and sleep.  Avoid watching TV while lying down in bed, watching TV stimulates your brain to think.  It may make your eyes tired, but the brain is busy converting images to thoughts.  Better yet, transfer the TV to the living room.
4. Avoid naps – try hard not to get that super nap in the afternoon. Naps disrupts sleep at night.  If you really can’t avoid it, limit it to 30 minutes before 3 pm.
5. Quit Smoking – nicotine, like caffeine, is a stimulant. The more you smoke, the more awake you’ll be.  Aside from the hazards of smoking, quitting will do wonders on your sleeping habits.
6. Change the way you think about insomnia – self-defeating thoughts help fuel insomnia. Think positive.  Instead of thoughts like “It’s the same every night,  another night of misery’, think this way instead “This does not every nught, some nights I get enough rest.”  Don’t worry too much, quit this mental habit.
7. Do away with stressful situations before bedtime – avoid heated discussions, heavy mental activities, even strenious activities before bedtime. Try some relaxing activities instead, listening to soft music with keeping the lights low will help in relaxing the brain.
8. Ban Blue Light in the bedroom – Short waves from blue light interferes with sleep. Use devices that have blue light an hour before going to sleep.  This includes TV, cellphones, and digital clocks.
9. Fat or Flat – not the body types, this refers to pillows. The discomfort you give your necks affects the quality of sleep, aside from having a sore neck upon waking up.  Pillows should be just the right size.  Side sleepers should have their nose align with the center of the body while sleeping.  Stomach sleeping should be avoided as this cranes the neck.
10. Control your body clock – go to sleep and wake up around the same time daily, irregardless if its a holiday or a weekend the next day. Our bodies have biological clocks and it is light regulated.  Try getting a ray of sunshine the minute you wake up, for 5 to 30 minutes.

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How to get good sleep if you do shift work

This article explains why shift work can hurt your sleep and gives tips on what to do if you do shift work.

If you work a non-traditional shift like the night shift or rotating shifts, you may be missing out on more than daylight and watching your kids’ soccer games. You could be missing out on sleep and better health.

Night shift workers who have trouble sleeping may have a condition known as shift work sleep disorder.

“Working non-traditional shifts interferes with the body’s circadian rhythms,” says sleep expert Tina Waters, MD. “Most of us are awake during the day because our body’s internal clock is keeping us awake. So no matter how tired you are after working all night, your awakening signals will conflict with your desire tosleep.”

Fortunately, there are some lifestyle changes that can help. But first, let’s look at the problems this disorder can cause.

Why shift work sleep disorder can be hazardous to your health

Studies have shown that lack of sleep can lead to other health issues. Some people develop gastrointestinal distress or metabolic disorders, such as diabetes. Others may develop heart disease.

“There was also a large study done on nurses who worked the night shift in which they were found to have a higher prevalence of infertility and even cancer,” Dr. Waters says.

From a non-health perspective, working alternate shifts can make it difficult to lead a balanced life. “If you’re a spouse or a parent, there are things going on during the time you need to be sleeping,” Dr. Waters says.

Do you have shift work sleep disorder?

Not all shift workers will develop shift work sleep disorder.

If you’re having trouble sleeping and you think this disorder could be the culprit, expect your doctor to first run some tests to rule out other underlying sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea or narcolepsy.

“It’s also a good idea to keep a sleep diary of which shifts you worked and what hours you slept,” says Dr. Waters. A sleep diary can help your doctor identify the problem and monitor its progression over time.

What you can do to get a good ‘night’s’ sleep

Practice good sleep hygiene. If you’re diagnosed with shift work sleep disorder, one of the most important things you can do to make sure you are getting enough sleep is to practice ‘good sleep hygiene.’ which includes:

• Establishing a regular bedtime routine and sticking to it
• Making your environment conducive to sleep (e.g., keeping your bedroom dark, cool and quiet)

Go straight to bed after work. Dr. Waters also recommends going home and sleeping as soon as your shift is over. “One of the triggers that keeps people awake is light, so it helps to decrease your light exposure at least 30 minutes before trying to sleep,” she says. “One way you can do that is to wear sunglasses on your way home, even on a cloudy day.”

Cut back on caffeine. Another thing you can do to help you get a better ‘night’s’ sleep is to reduce yourcaffeine intake. “If you’re drinking caffeine to stay awake, try not to drink any within four hours of the end of your shift to give your body time to metabolize it,” Dr. Waters says.

Set boundaries. It’s also a good idea to let people know what hours you’re working and when you will be sleeping, so they know when to leave you alone.

Get help from your doctor if you need it. If behavioral techniques aren’t helping you sleep, your doctor may prescribe melatonin to induce sleep, medications to promote wakefulness, or prescription sleep aids.

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Link between cancer and sleep cycle

A link was found between a person's sleep cycle and cancer.

People who work around the clock could actually be setting themselves back, according to Virginia Tech biologists.

Researchers found that a protein responsible for regulating the body's sleep cycle, or circadian rhythm, also protects the body from developing sporadic forms of cancers.

"The protein, known as human period 2, has impaired function in the cell when environmental factors, including sleep cycle disruption, are altered," said Carla Finkielstein, an associate professor of biological sciences in the College of Science, Fralin Life Science Institute affiliate, and a Virginia Bioinformatics Institute Fellow.

Supported by a National Science Foundation CAREER award and the Fralin Life Science Institute, the work was published in October in the print edition of the journal Molecular Biology of the Cell, with Tetsuya Gotoh, a research scientist in Finkielstein's lab, as lead author.

Specifically, researchers found that, unaltered, the human period 2 protein directly interacts with tumor suppressor proteins in cells to control cell division.

"When (human period 2 protein) is non-functional because it is either mutated or somehow modified, then, it is unable to do its job and prevent the cells from dividing at certain times of the day," Gotoh said. "This is particularly a problem in cases where tumor suppressor genes are mutated as it happens in more than 80 percent of all cancer cases."

The researchers observed the connection by studying various human and animal tumor cells, where repressing the human period 2 gene led to both abnormal circadian rhythmicity and a malignant transformation.

Researchers are now working closely with patients to identify those at risk of developing cancer due to the malfunctioning of the protein and the gene that produces it.

Results from these studies may help develop new, more effective prevention strategies for populations at risk due to circadian disruption, such as women working night shifts.

"These findings highlight the complexity of the circadian-controlled network and emphasize its physiological relevance for human health and for new therapeutic interventions," Finkielstein said.

"Over the past two decades we've learned a great deal about the inner workings of the circadian clock, the internal timepiece that controls our sleep:wake cycle and a whole host of other daily bodily rhythms," said Ignacio Provencio, a professor of biology at the University of Virginia who was not involved with the study. "The Finkielstein lab discovered that a molecular gear of this clock interacts directly with a well-studied protein whose role is to suppress tumor formation. This remarkable finding is likely to provide insight into how disruption of the internal clock can lead to cancer."

Finkielstein has long studied the connection between circadian rhythms and cancer development, particularly the incidence of breast cancer in women who work night shifts like nurses and flight attendants.

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Health consequences of sleep disorders

This article discusses the different health consequences of sleep disorders and issues with an internal clock.

Ulcers, hyperglycemia, diabetes, hypertension, gastric intestinal problems are not always caused by diet - they could be linked to a disrupted internal clock.

Working a job that requires shift-work or experiencing chronic jet lag disrupts your circadian rhythm. It results in countless consequences to your body that simply can’t be fixed by counting sheep.

“Stimulants such as caffeine can disrupt a patient’s circadian rhythm but also irregular sleep habits, jet lag, Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder, which is common in teenagers, Shift Work Sleep Disorder and Advanced Sleep Phase Disorder, which is common in older people,” says Dr. Baqhar Mohideen, the medical director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Porter Regional Hospital.

“A quarter of American workers are on shift-work – 10 percent of which experience Shift Work Sleep Disorders.”

Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder is when patients fall asleep late and have difficulty waking up in the morning. Shift Work Sleep Disorder affects patients who work nights or rotating shifts. Advanced Sleep Phase Disorder is when patients go to bed early in the evening but wake up very early in the morning around 3 a.m., for example.

Our bodies work on a 24-hour cycle called circadian rhythm or internal clock. The main function of our internal clock is to determine when we sleep and when we wake. Unfortunately if a circadian rhythm is disrupted it affects many biological conditions in the body such as digestion, the release of certain hormones, body temperature, etc.

