The effects of sleep deprivation vs. sleep restriction

What are the effects of severe sleep deprivation and insufficient sleep on middle-age men? A study in the July issue of the journal SLEEP looked at 18 healthy French men ages 46 to 55.  Sleep deprivation and restriction immediately affected their performance and vigilance, but they adapted after three days. And it only took one good night’s sleep for them to recover.

To study the consequences of sleep deprivation and restriction, the men slept normally for the first night. But on the next night they either had no sleep or slept only four hours during the next five nights. The ability to perform a task and continue to perform that task were measured.

Sleepiness was determined in the men immediately following the four hours of sleep. The amount of time it took to fall asleep was as short for men deprived of a night’s sleep as it was for the men sleeping only four hours. Falling asleep in a short time is considered a sign of a sleep disorder. Reaction times decreased after the second day of a four-hour sleep and reached the same levels as men completely deprived of sleep. But the four-hour sleep times also appeared to have little effect after three nights. In the end, alertness and performance for all men was restored after an eight-hour recovery night of sleep.

Read more about sleep needs for men, women, children and older adults.  For sleep disorders of any kind, locate an AASM-accredited sleep center near you for assistance.

When napping is good for older folks

Napping can be good for seniors – as long as they don’t sleep too much. A new study in the July issue of the journal SLEEP studied the sleep habits of 1,166 Israeli seniors ages 75 to 94. The results favored older people who take daily naps to supplement short sleep periods during the night. Seniors who slept more than nine hours per night, however, had higher mortality rates, with or without a nap.

The study surveyed the Israeli seniors and followed up on their mortality rates 20 years later. Sleeping more than nine hours a night was significantly related to increased mortality in comparison with sleeping seven to nine hours. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends seven to nine hours of sleep each day for adults.

Researchers also found a protective effect of daily naps for folks over age 84 who slept fewer than seven hours each night. The study concluded that determining healthy sleep habits among seniors should include an entire 24-hour period. Basing them on nighttime sleep duration or daytime napping alone was inadequate.

Read more about sleep and growing older. If you’re having sleep troubles at any age, locate an AASM-accredited sleep center near you for assistance.

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Sleep loss triggers stress-like immune response

Extreme sleep loss causes an immune response in the body similar to stress, a new study reports. Researchers in the Netherlands and United Kingdom compared white blood cell counts of 15 healthy young men under normal and severely sleep-deprived circumstances. White blood cell numbers showed differences in numbers and patterns after the men were kept awake for 29 hours straight.

Researchers said more study is needed to determine whether this immune response contributes to the development of diseases associated with sleep loss. Sleep restriction has been linked with obesity, diabetes and hypertension. Other studies have shown that sleep helps sustain the functioning of the immune system. Chronic sleep loss also is a risk factor for immune system impairment. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends seven to nine hours of sleep for adults.

The study was published in the July issue of the journal SLEEP. If you’re having trouble sleeping, locate an AASM-accredited sleep center near you for assistance. You also can find more information on sleep disorders and other patient information at the Your Sleep website.

Obesity crisis examined in HBO documentary series "The Weight of the Nation"

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that if nothing is done to reverse the nation's current obesity trends, 42 percent of Americans could be obese by 2030. With the obesity current rate at 36 percent, the nation would add 32 million obese people in less than two decades. Sleep apnea, heart disease, diabetes and countless other debilitating and chronic health problems linked to obesity would devastate the national health and cost the health care system an estimated $550 billion.

A new public health campaign promises to be the first shot in the national battle against obesity. Next week, HBO will premier "The Weight of the Nation", a four-hour, four-part documentary in conjunction with the CDC's conference of the same name. The campaign is a co-effort by HBO and the Institute of Medicine, with support from the CDC, the National Institutes of Health, Kaiser Permanente and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.

The documentary, which will be available for free online, will educate Americans on the science of obesity, the consequences of being overweight and social and economic factors that contribute to obesity. The program also promises to present solutions for individual weight loss and healthier lifestyles.

View the trailer below:


In advance of the premier of the documentary, HBO has launched an educational website as a companion piece. The website, which is rather excellent, provides easy to disseminate information on obesity, including definitions, infographics and plans of action to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Parts 1 & 2 of the "Weight of the Nation" will air on Monday, May 14 at 7 p.m. CST. The second half of the series will air the same time on the following night, Tuesday, May 15. The entire series will be available on-demand on the network's HBO GO Platform and for free on theweightofthenation.hbo.com starting on May 14.

Excessive sleepiness may be cause of learning, attention and school problems

Children with learning, attention and behavior problems may be suffering from sleepiness. Penn State researchers divided 508 children into two groups. One group had parents who reported their children experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness. Parents of the second group reported their children alert during the day. The sleepy kids were more likely to experience learning, attention/hyperactivity and conduct problems.

What surprised researchers was that the tired students got just as much sleep as the other children. Measurements in the lab confirmed it. The researchers suggested that the sleepiness was being caused by obesity or symptoms of inattention, depression or anxiety. Asthma and parents reporting that their children had trouble falling asleep also seemed to contribute to the sleepiness.

Researchers said parents and educators are good resources for determining if a child seems excessively sleepy in the daytime. Their complaints should be taken seriously by health professionals examining the children. Otherwise, the learning and behavior problems could have further consequences in the child’s life.

The study appeared in the May issue of the journal SLEEP. Read more about children’s sleep needs and ways to evaluate whether or not your child is sleepy. For professional assistance, contact an accredited sleep center in your area.

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Longer sleep times counteract obesity related genes

Toss out another old wives’ tale. Sleeping too much does not make you fat. Quite the opposite, according to a new study examining sleep and body mass index (BMI) in twins. Researchers found that sleeping more than nine hours a night may actually suppress genetic influences on body weight.

The study looked at 1,088 pairs of twins in the Washington state area. Twins sleeping less than seven hours a night were associated with increased BMI and greater genetic influences on BMI. Other studies have shown that genetic influences on weight include things like glucose metabolism, energy use, fatty acid storage and satiety. This study determined that the heritability of BMI was twice as high for short sleepers than for twins sleeping longer than nine hours a night.

The results demonstrate a gene-environment interaction between sleep habits and BMI, researchers said. This suggests that shorter sleep provides a more permissive environment for the expression of obesity related genes. Or that extended sleep protects by suppressing the expression of obesity genes.

More research is needed, the study concluded, but these preliminary results suggest that behavioral weight loss measures would be most effective when genetic influences are weakened through sleep extension. The study appeared in the May issue of SLEEP.

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RLS risk higher with history of obstructive lung disease, estrogen use

A history of obstructive lung disease nearly tripled the risk of restless leg syndrome in a recent study group. The risk of restless leg syndrome was 2½ times higher for patients using estrogen.

The study looked at 535 health records from Tucson. The records were part of another project looking at sleep disordered breathing and heart disease. But researchers also used the information to determine a 1.7 percent incidence of restless leg syndrome in these patients. And people with obstructive lung disease were 2.8 times more likely to develop restless leg syndrome.

The restless leg syndrome was associated with insomnia and increased sleepiness. The study appears in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

Restless leg syndrome results in a strong urge to move the legs. It often comes with other uneasy feelings deep inside the legs. Lying or sitting still can be very hard. Learn more about restless leg syndrome or locate an accredited sleep center near you to assist with restless leg syndrome or other sleep disorders.