Journal of sleep research
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Journal of sleep research · Aug 2020
Changes in sleep pattern, sense of time and digital media use during COVID-19 lockdown in Italy.
Italy is one of the major COVID-19 hotspots. To reduce the spread of the infections and the pressure on Italian healthcare systems, since March 10, 2020, Italy has been under a total lockdown, forcing people into home confinement. Here we present data from 1,310 people living in the Italian territory (Mage = 23.91 ± 3.60 years, 880 females, 501 workers, 809 university students), who completed an online survey from March 24 to March 28, 2020. ⋯ Nevertheless, during home confinement, sleep timing markedly changed, with people going to bed and waking up later, and spending more time in bed, but, paradoxically, also reporting a lower sleep quality. The increase in sleep difficulties was stronger for people with a higher level of depression, anxiety and stress symptomatology, and associated with the feeling of elongation of time. Considering that the lockdown is likely to continue for weeks, research data are urgently needed to support decision making, to build public awareness and to provide timely and supportive psychosocial interventions.
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Journal of sleep research · Apr 2020
Usefulness of cardiac parasympathetic index in CPAP-treated patients with obstructive sleep apnea: A preliminary study.
Cardiac autonomic indexes, including cardiac parasympathetic index and cardiac sympathetic index, have been reported to accurately identify patients with sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea. Our study aimed to assess cardiac autonomic indexes in patients with obstructive sleep apnea before and during a single full-night continuous positive airway pressure therapy using a combined approach. Our simultaneous heart rate variability-polysomnographic study included 16 never-treated obstructive sleep apnea patients. ⋯ This study improves the knowledge on cardiac autonomic modulation during acute continuous positive airway pressure therapy in obstructive sleep apnea. Our results demonstrate that both autonomic indexes decreased significantly after a single-night of acute continuous positive airway pressure therapy. Cardiac parasympathetic index more than cardiac sympathetic index was related to decrease of apnea-hypopnea index after continuous positive airway pressure therapy, thus representing a potential help in everyday clinical practice.
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Journal of sleep research · Feb 2020
Insomnia symptoms predict the development of post-traumatic stress symptoms following an experimental trauma.
Insomnia symptoms prior to traumatic event exposure predict the development of post-traumatic stress symptoms. However, potential mechanisms underlying the association between insomnia and risk for post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms have not been prospectively tested. The current study used the trauma film paradigm to test whether insomnia symptoms prior to analogue trauma exposure predict subsequent analogue post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, and potential mediators of this relationship, among an at-risk sample of 108 participants. ⋯ Effect sizes were small. The current study uses an analogue trauma and analogue post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms to model clinical symptoms, includes an additional intervention prior to analogue trauma, and lacks a control film. Findings suggest increased reactivity to trauma exposure and subsequent reminders, and attempts to suppress trauma memories may be mechanisms in the association between insomnia symptoms and risk for post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.
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Journal of sleep research · Dec 2019
Randomized Controlled TrialSubjective sleep quality as a mediator in the relationship between pain severity and sustained attention performance in patients with fibromyalgia.
Pain severity and sleep are associated with cognitive performance in patients with fibromyalgia. This study examined whether sleep mediates the relationships of pain severity with psychomotor vigilance and attention in patients with fibromyalgia by analysing 80 patients with fibromyalgia. Cognitive performance, pain severity and sleep parameters were determined using the Psychomotor Vigilance Task, Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form and sleep diaries of seven consecutive nights, respectively. ⋯ In conclusion, sleep quality mediates the pain severity-cognitive performance relationship: pain affects sleep quality, which in turn impairs sustained attention. Our findings provide further insight into the processes underlying the relationship between pain and poor cognitive function. Improved sleep quality may offset the detrimental effects of pain on sustained attention.
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Journal of sleep research · Dec 2019
Interaction effect of obstructive sleep apnea and periodic limb movements during sleep on heart rate variability.
We aimed at assessing cardiac autonomic function by heart rate variability during sleep in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and periodic limb movements during sleep, and to compare it with that of patients with obstructive sleep apnea only, periodic limb movements during sleep only, and controls. We also aimed at investigating the interaction effect between apnea-hypopnea index and periodic limb movement index on heart rate variability. Four groups of patients (n = 42 each, total = 168) were identified based on the presence/absence of obstructive sleep apnea and periodic limb movements during sleep: + obstructive sleep apnea/- periodic limb movements during sleep (5 ≤ apnea-hypopnea index < 30 events per hr), - obstructive sleep apnea/+ periodic limb movements during sleep (periodic limb movement index > 15 events per hr), + obstructive sleep apnea/+ periodic limb movements during sleep, - obstructive sleep apnea/- periodic limb movements during sleep (controls). ⋯ Patients with elevated apnea-hypopnea index and elevated periodic limb movement index exhibited higher sympathovagal balance compared with those with high apnea-hypopnea index and low periodic limb movement index, and compared with those with low apnea-hypopnea index (regardless of periodic limb movement index). Increased sympathetic activation and decreased parasympathetic control appear to be related to the severity of oxygen desaturation. Apnea-hypopnea index and periodic limb movement index had interactive effects on increased sympathovagal balance in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.