Study suggests that inflammation may be the link between extreme sleep durations and poor health

February 02, 2009

The activation of pro-inflammatory cytokines may be a mechanism by which short and long sleep durations affect health

Westchester, Ill. - A study in the Feb. 1 issue of the journal SLEEP shows that sleep duration is associated with changes in the levels of specific cytokines that are important in regulating inflammation. The results suggest that inflammation may be the pathway linking extreme sleep durations to an increased risk for disease.

Each additional hour of self-reported sleep duration was associated with an eight-percent increase in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and a seven-percent increase in interleukin-6 (IL-6), which are two inflammatory mediators. In contrast, each hour of reduction in sleep measured objectively by polysomnography was associated with an eight-percent increase in tumor necrosis factor alpha, another pro-inflammatory cytokine.

"The most surprising finding was that we found different relationships based on how sleep was measured," said lead author Dr. Sanjay R. Patel, assistant professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

According to the authors, research has linked both short and long sleep durations with an increased risk for mortality, coronary heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Chronic elevations in cytokines such as CRP and IL-6 also are associated with an increased risk of problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

The study involved 614 individuals from the Cleveland Family Study, a longitudinal family-based epidemiological cohort designed to study the genetics of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Participants completed questionnaires about sleep habits and underwent one night of polysomnography. In the morning a fasting blood sample was collected, and it was analyzed for five inflammatory cytokines.

Mean self-reported habitual sleep duration was 7.6 hours; mean sleep duration measured by polysomnography on the night prior to blood sampling was 6.2 hours. Those with long sleep durations, assessed by either measure, were significantly younger. Short sleep duration measured by polysomnography was associated with an increased prevalence of diabetes, hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea.

According to the authors the differing patterns of association with cytokine levels suggest that self-reported habitual sleep duration may measure chronic sleep exposure, while polysomnography may measure an acute exposure. They also note that the two methods of measuring sleep duration may be influenced differently by an underlying predictor of sleep habits such as stress or mood, which may have a direct effect on cytokine levels.

