NOCTURNA
Study links sleep apnea treatment and happier, healthier relationships
Couples demonstrated more satisfaction and less conflict with sleep apnea treatment
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF SLEEP MEDICINE
DARIEN, IL – A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2024 annual meeting demonstrates that when individuals with obstructive sleep apnea use their positive airway pressure machine more regularly, it benefits their relationship with their partner.
Results show that greater adherence to PAP therapy was associated with higher levels of relationship satisfaction and lower levels of relationship conflict. Higher sleep efficiency among patients also was associated with higher levels of relationship satisfaction as reported by both the patient and their partner.
“Recognizing that sleep and sleep disorders have an impact on the quality of a relationship could be a powerful motivator for those affected with sleep apnea to adhere to treatment,” said lead author Wendy Troxel, who is a senior behavioral scientist with RAND and licensed clinical psychologist and adjunct professor at the University of Utah, where the study was conducted. “We developed a couples-based treatment called ‘We-PAP’ in recognition of the fact that couples’ sleep is a shared experience and to help patients and partners overcome challenges to adhering PAP together.”
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, nearly 30 million adults in the U.S. have obstructive sleep apnea, a chronic disease that involves the repeated collapse of the upper airway during sleep. Snoring is one of the most recognizable symptoms of sleep apnea and is often a nuisance to bed partners. A common treatment for sleep apnea is PAP therapy, which uses mild levels of air pressure, provided through a mask, to keep the throat open during sleep.
The study involved 36 couples comprising patients initiating PAP treatment for sleep apnea and their partners. Objective PAP therapy adherence data were recorded over three months. Sleep duration and efficiency were estimated using actigraphy. Relationship satisfaction and conflict were self-reported.
Troxel noted that it is essential to consider the importance of sleep when evaluating relationship status.
“No one is at their best when they aren’t sleeping,” Troxel said. “In an age where we see couples going through ‘sleep divorces,’ and roughly 50% of marriages end in actual divorce, recognizing how healthy sleep can contribute to healthy relationships is imperative.”
This study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health. The research abstract was published recently in an online supplement of the journal Sleep and will be presented Wednesday, June 5, during SLEEP 2024 in Houston. SLEEP is the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, a joint venture of the AASM and the Sleep Research Society.
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Abstract Title: Breathing Easy Together: How Positive Airway Pressure Adherence Benefits Both Patients and Partners
Abstract ID: 0569
Poster Presentation Date: Wednesday, June 5, from 10-10:45 a.m., CDT, Board 217
Presenter: Wendy Troxel, Ph.D.
About the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC
The APSS is a joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. The APSS organizes the SLEEP annual meeting each June (sleepmeeting.org).
About the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Established in 1975, the AASM advances sleep care and enhances sleep health to improve lives. The AASM has a combined membership of 12,000 accredited sleep centers and individuals, including physicians, scientists and other health care professionals who care for patients with sleep disorders. As the leader in the sleep field, the AASM sets standards and promotes excellence in sleep medicine health care, education and research (aasm.org).
About the Sleep Research Society
The SRS is a professional membership society that advances sleep and circadian science. The SRS provides forums for the exchange of information, establishes and maintains standards of reporting and classifies data in the field of sleep research, and collaborates with other organizations to foster scientific investigation on sleep and its disorders. The SRS also publishes the peer-reviewed, scientific journals Sleep and Sleep Advances (sleepresearchsociety.org).
JOURNAL
SLEEP
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Observational study
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
People
ARTICLE TITLE
Breathing Easy Together: How Positive Airway Pressure Adherence Benefits Both Patients and Partners
Study finds that better sleep is associated with lower loneliness
The relationship between sleep and loneliness is stronger in younger adults
DARIEN, IL – A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2024 annual meeting found that better sleep health was associated with lower levels of loneliness, and this association was stronger among younger adults.
Results indicate that better sleep health was associated with significantly lower total loneliness, emotional loneliness and social loneliness. While better sleep health was associated with lower total and emotional loneliness across ages, this association was stronger for younger adults. However, age did not moderate the association between sleep health and social loneliness.
“Loneliness is an urgent public health crisis, and there is a pressing need for providers to better understand and treat it,” said lead author and principal investigator Joseph Dzierzewski, who has a doctorate in clinical psychology and is vice president of research at the National Sleep Foundation in Washington, D.C. “Our results highlight the important role that sleep plays in understanding loneliness across the adult lifespan. Perhaps efforts to improve sleep health could have a beneficial effect on loneliness, especially for young people.”
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, sleep is essential to health. The AASM and the Sleep Research Society recommend that adults should sleep seven hours per night on a regular basis to promote optimal health, productivity and daytime alertness.
The study involved 2,297 adults with a mean age of 44 years; 51% were male. Participants completed an online sleep health questionnaire and loneliness scale. The researchers analyzed the results using correlation and linear regression analyses along with moderation analyses.
In 2023 an advisory from the U.S. surgeon general warned about a public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection. It noted that even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately half of U.S. adults reported experiencing measurable levels of loneliness.
According to the authors, efforts and programs that aim to reduce loneliness should include an emphasis on promoting sleep health, especially in younger adults.
“Why younger adults might experience more sleep-related benefits to loneliness than older adults is unknown and intriguing — certainly worth further investigation,” Dzierzewski said.
The research abstract was published recently in an online supplement of the journal Sleep and will be presented Monday, June 3, during SLEEP 2024 in Houston. SLEEP is the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, a joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society.
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Abstract Title: Rested and Connected: An Exploration of Sleep Health and Loneliness Across the Adult Lifespan
Abstract ID: 0746
Poster Presentation Date: Monday, June 3, 10-10:45 a.m. CDT, Board 247
Presenter: Spencer Nielson, M.S., graduate student, Virginia Commonwealth University
About the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC
The APSS is a joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. The APSS organizes the SLEEP annual meeting each June (sleepmeeting.org).
About the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Established in 1975, the AASM advances sleep care and enhances sleep health to improve lives. The AASM has a combined membership of 12,000 accredited sleep centers and individuals, including physicians, scientists and other health care professionals who care for patients with sleep disorders. As the leader in the sleep field, the AASM sets standards and promotes excellence in sleep medicine health care, education and research (aasm.org).
About the Sleep Research Society
The SRS is a professional membership society that advances sleep and circadian science. The SRS provides forums for the exchange of information, establishes and maintains standards of reporting and classifies data in the field of sleep research, and collaborates with other organizations to foster scientific investigation on sleep and its disorders. The SRS also publishes the peer-reviewed, scientific journals Sleep and Sleep Advances (sleepresearchsociety.org).
JOURNAL
SLEEP
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Survey
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
People
ARTICLE TITLE
Rested and Connected: An Exploration of Sleep Health and Loneliness Across the Adult Lifespan
Social media use and sleep duration connected to brain activity in teens
Study finds bidirectional relationship between social media engagement, sleep duration and neural reward responses in adolescents
DARIEN, IL – A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2024 annual meeting found a distinct relationship between sleep duration, social media usage, and brain activation across brain regions that are key for executive control and reward processing.
Results show a correlation between shorter sleep duration and greater social media usage in teens. The analysis points to involvement of areas within the frontolimbic brain regions, such as the inferior and middle frontal gyri, in these relationships. The inferior frontal gyrus, key in inhibitory control, may play a crucial role in how adolescents regulate their engagement with rewarding stimuli such as social media. The middle frontal gyrus, involved in executive functions and critical in assessing and responding to rewards, is essential in managing decisions related to the balancing of immediate rewards from social media with other priorities like sleep. These results suggest a nuanced interaction between specific brain regions during adolescence and their influence on behavior and sleep in the context of digital media usage.
“As these young brains undergo significant changes, our findings suggest that poor sleep and high social media engagement could potentially alter neural reward sensitivity,” said Orsolya Kiss, who has a doctorate in cognitive psychology and is a research scientist at SRI International in Menlo Park, California. “This intricate interplay shows that both digital engagement and sleep quality significantly influence brain activity, with clear implications for adolescent brain development.”
This study involved data from 6,516 adolescents, ages 10-14 years, from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Sleep duration was assessed from the Munich Chronotype questionnaire, and recreational social media use through the Youth Screen Time Survey. Brain activities were analyzed from functional MRI scans during the monetary incentive delay task, targeting regions associated with reward processing. The study used three different sets of models and switched predictors and outcomes each time. Results were adjusted for age, COVID-19 pandemic timing, and socio-demographic characteristics.
Kiss noted that these results provide new insights into how two significant aspects of modern adolescent life – social media usage and sleep duration – interact and impact brain development.
“Understanding the specific brain regions involved in these interactions helps us identify potential risks and benefits associated with digital engagement and sleep habits,” Kiss said. “This knowledge is especially important as it could guide the development of more precise, evidence-based interventions aimed at promoting healthier habits.”
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that teenagers 13 to 18 years of age should sleep 8 to 10 hours on a regular basis. The AASM also encourages adolescents to disconnect from all electronic devices at least 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime.
This study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health. The research abstract was published recently in an online supplement of the journal Sleep and will be presented Sunday, June 2, and Wednesday, June 5, during SLEEP 2024 in Houston. SLEEP is the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, a joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society.
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Abstract Title: Interconnected Dynamics of Sleep Duration, Social Media Engagement, and Neural Reward Responses in Adolescents
Abstract ID: 0148
Oral Presentation Date: Sunday, June 2, from 2:45-3 p.m. CDT, Room #340
Poster Presentation Date: Wednesday, June 5, from 11-11:45 a.m. CDT, Board 18
Presenter: Orsolya Kiss, Ph.D.
About the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC
The APSS is a joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. The APSS organizes the SLEEP annual meeting each June (sleepmeeting.org).
About the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Established in 1975, the AASM advances sleep care and enhances sleep health to improve lives. The AASM has a combined membership of 12,000 accredited sleep centers and individuals, including physicians, scientists and other health care professionals who care for patients with sleep disorders. As the leader in the sleep field, the AASM sets standards and promotes excellence in sleep medicine health care, education and research (aasm.org).
About the Sleep Research Society
The SRS is a professional membership society that advances sleep and circadian science. The SRS provides forums for the exchange of information, establishes and maintains standards of reporting and classifies data in the field of sleep research, and collaborates with other organizations to foster scientific investigation on sleep and its disorders. The SRS also publishes the peer-reviewed, scientific journals Sleep and Sleep Advances (sleepresearchsociety.org).
About SRI
SRI is an independent nonprofit research institute headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., with a rich history of supporting government and industry. SRI creates and delivers world-changing solutions for a safer, healthier, and more sustainable future. For more than 75 years, SRI has collaborated across technical and scientific disciplines to discover and develop groundbreaking products and technologies and bring innovations and ideas to the marketplace. Learn more at www.sri.com.
JOURNAL
SLEEP
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Observational study
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
People
ARTICLE TITLE
Interconnected Dynamics of Sleep Duration, Social Media Engagement, and Neural Reward Responses in Adolescents
The mind after midnight: Study shows disrupted sleep increases risk for suicide and homicide
An analysis of 15 years of national data on suicides and homicides conducted by shows that nocturnal wakefulness is associated with death by both suicide and homicide, possibly driven by deficits in behavioral and emotional regulation.
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA HEALTH SCIENCES
IMAGE:
ANDREW TUBBS, MD, PHD, IS A RESEARCHER IN THE SLEEP AND HEALTH RESEARCH PROGRAM AT THE UARIZONA COLLEGE OF MEDICINE – TUCSON’S DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY
view moreCREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA COLLEGE OF MEDICINE – TUCSON
An analysis by researchers in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson showed that risks for death by suicide and homicide peak at night, with nocturnal wakefulness, age, alcohol use and relationship conflicts being especially prevalent as contributing factors.
