 |
|
A Therapy for Baby Boomers to Sleep On
August 18, 2008If you're over 55 and have spent more than a few sleepless nights, you're not alone -- insomnia affects about half of all people over 55 ― but you may also be at increased risk for physical and mental ailments.
Many older adults don't get enough restorative sleep, leading to serious health concerns, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, memory problems and increased rates of depression. Unfortunately, current sleeping pills are associated with memory problems, a risk for falls, dependency, withdrawal symptoms and disturbed sleeping patterns.
Circadin, a new drug developed at Tel Aviv University by Prof. Nava Zisapel, a chemist and neurobiologist from TAU's George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, may help America's aging baby boomers get the much-needed sleep they need. Recent results from Prof. Zisapel's research with Circadin appear in the Journal of Sleep Research and are reviewed in Aging Health.
How the Body Tells Time
Prof. Zisapel's research centers on the hormone melatonin, which affects the way our biological functions differentiate between day and night. "As we age, the melatonin hormone signal weakens," says Prof. Zisapel. "As a result, our bodies and brains feel less difference between day and night."
Exacerbating the effect of low melatonin levels, aging people tend to sleep in a less organized fashion than younger people, Prof. Zisapel explains. "People are sleeping in front of the TV, or nodding off during conversations, and taking long afternoon naps. This leads to less sleep at night. In a way, their sleep habits become more like babies', and less like those of healthy adults who sleep in consolidated periods during the night."
Mimicking the profile of nighttime melatonin found in our bodies, Circadin replenishes the much-needed hormone, which declines steadily with age. Clinical trials in the United States and Europe found that Circadin improves sleep quality and morning alertness, and helps those 55 and over get a better night's sleep.
Her new drug therapy "improves sleep and daytime vigilance, helping to re-organize the circadian system, the body's internal clock," Prof. Zisapel says. Added benefits include more normalized blood pressure and blood sugar levels at night. The formulation also has a profound effect on the blind, whose biological clock is disturbed because they can't see light, a trigger for synchronizing with the external day/night cycle.
Advice for Sound Sleep Hygiene
Until Circadin is available in the United States, there are some simple steps seniors can take to get a good night's sleep, Prof. Zisapel says. Spending a couple of hours outdoors every day can help. Sipping lattes on a cafe patio (away from direct sunlight) can be pleasurable, and increases the exposure to natural light from the blue-green spectrum. Experiencing a full spectrum of light during the day could also be beneficial, as is routine exercise and avoiding daytime naps and sleeping in front of the TV.
Prof. Zisapel is the past director of the Adams Brain Research Center at Tel Aviv University and is the Chief Scientific Officer of Neurim Pharmaceuticals, a company commercializing the technology and licensing it from Ramot, the technology transfer arm of Tel Aviv University. The new drug is currently available in Europe, and is expected to be in the United States by next year.
American Friends of Tel Aviv University
How the Body Tells Time
Prof. Zisapel's research centers on the hormone melatonin, which affects the way our biological functions differentiate between day and night. "As we age, the melatonin hormone signal weakens," says Prof. Zisapel. "As a result, our bodies and brains feel less difference between day and night."
Exacerbating the effect of low melatonin levels, aging people tend to sleep in a less organized fashion than younger people, Prof. Zisapel explains. "People are sleeping in front of the TV, or nodding off during conversations, and taking long afternoon naps. This leads to less sleep at night. In a way, their sleep habits become more like babies', and less like those of healthy adults who sleep in consolidated periods during the night."
Mimicking the profile of nighttime melatonin found in our bodies, Circadin replenishes the much-needed hormone, which declines steadily with age. Clinical trials in the United States and Europe found that Circadin improves sleep quality and morning alertness, and helps those 55 and over get a better night's sleep.
Her new drug therapy "improves sleep and daytime vigilance, helping to re-organize the circadian system, the body's internal clock," Prof. Zisapel says. Added benefits include more normalized blood pressure and blood sugar levels at night. The formulation also has a profound effect on the blind, whose biological clock is disturbed because they can't see light, a trigger for synchronizing with the external day/night cycle.
Advice for Sound Sleep Hygiene
Until Circadin is available in the United States, there are some simple steps seniors can take to get a good night's sleep, Prof. Zisapel says. Spending a couple of hours outdoors every day can help. Sipping lattes on a cafe patio (away from direct sunlight) can be pleasurable, and increases the exposure to natural light from the blue-green spectrum. Experiencing a full spectrum of light during the day could also be beneficial, as is routine exercise and avoiding daytime naps and sleeping in front of the TV.
Prof. Zisapel is the past director of the Adams Brain Research Center at Tel Aviv University and is the Chief Scientific Officer of Neurim Pharmaceuticals, a company commercializing the technology and licensing it from Ramot, the technology transfer arm of Tel Aviv University. The new drug is currently available in Europe, and is expected to be in the United States by next year.
American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Insomnia Current Events and Insomnia News RSSStudy shows pine bark reduces jetlag
A new study published in the journal of Minerva Cardioangiologica reveals Pycnogenol, pine bark extract from the French maritime pine tree, reduces jetlag in passengers by nearly 50 percent.
Study links primary insomnia to a neurochemical abnormality in young and middle-aged adults
A study in the Nov. 1 issue of the journal Sleep is the first demonstration of a specific neurochemical abnormality in adults with primary insomnia, providing greater insight to the limited understanding of the condition's pathology.
VYVANSE provided behavior, inattention and math test score improvements in children with ADHD
Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced results from a 13-hour analog classroom study in school-aged children aged 6 to 12 years with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
New promising obesity drug may have huge potential
According to trials, a new obesity drug, Tesofensine, which may be launched on the world market in a few years, can produce weight loss twice that of currently approved obesity drugs.