“Because your hormones are all mixed up, there are lots of consequences – ulcers, chronic fatigue, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, diabetes, etc.” says Mohideen, who is a Diplomat of the American Board of Sleep Medicine.

Glucose intolerance is an umbrella term for metabolic conditions which result in higher blood glucose levels known as hyperglycemia.

Dr. Muhammed Najjar, sleep specialist at the Franciscan Healthcare Sleep Disorders Center located in Munster, agrees there are consequences for a disrupted circadian rhythm caused by Shift Work Sleep Disorder.

“Daytime functions shouldn’t be at night. When there’s a misalignment between the patient’s internal clock and the outside world, it’s not good for the body,” says Najjar. “Shift work causes stress to the body so blood pressure gets elevated, which is why this disorder can cause hypertension. Treating circadian rhythm disorders can help lower blood pressure.”

Najjar says besides patients experiencing the side effects of a disrupted circadian rhythm there are side effects to sleep deprivation also.

Sleep deprivation affects hormones as well which can lead to body weight and body mass index issues. Gastrointestinal tract problems can surface and it can also cause insulin sensitivity which can lead to diabetes. A patient’s body can also become resistant to treatment.

“Many patients are sleep deprived because when they do sleep, it’s not adequate sleep. This affects their level of alertness and they can become accident-prone,” says Najjar. “If a patient’s shift work schedule rotates, or they sleep with a different pattern on their days off, it’s like having continual jet lag —the circadian system never gets the chance to fully catch up.”

The process of adjusting the internal clock with cues from the environment is called entrainment. Light is a stimulant and can effectively re-align one’s circadian rhythm.

Mohideen says some patients take medication or melatonin to assist in the readjustment process.

Melatonin is a body clock hormone that chemically causes drowsiness and lowers the body temperature in preparation for sleep.

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Study: Genes link circadian clock to eating schedule

A study found that specific genes link a person's circadian clock to their eating schedule.

For most people, the urge to eat a meal or snack comes at a few, predictable times during the waking part of the day. But for those with a rare syndrome, hunger comes at unwanted hours, interrupts sleep and causes overeating.

Now, Salk scientists have discovered a pair of genes that normally keeps eating schedules in sync with daily sleep rhythms, and, when mutated, may play a role in so-called night eating syndrome. In mice with mutations in one of the genes, eating patterns are shifted, leading to unusual mealtimes and weight gain. The results were published in this month's Cell Reports.

"We really never expected that we would be able to decouple the sleep-wake cycle and the eating cycle, especially with a simple mutation," says senior study author Satchidananda Panda, an associate professor in Salk's Regulatory Biology Laboratory. "It opens up a whole lot of future questions about how these cycles are regulated."

More than a decade ago, researchers discovered that individuals with an inherited sleep disorder often carry a particular mutation in a protein called PER2. The mutation is in an area of the protein that can be phosphorylated -- the ability to bond with a phosphate chemical that changes the protein's function. Humans have three PER, or period, genes, all thought to play a role in the daily circadian clock and all containing the same phosphorylation spot.

The Salk scientists joined forces with a Chinese team led by Ying Xu of Nanjing University to test whether mutations in the equivalent area of PER1 would have the same effect as those in PER2 that caused the sleep disorder. So they bred mice to lack the mouse period genes, and added in a human PER1 or PER2 with a mutation in the phosphorylation site. As expected, mice with a mutated PER2 had sleep defects, dozing off earlier than usual. The same wasn't true for PER1 mutations though.

"In the mice without PER1, there was no obvious defect in their sleep-wake cycles," says Panda. "Instead, when we looked at their metabolism, we suddenly saw drastic changes."

Mice with the PER1 phosphorylation defects ate earlier than other mice -- causing them to wake up and snack before their sleep cycle was over -- and ate more food throughout their normal waking period. When the researchers looked at the molecular details of the PER1 protein, they found that the mutated PER1 led to lower protein levels during the sleeping period, higher levels during the waking period, and a faster degradation of protein whenever it was produced by cells.

Panda and his colleagues hypothesize that normally, PER1 and PER2 are kept synchronized since they have identical phosphorylation sites -- they are turned on and off at the same times, keeping sleep and eating cycles aligned. But a mutation in one of the genes could break this link, and cause off-cycle eating or sleeping.