Nearly 19% of suicides and 36% of homicides occur at night. Suicide and homicide share little in common, but their highly concordant overnight risk patterns suggest a common feature: nocturnal wakefulness.
“Disrupted sleep may acutely impair rational thought, which can drive impulsive behaviors in vulnerable individuals,” said first author Andrew Tubbs, MD, PhD, a researcher in the Sleep and Health Research Program at the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson’s Department of Psychiatry. “Our analysis of 15 years of data across the U.S. showed that there is a five-fold greater risk for suicide and an eight-fold greater risk for homicide between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. when adjusting for the number of people who are awake and capable of suicide or homicide.”
The paper, “Risk for Suicide and Homicide Peaks at Night: Findings From the National Violent Death Reporting System, 35 States, 2003–2017,” was published May 29 in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
“The fact that these overnight risk patterns apply to both suicide and homicide are striking,” said the study’s senior author Michael Grandner, PhD, an associate professor of psychiatry, director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic and a BIO5 Institute member. “In our review of more than 78,000 suicides and 50,000 homicides, we can find some insight into why nocturnal wakefulness – what we are calling 'the mind after midnight' – carries a distinct risk for dysregulated behaviors.”
The authors’ mind after midnight hypothesis proposes that nocturnal wakefulness deteriorates the brain’s complex decision-making functions and reduces rational thinking during a time when negative mood is at its peak, positive mood is at its lowest, and risk/reward processing is distorted.
The findings supported that hypothesis. Nighttime risk was greater among adolescents and young adults, people who were intoxicated with alcohol, and those experiencing current partner conflict, conflict, but not among those who used cannabis or were currently
depressed.
Individuals aged 15-24 years experienced a three-fold greater nighttime risk for suicide, while there was an unexpected suicide risk among older adults at 6 a.m. Risk for homicide did not vary by age, though young adults accounted for more than half of all homicide victims.
“Few studies have examined time-of-day trends in violent crime,” Tubbs said. “Future studies could clarify what exactly is happening in the brain to predispose people to these sorts of risks and whether evidence-based strategies to improve sleep and reduce nighttime wakefulness can help reduce the risks and prevent these tragic outcomes.”
JOURNAL
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Data/statistical analysis
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
Not applicable
ARTICLE TITLE
Risk for Suicide and Homicide Peaks at Night: Findings From the National Violent Death Reporting System, 35 States, 2003–2017
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
29-May-2024
COI STATEMENT
In the past 2 years, Dr Tubbs reports fees from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Council of Life Insurers. Dr Klerman reports consulting for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation, Circadian Therapeutics, National Sleep Foundation, Sleep Research Society Foundation, and Yale University Press; receives travel support from the European Biological Rhythms Society, EPFL Pavilions, and World Sleep Society; and serves on Scientific Advisory Board (unpaid) for Chronsulting. Her partner is the founder, director, and chief scientific officer of Chronsulting. Dr Karp receives grant support from Janssen. He has the potential for equity in Aifred Health for scientific advising. He has served as a scientific advisor to Biogen. He receives remuneration from the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry for service on the editorial boards. Dr Chakravorty reports research support from the NSF and NeuroFlow Inc. Dr Perlis reports research support from Axsome, grant support from NIH, and consulting income from Nexalin, Anavex, and Avecho and that he has participated in CE/CME and is a founding partner in Hypknowledge LLC. Dr Grandner reports consulting fees from Idorsia, Eisai, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Merck, Fitbit, Natrol, SmartyPants Vitamins, Athleta, National Sleep Foundation, American Sleep Medicine Foundation, and Canyon Ranch; received grants from NIH, Kemin Foods, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, and CeraZ; received publishing royalties from Elsevier; and received speaking honoraria and/or travel support from New York University, University of Maryland, Stavis & Cohen, University of Miami, Clinical Education Alliance, and Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Drs Fernandez and Basner and Ms Watkins have no disclosures.
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