Articles related to INSOMNIA/SLEEP DISORDERS

Shift work has previously been linked to an increased risk of developing MS, presumably due to the resulting sleep deprivation and circadian desynchrony. The current study compared sleeping 7–9 hours/night during adolescence, with less than 7 hours/night and found a 40% increase in risk for developing MS in the short-sleep cohort. The authors conclude that “insufficient sleep and low sleep quality during adolescence seem to increase the risk of subsequently developing MS.”

To sum up the reasons you should use caution: Quetiapine has a variety of effects, including sedation, influencing a number of central nervous system receptors. Quetiapine should only be used to treat insomnia in patients who also have co-occurring mood or schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Quetiapine is less frequently linked to extrapyramidal side effects and dystonia than many other antipsychotic medications, but it is more frequently linked to weight gain, metabolic syndrome, and QTc prolongation. Prior to beginning treatment and then on a frequent basis thereafter, measurements of body mass index, weight, blood pressure, fasting glucose, and lipid levels should be made, even at modest doses. Despite not producing euphoria, quetiapine is frequently misused to amplify or lessen the negative effects of illegal substances. For older patients, quetiapine has additional dangers.

Trial participants were instructed on imagery rehearsal therapy — rewriting their recurring nightmare to end on a positive note and then rehearsing that story. Next, targeted memory reactivation was used to link a sound to that positive version of the dream. Those in the study reduced their nightmares from an average of almost 3 per week, to just one every five weeks.

Many drugs of abuse increase orexin production in both animal and human brains. Blocking the orexin system reverses addiction in animals. Orexin levels normally cycle in a circadian rhythm, with additional activation when under stress. Opioids, cocaine, alcohol, and other substances activate the cells that produce orexin, but don’t deactivate them. They stay on constantly, producing high levels of orexin that drive the desire for another hit. Anti-orexin insomnia medications might be of benefit in treating addiction.

Sleep disorders are common in persons with psychiatric disease. In most cases the disorder is related to mutations in the circadian clock regulatory gene or decreased endogenous melatonin secretion, whether primary or secondary. Melatonin administration is usually beneficial.

The study’s findings offer a novel perspective on norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors’ impact on “upper airway stability during sleep and are significant to guide future pharmacotherapy development for OSA,” according to the authors. Additionally, the findings offer individuals who are unable to tolerate modern therapies, such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) equipment, wider alternatives when seeking therapy for OSA.