No abstract

Objective:The aim of this study was to assess the effects of resistance exercise and stretching on sleep, mood, and quality of life in chronic insomnia patients.Methods:Three 4-month treatments included: resistance exercise (n=10), stretching (n=10), and control (n=8). Sleep was evaluated with polysomnography, actigraphy, and questionnaires. Mood and quality of life were assessed with the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36), respectively.Results:There were no significant treatment differences between resistance exercise and stretching. However, compared with the control treatment, resistance exercise and stretching led to significantly greater improvements in Insomnia Severity Index scores (-10.5±2.3, -8.1±2.0 vs. 2.3±1.8, respectively), and actigraphic measures of sleep latency (-7.1±4.6, -5.2±1.9 vs. 2.2±2.1 min), wake after sleep onset (-9.3±2.8, -7.1±3.0 vs. 3.6±4.2 min), and sleep efficiency (4.4±1.8, 5.0±0.8 vs. -2.3±2%). Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) global scores (-5.3±0.8, -3.9±1.5 vs. -0.1±0.8) and sleep duration (1.2±0.3, 1.6±0.6 vs. -0.1±0.2 h) also improved following both experimental treatments compared with control. PSQI-Sleep efficiency increased after resistance exercise compared with control (19.5±3.9 vs. 2.1±4.3%). No significant differences were observed in polysomnography or quality of life measures. Tension-anxiety was lower in the stretching group than the control group.Conclusion:Moderate-intensity resistance exercise and stretching led to similar improvements in objective and subjective sleep in patients with chronic insomnia.Clinical trial registration:NCT01571115

Objective To evaluate the association between objective short sleep duration in patients with insomnia and changes in blood parameters related to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity.Method A cross-sectional pilot study was conducted in 30 middle-aged adults with chronic insomnia who were divided into 2 groups according to polysomnography (PSG) total sleep time (TST) (TST > 5h and < 5h). All patients underwent subjective analysis of sleep quality, anthropometric measurements, PSG, and determination off asting blood parameters.Results The results revealed lower sleep efficiency and higher sleep latency for those with a TST < 5h. The subjective sleep quality was worse in the TST < 5h. Significantly, higher glucose and cortisol levels were observed with a TST < 5h. Glucose, cortisol and ACTH levels were inversely correlated with the PSG total sleep time.Conclusion Patients with insomnia with objective short sleep duration had HPA-associated endocrine and metabolic imbalances chronically linked to increases in cardiovascular risk observed with this more severe insomnia phenotype.

Previous studies have suggested that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) participates in the homeostatic regulation of sleep. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of the Val66Met functional polymorphism of the BDNF gene on sleep and sleep EEG parameters in a large population-based sample. In total 337 individuals participating in the São Paulo Epidemiologic Sleep Study were selected for analysis. None of the participants had indications of a sleep disorder, as measured by full-night polysomnography and questionnaire. Spectral analysis of the EEG was carried out in all individuals using fast Fourier transformation of the oscillatory signals for each EEG electrode. Sleep and sleep EEG parameters in individuals with the Val/Val genotype were compared with those in Met carriers (Val/Met and Met/Met genotypes). After correction for multiple comparisons and for potential confounding factors, Met carriers showed decreased spectral power in the alpha band in stage one and decreased theta power in stages two and three of nonrapid-eye-movement sleep, at the central recording electrode. No significant influence on sleep macrostructure was observed among the genotype groups. Thus, the Val66Met polymorphism seems to modulate the electrical activity of the brain, predicting interindividual variation of sleep EEG parameters. Further studies of this and other polymorphic variants in potential candidate genes will help the characterization of the molecular basis of sleep.

Objective: To assess the interaction of chronotype with anxiety in patients with chronic primary insomnia. Methods: Sixty-four patients (50 women) with mean age 43.968.1 years were investigated with the Horne and Ö stberg Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results: Significant negative correlations of chronotype-MEQ score with STAI state-anxiety (r = -0.40, p o 0.05), STAI trait-anxiety (r = -0.40, p o 0.05), and STAI pre-sleep state anxiety (r = -0.30, p o 0.05) were observed. Eveningness preference was associated with higher trait, state, and pre-sleep state anxiety. Conclusions: These results suggest that chronotype may be an important parameter to identifying the origin and significance of a vicious anxiety-insomnia-depression cycle in patients with chronic primary insomnia.