"For a long time, people discounted night eating syndrome as not real," says Panda. "These results in mice suggest that it could actually be a genetic basis for the syndrome." The researchers haven't yet tested, however, whether any humans with night eating syndrome have mutations in PER1.

When Panda and Xu's team restricted access to food, providing it only at the mice's normal meal times, they found that even with a genetic mutation in PER1, mice could maintain a normal weight. Over a 10-week follow-up, these mice -- with a PER1 mutation but timed access to food -- showed no differences to control animals. This tells the researchers that the weight gain caused by PER1 is entirely caused by meal mistiming, not other metabolic defects.

Next, they hope to study exactly how PER1 controls appetite and eating behavior -- whether its molecular actions work through the liver, fat cells, brain or other organs.

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What should I know about circadian rhythm sleep disorders?

This article details what everyone should know about circadian rhythm sleep disorders. People can have complaints of insomnia or excess sleepiness, depending on the problem with their life. - JR

When we think of sleep disorder, we tend to think of insomnia, but there are other sleep disorders that can affect a person's ability to work, attend school or live a normal life.

Your circadian rhythm is your body's "internal clock," which signals when you should sleep and when you should wake, as well as other body processes. Normally, this clock runs on a 24-hour cycle, which echoes the Earth's pattern of night and day. We sleep at night; we are awake during the day. However, sometimes our circadian rhythm becomes disrupted, making it difficult for people to sleep during the night or be fully awake and functioning during the day.

Some common causes are going on shift work, pregnancy, time zone changes, medications and changes in routine.

Some common circadian rhythm disorders are:

Jet lag or rapid time zone change syndrome: This includes excessive sleepiness and lack of daytime alertness in people who travel across time zones.

Shift work sleep disorder: This sleep disorder impacts those who frequently have to rotate work shifts or often work at night. They may have trouble adjusting to sleeping during the day and working at night, and this can lead to insomnia.

Delayed sleep phase syndrome: This disorder affects the timing of sleep. People with DSPS tend to fall asleep very late at night and have difficulty waking in time for work, school or other appointments.

Advanced sleep phase syndrome: With this disorder, a person goes to sleep earlier and wakes earlier than desired.

Non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder: With this disorder, a person has a normal sleep pattern, but they live in a 25-hour day. Over time, their sleep cycle is affected by inconsistent insomnia that occurs at different times each night. They may fall asleep at a later time and wake up later, or fall asleep earlier and then wake up earlier.

How are sleep disorders treated?

Treatment options vary depending on the type of sleep disorder involved. One of the first steps is ruling out side effects from any medications, as well as any underlying medical conditions. Having the patient keep a sleep diary for one or two weeks is also important. Often, a combination of behavior therapy, light therapy and possibly medication is involved in providing successful treatment.

Behavior therapy: This usually involves having the patient maintain regular sleep/wake times and avoid naps. This will help "train" the body to the proper sleep time. Engaging in regular exercise is also key as it will encourage physical tiredness. Patients are also advised to avoid caffeine, nicotine and other stimulants, as well as any intense exercise within several hours of bedtime.

Those suffering from delayed sleep phase syndrome should minimize exposure to light during the evening and at night by reducing illumination in their home, and by avoiding the bright screens of televisions and computers. For those suffering from advanced sleep phase syndrome, the situation is the reverse, with light exposure needing to be increased in the evenings. Typically, patients are advised to keep lights on indoors for a longer period, or to spend more time outside in the longer daylight months.

Medication: Medications such as melatonin, or short-term sleep aids, may also be used to adjust and maintain the short-term sleep cycle in order to shift it toward the desired schedule. Melatonin is available over the counter and is a hormone that is found naturally in the body. It promotes sleep and can help with short-term sleep issues. The proper timing of melatonin use varies depending on the condition being treated.

Chronotherapy: A behavioral technique in which the doctor works with the patient to gradually and systematically adjust bedtime until the patient is on the desired schedule. This can take one to two weeks to achieve.

Bright light therapy: Sleep therapists use bright light therapy to help reset a body's circadian clock. The patient is exposed to a high-intensity light (10,000 lux) and the amount of exposure is typically for 30 minutes upon awakening.