American Academy of Sleep Medicine

---

---

	Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth (Author) One of the country's leading researchers updates his revolutionary approach to solving--and preventing--your children's sleep problems Here Dr. Marc Weissbluth, a distinguished pediatrician and father of four, offers his groundbreaking program to ensure the best sleep for your child. In Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, he explains with authority and reassurance his step-by-step regime for instituting beneficial habits within the framework of your child's natural sleep cycles. This valuable sourcebook contains brand new research that - Pinpoints the way daytime sleep differs from night sleep and why both are important to your child - Helps you cope with and stop the crybaby syndrome, nightmares, bedwetting, and more - Analyzes ways to get your baby to fall asleep...
	The Little Sleep Book That Works: 9 Things (You're Not Doing) That Will Help You Sleep Better for the Rest of Your Life by Seth Smith (Author) Tried everything and still can't sleep well a lot of the time? Want to have the most powerful health tonic at your fingertips? Sleep is a precious commodity and with events in the world becoming more stressful the benefits of being able to get a good night's rest on a regular basis are critical! The Little Sleep Book That Works contains 9 natural, synergistic precepts that work together to turn insomnia into deep sleep. Finally you will have complete control over your ability to rest well night after night. Don't look for this stuff on the internet; this is not the same old rehashed stuff that you will find on every website with an article on insomnia. This is The Little Sleep Book That Works!
	The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers: Gentle Ways to Stop Bedtime Battles and Improve Your Child's Sleep by Elizabeth Pantley (Author), Harvey Karp (Foreword) Guaranteed to help parents reclaim sweet dreams for their entire family New from the bestselling author of the classic baby sleep guide! Getting babies to sleep through the night is one thing; getting willful toddlers and energetic preschoolers to sleep is another problem altogether. Written to help sleep-deprived parents of children ages one to five, The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers offers loving solutions to help this active age-group get the rest they--and their parents--so desperately need. A follow-up to Elizabeth Pantley's megahit The No-Cry Sleep Solution, this breakthrough guide is written in Pantley's trademark gentle, child-centered style. Parents will discover a wellspring of positive approaches to help their children get to bed, stay in bed, and...
	The Effortless Sleep Method: The Incredible New Cure for Insomnia and Chronic Sleep Problems by Sasha Stephens (Author) The Effortless Sleep Method is the approach insomniacs all over the world have been waiting for. This hugely effective method offers a simple and permanent solution for long-term and new insomniacs alike. The Effortless Sleep Method gives you something no other insomnia book can; an entirely different way of looking at insomnia. The step-by-step insomnia recovery sleep program contained in this book, doesn't just treat insomnia, it totally undermines it. This is not another dry as dust reference book written by a doctor, but a lively, empowering book which connects the sufferer intimately to one who has gone through the same pain. Sasha Stephens suffered a full fifteen years with crippling, terrifying insomnia before a chance event enabled her to see the...
	Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Twins: A Step-by-Step Program for Sleep-Training Your Multiples by Marc Weissbluth M.D. (Author) From one of the nation’s most trusted experts on children’s bedtime and nap time comes a new guide for sleep-training twins so that everybody (including Mom and Dad) will be rested and happy! As parents of twins and multiples know, double the fun can be double the sleep deprivation. Now, in Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Twins, beloved pediatrician and renowned sleep authority Dr. Marc Weissbluth combines specialized advice for parents of twins with his tried-and-true sleep-training methods to show exhausted moms and dads how to get their babies to sleep on their own, stay asleep, and sleep regularly. This essential step-by-step guide to establishing good sleep patterns reveals how to build healthy habits in twins’ natural slumber cycles, including • how healthy sleep...
	Increased mortality seen in those with changes in sleep duration.(Psychosomatic Medicine)(Medical condition overview)(Clinical report): An article from: Clinical Psychiatry News by Timothy F. Kirn (Author) This digital document is an article from Clinical Psychiatry News, published by Thomson Gale on December 1, 2007. The length of the article is 642 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: Increased mortality seen in those with changes in sleep duration.(Psychosomatic Medicine)(Medical condition overview)(Clinical report) Author: Timothy F. Kirn Publication: Clinical Psychiatry News (Magazine/Journal) Date: December 1, 2007 Publisher: Thomson Gale Volume: 35 Issue: 12 Page: 34(1) Article Type: Clinical report, Medical condition...
	International data link obesity risk with sleep duration.(Clinical Rounds): An article from: OB GYN News by Heidi Splete (Author) This digital document is an article from OB GYN News, published by International Medical News Group on May 15, 2008. The length of the article is 812 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: International data link obesity risk with sleep duration.(Clinical Rounds) Author: Heidi Splete Publication: OB GYN News (Magazine/Journal) Date: May 15, 2008 Publisher: International Medical News Group Volume: 43 Issue: 10 Page: 22(1) Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage...
	To wake, to wake, perchance to read: sleep duration and reading for pleasure.(Report): An article from: Reading Improvement by William E. Kelly (Author) This digital document is an article from Reading Improvement, published by Project Innovation (Alabama) on December 22, 2009. The length of the article is 2565 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: To wake, to wake, perchance to read: sleep duration and reading for pleasure.(Report) Author: William E. Kelly Publication: Reading Improvement (Magazine/Journal) Date: December 22, 2009 Publisher: Project Innovation (Alabama) Volume: 46 Issue: 4 Page: 221(6) Article Type: Report Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage...
	Shorter sleep duration predicts distress.(PSYCHOSOMATIC MEDICINE)(Clinical report): An article from: Clinical Psychiatry News by Damian McNamara (Author) This digital document is an article from Clinical Psychiatry News, published by International Medical News Group on October 1, 2010. The length of the article is 628 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: Shorter sleep duration predicts distress.(PSYCHOSOMATIC MEDICINE)(Clinical report) Author: Damian McNamara Publication: Clinical Psychiatry News (Magazine/Journal) Date: October 1, 2010 Publisher: International Medical News Group Volume: 38 Issue: 10 Page: 45(1) Article Type: Clinical report Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage...
	Improve the quality and duration of sleep to lower heart risk: research indicates a substantial increase in cardiovascular risk if you sleep less that ... An article from: Heart Advisor by Unavailable (Author) This digital document is an article from Heart Advisor, published by Belvoir Media Group, LLC on July 1, 2011. The length of the article is 809 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: Improve the quality and duration of sleep to lower heart risk: research indicates a substantial increase in cardiovascular risk if you sleep less that seven hours and have frequently interrupted sleep.(PREVENTION) Author: Unavailable Publication: Heart Advisor (Magazine/Journal) Date: July 1, 2011 Publisher: Belvoir Media Group, LLC Volume: 14 Issue: 7 Page: 9(1) Distributed by Gale, a part of...