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Latest sleep medicine news and research for the primary care physician
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Healio.com/Internal Medicine presents the latest research and news in the field of sleep medicine, including an update of sleep guidelines from the National Sleep Foundation and a call for increased telemedicine use from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
National Sleep Foundation updates its sleep duration recommendations
The National Sleep Foundation released updated sleep time duration recommendations for healthy individuals, according to data recently published in Sleep Health.
“Sufficient sleep duration requirements vary across the lifespan and from person to person,” Kaitlyn Whiton, MHS, of the National Sleep Foundation, and colleagues wrote. “The recommendations [...] represent guidelines for healthy individuals and those not suffering from a sleep disorder.” Read more.
Longer exercise duration improves sleep quality
Young adults who exercise frequently may have decreased sleep duration, while those who exercise for longer periods may have improved sleep quality, according to data presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions. Read more.
Bedtime associated with BMI in adolescents, adults
A later average bedtime was associated with an increase in BMI, according to data published in Sleep.
The association indicates that bedtime may be a target for weight management, Lauren D. Asarnow, MA, department of psychology, University of California, Berkeley, and colleagues reported. Read more.
Sleep disruption worse than delayed bedtime for mood
Sleep loss from sleep continuity disruption was worse for mood than sleep loss from delaying bedtime, according to research published in Sleep.
"When your sleep is disrupted throughout the night, you don't have the opportunity to progress through the sleep stages to get the amount of slow-wave sleep that is key to the feeling of restoration," Patrick H. Finan, PhD, department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said in a release. Read more.
AASM calls for greater use of telemedicine by sleep specialists
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has released a position paper that offers recommendations to sleep specialists on incorporating telemedicine into practice to help advance patient health and care quality.
“The integration of telemedicine in sleep medicine practices across the country is an important step forward to improve patient access to high quality sleep health care. Widespread access to the expertise of sleep specialists is desperately needed throughout the U.S., where an estimated 70 million Americans suffer from sleep problems,” Nathaniel Watson, MD, MSc, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, said in a press release. Read more.
Pets in the bedroom may be beneficial to sleep
An analysis of patient questionnaires and interviews found that pets were more often unobtrusive or beneficial to sleep than disruptive, according to data published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
"Sounds, movements, crowding, temperature, odors, and allergens are all aspects of the home environment that can interfere with sleep," Lois E. Krahn, MD, a researcher at the Center for Sleep Medicine at the Mayo Clinic, and colleagues wrote. "Although not commonly examined, a pet in the sleep environment creates the potential for disruptions that compromise sleep quality." Read more.