We often joke about not getting enough sleep, but for those suffering from true sleep disorders, this is no laughing matter. A good rest, and being able to sleep and wake on a regular schedule, are keys to our being able to function successfully in the world. Lack of sleep, or lack of a regular sleep pattern, can lead to depression, substance abuse and other mental health issues. If you are suffering from a sleep disorder, do not self-treat. Consult with your physician. Treatment is available.

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Children's internal clock could result in trouble sleeping

This article discusses how a child's internal clock, which regulates their natural melatonin levels, could result in the child fighting off sleep at bedtime.

"Just one more story, please?" ''I need a glass of water." ''Mom, I can't sleep!"

When youngsters continually struggle to fall asleep at night, new research suggests maybe their body clock doesn't match their bedtime.

That doesn't mean tots should be up at all hours.

"Just like nutrition and exercise, sleep is critical for good health," said sleep scientist Monique LeBourgeois of the University of Colorado, Boulder, who is leading the research.

The ultimate goal is to help reset a delayed sleep clock so that young children can settle down more easily, she said. Hint: It seems to have a lot to do with light.

We all have what's called a circadian rhythm, a master biological clock, that regulates when we become sleepy, and when we're more alert. Those patterns vary with age: It's the reason teenagers are notorious for late nights and difficult-to-wake mornings.

But how does that clock work in preschoolers, who need more sleep than older kids or adults? A first-of-its-kind study tracked 14 healthy youngsters for six days to begin finding out.

The children, ages 2½ to 3, wore activity monitors on their wrists to detect when they slept. Parents kept diaries about bedtime routines.

Then on the last afternoon, researchers visited each home, dimming lights and covering windows. Then, every 30 minutes for six hours leading up to the child's appointed bedtime, they also coaxed each tot to chew on some dental cotton to provide a sample of saliva.

The reason: To test for levels of a hormone named melatonin that is key to the sleep cycle and also sensitive to light. At some point every evening, people's melatonin levels surge and a while later, they begin to feel sleepy. Among adults who sleep well, that melatonin rise tends to happen about two hours before whatever is their chosen bedtime.

For preschoolers, the new study found that on average, the melatonin surge occurred around 7:40 p.m. The children tended to be tucked in around 8:10 p.m., and most were asleep 30 minutes later, LeBourgeois reported in the journal Mind, Brain and Education.

When melatonin rose earlier in the evening, tots who hit the sack around 8 fell asleep a bit faster. But when the melatonin surge was closer to bedtime, the youngsters were more likely to fuss or make curtain calls after lights-out.

Two children in the study actually were tucked in before their rise in melatonin ever occurred, and it took them up to an hour past bedtime to fall asleep, she said.

"We don't know what that sweet spot is yet," LeBourgeois said, but the data suggest bedtime is easiest if the melatonin surge occurred at least 30 minutes earlier.

The study reinforces what doctors have long suspected is one bedtime barrier, said Dr. Jyoti Krishna, a pediatric sleep expert at the Cleveland Clinic. Other factors can disrupt a child's sleep, too, such as noise, stress or anxiety, or disrupted home routines, he cautioned.

"But this paper reminds us that, hey, there is a time that the body is more ready to sleep than at other times," Krishna said.

The National Institutes of Health says preschoolers need 11 to 12 hours of sleep each day; some typically comes from an afternoon nap.

Parents don't have melatonin tests as a guide, so Krishna advises looking for cues when setting a bedtime — yawning, rubbing eyes — and then to adjust that bedtime as the child gets older.

"The melatonin onset and our body rhythms change," Krishna said. "You can't stick to what worked two years ago with this child, because this child is now a different child."

About 25 percent of young children experience some type of sleep difficulty, including trouble settling down at bedtime, LeBourgeois said. Harried parents aside, there's concern that early-in-life bedtime frustration might lead to more persistent sleep trouble.

"Listen to your child's physiology," she advised. Some steps that might help:

—Research shows that in adults, too much light in the evening delays the melatonin surge and subsequent sleepiness. While there's no data in young children yet, LeBourgeois says dimming the lights about an hour before bedtime makes sense.

—Avoid electronics near bedtime, because they generate a specific type of light that triggers wakefulness. LeBourgeois was horrified to hear one parent offer a sleepless youngster an iPad to play with as long as the child stayed in the bedroom.

—And make sure blackout shades aren't keeping your children from getting enough morning sunlight, she said. Light in the morning also is key to keeping the biological sleep clock on schedule.

Stay tuned: With funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, LeBourgeois has begun a larger study that will track sleep patterns of 40 2-year-olds until they're 5. She'll also measure their light exposure, and periodically record their brain waves during sleep, in a bid to better understand the influence of sleep patterns on children's development.

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Sleep deprivation epidemic in teenagers, study claims

A study claims that there is currently an epidemic of sleep deprivation among teenagers and discusses how this is harmful to their health.

Caffeine, late nights and lack of sleep are just a few ways to describe the life of a typical teenager. Fortunately, a recent teen sleep study conducted at the Golden Bear Sleep and Mood Research Clinic at UC Berkeley aims to help address this problem. Allison Harvey, a psychology professor and the main investigator of the study recognizes the growth in the number of sleep-deprived adolescents and the need to do something about it.

This study has been going on for four years. Participants in the study must be between the ages of 10 and 18 and experience at least one problem relating to emotional health, social aptitude, behavioral irregularity or academic achievement. They also must report having problems sleeping at night. If all criteria are met, they are then invited to a sleepover at the UC Berkeley sleep lab for observation.

Researchers of the study used many methods for improving sleep among the teenage participants. For instance, common methods included motivation interventions and chronothereapy — a type of therapy that involves controlling sleep cycle times as well as the amount of light present — in order to adjust the participants’ circadian rhythm, the internal clock that regulates our biological functions every 24 hours.

The aim of the study was to try to shift the bedtimes of the teenagers. To do so, researchers manipulated melatonin — a hormone which aids in sleep and wake cycles. Once the participants arrived at the campus for the sleepover, they were expected to complete a six-week intervention. The intervention included sessions with a sleeping coach, interviews, saliva samples as well as monitoring activity levels through a special watch known as the Actiwatch.

The study wouldn’t have been possible without the undergraduate student research assistants, whose help includes everything from helping with recording, monitoring Actiwatch, being a morning or night buddy for the participants and having an active role in the biomeasures and outreach group.

Grace Wang, an undergraduate student majoring in psychology, molecular biology and nutritional science, has been an active member of the research assistant team for the study.

“More and more people realize how important sleep is and how important it is to set a regular sleep cycle. Perhaps it would be harder for the teenaged generation to understand, acknowledge and actually implement this into their schedules as they have a lot of things on their plates: clubs, activities, homework, etc.,” Wang said, who is no stranger to unhealthy sleeping cycles herself, in an email interview.

However, sleep-deprived teenagers are not only exclusive to the UC Berkeley campus. Ariel Sim, a third-year UC Davis statistics major and economics minor, has the tendency to calculate the number of hours of sleep she will be getting, though sadly it’s not nearly enough. Just like many students found over all sorts of campuses, Ariel is involved in not only her academics, but other activities as well.

“I am a student leader at a Christian fellowship on campus. I also have to work as much as I can without sacrificing schoolwork to cover rent, tuition, bills, insurance, groceries and any other living expenses. While I have a lot of responsibilities that take up my time, I also suffer from mild insomnia. Perhaps, that’s why I don’t get an ‘ideal’ amount of sleep or ever feel fully rested,” Sim said in an email interview.

Dr. Irwin Feinberg and Dr. Ian Campbell, both from the UC Davis Sleep Research Lab and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavior Sciences are also interested in studying sleep deprivation among teenagers. Both are involved in a sleep need study in adolescents and how the need changes from the ages of 10 to 18 years old.

“There is a decreased need of sleep across adolescence from 12 to 16.5 years, and right now the recommended hours of sleep for teenagers is nine to 10 hours a night,” Dr. Campbell said.

Feinberg and Campbell’s findings lead the researchers to believe that adolescents need less recuperation during the night if they achieve it through naps during the day. Because these findings are not yet conclusive, they are working on teasing out the details.

So if you have brothers or siblings at that age or care for kids yourself, and if they are falling asleep during the day, then most likely they are sleep-deprived. According to both Dr. Feinberg and Dr. Campbell, it is equally important that teenagers develop a regular sleeping schedule regardless of the weekday or weekend.

As a rule of thumb, it is important to try to ensure that teenagers are well-rested in order to have a healthy lifestyle, but in the process of ensuring their sleep, don’t forget to catch some shut eye yourself.

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Irregular bedtime can mean behavioral problems in children

Irregular bedtimes in children can lead to sleep deprivation which can harm a child's brain and cause children to have behavioral issues.

Researchers from UCL have found that children with irregular bedtimes are more likely to have behavioral difficulties.

The study, which is published in the journal Pediatrics, found that irregular bedtimes could disrupt natural body rhythms and cause sleep deprivation, undermining brain maturation and the ability to regulate certain behaviours.

Professor Yvonne Kelly (UCL Epidemiology & Public Health), said: "Not having fixed bedtimes, accompanied by a constant sense of flux, induces a state of body and mind akin to jet lag and this matters for healthy development and daily functioning."

"We know that early child development has profound influences on health and wellbeing across the life course. It follows that disruptions to sleep, especially if they occur at key times in development, could have important lifelong impacts on health."

Analysing data from more than 10,000 children in the UK Millennium Cohort Study, the team collected bedtime data at three, five and seven years, as well as incorporating reports from the children's mothers and teachers on behavioral problems.

The study found a clear clinical and statistically significant link between bedtimes and behavior as irregular bedtimes affected children's behavior by disrupting circadian rhythms, leading to sleep deprivation that affects the developing brain.

As children progressed through early childhood without a regular bedtime, their behavioural scores -- which included hyperactivity, conduct problems, problems with peers and emotional difficulties -- worsened. However, children who switched to a more regular bedtime had clear improvements in their behaviour.

Professor Kelly said: "What we've shown is that these effects build up incrementally over childhood, so that children who always had irregular bedtimes were worse off than those children who did have a regular bedtime at one or two of the ages when they were surveyed.

"But our findings suggest the effects are reversible," continued Professor Kelly. "For example, children who change from not having to having regular bedtimes show improvements in their behaviour."

Irregular bedtimes were most common at the age of three, when around one in five children went to bed at varying times. However, by the age of seven, more than half the children went to bed regularly between 7.30 and 8.30 pm. Children whose bedtimes were irregular or who went to bed after 9 pm came from more socially disadvantaged backgrounds, and this was factored into the study findings.

Professor Kelly said: "As it appears the effects of inconsistent bedtimes are reversible, one way to try and prevent this would be for health care providers to check for sleep disruptions as part of routine health care visits. Given the importance of early childhood development on subsequent health, there may be knock-on effects across the life course. Therefore, there are clear opportunities for interventions aimed at supporting family routines that could have important lifelong impacts."

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Understanding jet lag may help develop drugs to help with time zone changes

A study using jet lagged mice helps researchers determine what makes people slow to adjust to jet lag and may help develop medication to make the transition easier.

New research in mice reveals why the body is so slow to recover from jet lag and identifies a target for the development of drugs that could help us to adjust faster to changes in time zone.

With funding from the Wellcome Trust and F. Hoffmann La Roche, researchers at the University of Oxford, University of Notre Dame and F. Hoffmann La Roche have identified a mechanism that limits the ability of the body clock to adjust to changes in patterns of light and dark. And the team show that if you block the activity of this gene in mice, they recover faster from disturbances in their daily light/dark cycle that were designed to simulate jet-lag.

Nearly all life on Earth has an internal circadian body clock that keeps us ticking on a 24-hour cycle, synchronising a variety of bodily functions such as sleeping and eating with the cycle of light and dark in a solar day. When we travel to a different time zone our body clock eventually adjusts to the local time. However this can take up to one day for every hour the clock is shifted, resulting in several days of fatigue and discombobulation.

In mammals, the circadian clock is controlled by an area of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) which pulls every cell in the body into the same biological rhythm. It receives information from a specialised system in the eyes, separate from the mechanisms we use to 'see', which senses the time of day by detecting environmental light, synchronising the clock to local time. Until now, little was known about the molecular mechanisms of how light affects activity in the SCN to 'tune' the clock and why it takes so long to adjust when the light cycle changes.

To investigate this, the Oxford University team led by Dr Stuart Peirson and Professor Russell Foster, used mice to examine the patterns of gene expression in the SCN following a pulse of light during the hours of darkness. They identified around 100 genes that were switched on in response to light, revealing a sequence of events that act to retune the circadian clock. Amongst these, they identified one molecule, SIK1, that terminates this response, acting as a brake to limit the effects of light on the clock. When they blocked the activity of SIK1, the mice adjusted faster to changes in light cycle.

Dr Peirson explains: "We've identified a system that actively prevents the body clock from re-adjusting. If you think about, it makes sense to have a buffering mechanism in place to provide some stability to the clock. The clock needs to be sure that it is getting a reliable signal, and if the signal occurs at the same time over several days it probably has biological relevance. But it is this same buffering mechanism that slows down our ability to adjust to a new time zone and causes jet lag."

Disruptions in the circadian system have been linked to chronic diseases including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, as well as weakened immunity to infections and impaired cognition. More recently, researchers are uncovering that circadian disturbances are a common feature of several mental illnesses, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Russell Foster, Director of the recently established Oxford University Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute supported by the Wellcome Trust, said: "We're still several years away from a cure for jet-lag but understanding the mechanisms that generate and regulate our circadian clock gives us targets to develop drugs to help bring our bodies in tune with the solar cycle.Such drugs could potentially have broader therapeutic value for people with mental health issues."

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Jet lagged mice used to study sleep disorders

A study using jet lagged mice helped researchers study different sleep disorders.

Many factors keep us from getting a good night’s sleep. Prime culprits include overnight flights across the ocean, graveyard shifts, and stress-induced insomnia. A new study from McGill and Concordia Universities gives hope, however, that these common sleep disturbances may one day be put to bed.

The Earth’s rotation is responsible for creating day and night, and the daily rhythms of all living beings. Mammals have a “circadian clock” in their brains that drive the daily rhythms in sleep and wakefulness, feeding and metabolism, and many other essential processes. Until now, however, the inner workings and molecular processes of this complex brain clock have eluded scientists.

The findings, published in Neuron, identify how a fundamental biological process called protein synthesis is controlled within the body’s circadian clock. The researchers hope their work will help shed light on future treatments for disorders triggered by circadian clock dysfunction, including jet lag, shift work disorders, and chronic conditions like depression and Parkinson’s disease.

“To understand and treat the causes and symptoms of circadian abnormalities, we have to take a closer look at the fundamental biological mechanisms that control our internal clocks,” says Dr. Shimon Amir, professor in Concordia University’s Department of Psychology.

Amir worked with Dr. Nahum Sonenberg, a James McGill professor in the Dept. of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, at the Goodman Cancer Research Centre at McGill University, to study how protein synthesis is controlled in the brain clock. “We identified a repressor protein in the clock and found that by removing this protein, the brain clock function was surprisingly improved,” explains Dr. Sonenberg.

The circadian clocks of all mammals are similar, so the team was able to use mice to conduct their experiments. The mouse model used lacked this specific protein, known as 4E-BP1. The protein blocks the important function of protein synthesis. The mice that lacked this protein were able to overcome disruptions to their circadian clocks more quickly, the team found.

“In modern society, with the frequency of trans-time zone travel, we often deal with annoying jet lag problems, which usually require a couple of weeks of transition,” says Dr.Ruifeng Cao, a postdoctoral fellow who works with Drs. Sonenberg and Amir, “However, by inducing a state like jet lag in the mice lacking that protein, we found they were able to adapt to time zones changes in about half of the time required by regular mice.”

The research team also found, in mice lacking the protein 4E-BP1,there was a small increase in another small protein necessary for brain clock function, vasoactive intestinal peptide or VIP. This indicates to the researchers the functioning of the circadian clock could be improved by genetic manipulations, opening doors on new ways to treat circadian clock-related disorders.

“A stronger clock function may help improve many physiological processes, such as aging,” says Cao. “In addition, understanding the molecular mechanisms of biological clocks may contribute to the development of time-managing drugs,” Amir concurs, noting that “the more we know about these mechanisms, the better able we will be to solve problems associated with disruptions to our bodies’ internal clocks”.

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