Respiratory rhythms can help predict insomnia
The breathing and heart rates and cortisol levels of women with metastatic breast cancer can be used to predict if they'll suffer from chronic insomnia and sleep disruptions, a common complaint from patients who want to maintain their quality of life.
Insomnia in women with breast cancer linked to heart rate dysregulation
A study in the October 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is a significant predictor of insomnia in women with breast cancer and confirmed that longer nocturnal wake episodes were associated with a flatter diurnal cortisol slope.
Learning to shape your brain activity
A study in the Oct. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that the successful manipulation of sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) amplitude by instrumental SMR conditioning (ISC) improved sleep quality as well as declarative learning. ISC might thus be considered a promising non-pharmacological treatment for primary insomnia.
Adolescent insomnia linked to depression and substance abuse during adolescence and young adulthood
A study in the Oct. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that adolescent insomnia symptoms are associated with depression, suicide ideation and attempts, and the use of alcohol, cannabis and other drugs such as cocaine.
Restless nights put older adults at risk for depression recurrence
Nearly 60 percent of the nation's elderly have trouble sleeping, whether it's a lot of tossing and turning or outright bouts of insomnia. While for most people sleeplessness can be annoying at best or unhealthy at worst, for elderly individuals who have suffered from depression in the past, poor sleep may be the first sign that a new bout of depression is coming on.
Researchers Investigate Impact of Stress on Police Officers' Physical and Mental Health
Policing is dangerous work, and the danger lurks not on the streets alone.
More Insomnia Current Events and Insomnia News Articles
 | Say Good Night to Insomnia: The Six-Week, Drug-Free Program Developed At Harvard Medical School by Gregg D. Jacobs Imagine an insomnia treatment that improves sleep in 100 percent of insomniacs, helps 75 percent of insomniacs become normal sleepers, and allows 90 percent of insomniacs to reduce or eliminate their use of sleeping pills. This treatment is safe, natural, and has no side effects except improved mood, higher energy, increased mind/body control, and better health. No, this is not a new miracle... |
 | Insomnia by Stephen King Ralph Roberts hasn't been sleeping well lately. Every morning he wakes just a little bit earlier until pretty soon, he isn't sleeping at all. It wouldn't be so bad if not for the strange hallucinations--and the nightmares that keep coming to... |
 | The Insomnia Solution: The Natural, Drug-Free Way to a Good Night's Sleep by Michael Krugman THE INSOMNIA SOLUTION is the answer millions of people have been searching for - a holistic, drug-free, practical and user-friendly guide to falling - and staying - asleep. In this revolutionary book the author explains that insomnia is not just a nightime affliction but a 24-hour condition. It's usually associated with daytime stress and Krugman's Sounder Sleep System assists readers in... |
 | Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Insomnia: A Session-by-Session Guide by Michael L. Perlis, Carla Jungquist, Michael T. Smith, Donn Posner Cognitive behavior therapy which has been adapted to treat so many problems, has also brought data-driven and data-yielding treatment to insomnia. Focusing on this evidence-based modality, Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Insomnia is a much-needed treatment manual that provides clinicians with the why’s and how’s of this approach in concise and practical terms. This book, which is written... |
 | The Insomnia Answer: A Personalized Program for Identifying and Overcoming the Three Types ofInsomnia by Paul Glovinsky, Art Spielman Finally, a groundbreaking, drug-free solution that works-first time in paperback. The 50 million Americans who suffer from insomnia need-and want-this answer now. There is no "one size fits all" solution to insomnia because, as this revolutionary book illustrates, there are three types that affect those who suffer from it: difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and broken sleep.... |
 | Insomnia: A Clinician's Guide to Assessment and Treatment by Charles M. Morin This book describes a concise and up-to-date treatment program for insomnia intended for a range of health care providers. In a user-friendly manner it provides empirically-derived and clinically useful treatment procedures, comprising a cost-effective program that can be applied to large numbers of adults with insomnia. This program fits readily into managed care (U.S.) and local health... |
 | Overcoming Insomnia A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Approach Workbook (Treatments That Work) by Jack D Edinger, Colleen E Carney It is estimated that one in ten U.S. adults suffers from chronic insomnia. If left untreated, chronic insomnia reduces quality of life and increases risk for psychiatric and medical disease, especially depression and anxiety. There are two forms of insomnia: secondary insomnia, in which it is comorbid with another condition such as psychiatric disorders, chronic pain conditions, or... |
 | Overcoming Insomnia A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Approach Therapist Guide (Treatments That Work) by Jack Edinger, Colleen Carney It is estimated that one in ten U.S. adults suffers from chronic insomnia. If left untreated, chronic insomnia reduces quality of life and increases risk for psychiatric and medical disease, especially depression and anxiety. There are two forms of insomnia: secondary insomnia, in which it is comorbid with another condition such as psychiatric disorders, chronic pain conditions, or... |
 | Desperately Seeking Snoozin' : The Insomnia Cure from Awake to Zzzzz by John Wiedman John Wiedman is neither a doctor nor a therapist, but the years he has spent in the trenches of insomnia, fighting for an elusive good night's sleep, has made him an expert in the war against sleepless nights. In conversational tones, John talks about how he has overcome a sleeping disorder that affects about one-third of the adult population in America and lays out a blueprint showing how... |
 | Curing Insomnia Naturally with Chinese Medicine by Bob Flaws Chinese medicine offers a range of therapies for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of insomnia. This book describes these therapies and includes self-care and home remedies, such as self-massage, magnet therapy, moxibustion, Chinese aromatherapy, Chinese patent medicines, and herbal... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |