Geographic latitude and sleep duration: A population-based survey from the Tropic of Capricorn to the Antarctic Circle.

The impact of latitude on sleep duration remains virtually unexplored, even though latitude exerts profound influences on daylight duration. Using Chile as a one-country model, we explored on the potential associations between sleep duration and latitude. Based on the 2nd Chilean Health Survey, we identified reported sleep data during spring of people living from north to south in Chilean cities, located between 18°29'S to 53°18'S (4329 km distance at same longitude). A total of n = 2493 participants were included (mean age 45.3 ± 18.4 years, 41.8% males). Mean sleep duration on workdays and weekends was 7.42 ± 1.71 h, and 7.91 ± 2.13 h, respectively, ranging from 7.91 ± 1.92 h in the north to 8.33 ± 1.89 h in the south, such that more northern latitudes (i.e., 18°29'S to 39°50'S) slept less compared to more southern latitudes (i.e., 51°43'S-53°18'), even after controlling for age, gender, and socioeconomic status. In the logistic regression models, men residing at northern latitudes exhibited an odds ratio of 3.348 [95% CI: 1.905-5.882; p < 0.0001] for having shorter sleep on weekends than their southern counterparts. Latitude appears to strongly affect reported sleep patterns, leading to longer sleep duration with increasing latitude, particularly in men during weekends. Whether environmental factors such as photoperiod are causally involved in theses associations needs to be elucidated in future studies.

Does the circadian modulation of dream recall modify with age?

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The ultradian NREM-REM sleep cycle and the circadian modulation of REM sleep sum to generate dreaming. Here we investigated age-related changes in dream recall, number of dreams, and emotional domain characteristics of dreaming during both NREM and REM sleep. DESIGN: Analysis of dream recall and sleep EEG (NREM/REM sleep) during a 40-h multiple nap protocol (150 min of wakefulness and 75 min of sleep) under constant routine conditions. SETTING: Centre for Chronobiology, Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. PARTICIPANTS: Seventeen young (20-31 years) and 15 older (57-74 years) healthy volunteers INTERVENTIONS: N/A. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Dream recall and number of dreams varied significantly across the circadian cycle and between age groups, with older subjects exhibiting fewer dreams (P < 0.05), particularly after naps scheduled during the biological day, closely associated with the circadian rhythm of REM sleep. No significant age differences were observed for the emotional domain of dream content. CONCLUSIONS: Since aging was associated with attenuated amplitude in the circadian modulation of REM sleep, our data suggest that the age-related decrease in dream recall can result from an attenuated circadian modulation of REM sleep.

Chronobiology, excessive daytime sleepiness and depression: Is there a link?

The complaint of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), commonly encountered in clinical practice, may arise from a variety of psychiatric disorders, most importantly depression. Even though EDS frequently leads depressed patients to seek medical assistance, it is commonly under-evaluated and under-diagnosed. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding and management of EDS is essential in the clinical assessment of depression. Within a theoretical framework, a chronobiological approach may shed new light on the complex interaction of EDS and depression. In this review, studies on EDS and depression are summarized and discussed within the context of circadian and sleep regulatory mechanisms. Furthermore, potential chronobiological therapeutic strategies are proposed to address some of the unmet needs in the treatment of EDS and depression.