Insomnia with objective short sleep duration is associated with cognitive impairment: a first look at cardiometabolic contributors to brain health.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Insomnia with objective short sleep duration has been previously associated with adverse cardiometabolic health outcomes as well as poorer cognitive performance in otherwise noncognitively impaired adults. However, studies demonstrating an increased prevalence of cognitive impairment (CI) in this insomnia phenotype are lacking. METHODS: We analyzed data from Penn State Adult Cohort (N = 1,524; 48.9 ± 13.4 years; 53.4% women). Self-reported sleep difficulty was defined as normal sleep (n = 899), poor sleep (n = 453), and chronic insomnia (n = 172). Objective short sleep duration was defined as less than 6-h of sleep, based on in-lab, 8-h polysomnography. CI (n = 155) and possible vascular cognitive impairment (pVCI, n = 122) were ascertained using a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Analyses adjusted for age, sex, race, education, body mass index, apnea/hypopnea index, smoking, alcohol, psychoactive medication, and mental and physical health problems. RESULTS: Participants who reported poor sleep or chronic insomnia and slept objectively less than 6 hours were associated with a 2-fold increased odds of CI (OR = 2.06, 95% confidence limits [CL] = 1.15-3.66 and OR = 2.18, 95% CL = 1.07-4.47, respectively) and of pVCI (OR = 1.94, 95% CL = 1.01-3.75 and OR = 2.33, 95% CL = 1.07-5.06, respectively). Participants who reported poor sleep or chronic insomnia and slept objectively more than 6 hours were not associated with increased odds of either CI (OR = 0.72, 95% CL = 0.30-1.76 and OR = 0.75, 95% CL = 0.21-2.71, respectively) or pVCI (OR = 1.08, 95% CL = 0.42-2.74 and OR = 0.76, 95% CL = 0.16-3.57, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Insomnia with objective short sleep duration is associated with an increased prevalence of CI, particularly as it relates to cardiometabolic health (i.e. pVCI). These data further support that this insomnia phenotype may be a more biologically severe form of the disorder associated with cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and neurocognitive morbidity.

Onset of regular cannabis use and young adult insomnia: an analysis of shared genetic liability.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Estimate the genetic and environmental influences on the relationship between onset of regular cannabis use and young adult insomnia. METHODS: In a population-based twin cohort of 1882 twins (56% female, mean age = 22.99, SD = 2.97) we explored the genetic/environmental etiology of the relationship between onset of regular cannabis use and insomnia-related outcomes via multivariate twin models. RESULTS: Controlling for sex, current depression symptoms, and prior diagnosis of an anxiety or depression disorder, adult twins who reported early onset for regular cannabis use (age 17 or younger) were more likely to have insomnia (ß = 0.07, p = 0.024) and insomnia with short sleep on weekdays (ß = 0.08, p = 0.003) as young adults. We found significant genetic contributions for the onset of regular cannabis use (a2 = 76%, p < 0.001), insomnia (a2 = 44%, p < 0.001), and insomnia with short sleep on weekdays (a2 = 37%, p < 0.001). We found significant genetic correlations between onset of regular use and both insomnia (rA = 0.20, p = 0.047) and insomnia with short sleep on weekdays (rA = 0.25, p = 0.008) but no significant environmental associations between these traits. CONCLUSIONS: We found common genetic liabilities for early onset of regular cannabis use and insomnia, implying pleiotropic influences of genes on both traits.

Short sleep duration increases salivary IL-6 production.

Morning shift sleep restriction has been associated with higher plasma IL-6 levels. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of sleep duration on salivary IL-6. Sleep duration of morning shift workers was estimated by actigraphy. Workers with "longer sleep duration" (LSD; N = 6) and "shorter sleep duration" (SSD; N = 15) were then compared regarding salivary IL-6 levels determined at 14:00 h, bed and wake times. SSD workers did not show daily variation of IL-6 and presented higher levels at bedtime and 14:00 h compared to LSD workers. In this study, SSD is associated with an increase in salivary IL-6 content.

Insomnia current diagnosis: an appraisal / Diagnóstico atual de insônia: uma apreciação

Chronic insomnia is the most common sleep disorder in adults andits diagnosis is fundamental for adequate clinical management. The aim of this paper is to present recently published definitions of insomnia according to current international classifications, such as the International Classification of Sleep Disorders - Third Edition and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fifth Edition. For the first time, these classifications are congruent related to thei rdiagnostic criteria; both present insomnia as a distinct disorder and divide it into acute, chronic and other. This emphasizes the necessityof a specific insomnia approach. Furthermore, it is necessary torecognize those insomniacs with physiological hyperarousal, whichmay be identified by objective measures (short total sleep time, forinstance). These patients may have poorer outcome, as they are athigher risk of developing cardiometabolic conditions and neurocognitive impairment. Diagnosis is primarily made on a clinical basis (anamnesis and physical examination), while sleep diaries and questionnaires (such as Insomnia Severity Index) can help evaluate these patients. Objective measures, such as polysomnography, arenot required in most cases, except when suspicion of another sleep disorder arises.

A insônia crônica é o transtorno do sono mais comum em adultos,e seu diagnóstico é fundamental para o manejo clínico adequado.O principal objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar, em relação à insônia,as definições publicadas recentemente segundo as novas classificações internacionais, como a Classificação Internacional de Distúrbios do Sono - Terceira Edição e o Manual Diagnóstico e Estatístico de Transtornos Mentais - Quinta Edição. Pela primeira vez, essas classificações são congruentes a respeito de seus critérios diagnósticos,pois ambas apresentam a insônia como uma doença em si ea dividem em aguda, crônica e outras. Isso enfatiza a necessidade de uma abordagem específica da insônia. Além do mais, é necessário reconhecer os insones com estado fisiológico de hiper alerta que podem ser identificados por medidas objetivas (tempo total de sono curto, por exemplo). Esses pacientes podem ter pior prognóstico, por causa do maior risco de desenvolver condições cardiometabólicas e comprometimento neurocognitivo. O diagnóstico da insônia é feito principalmente com base em dados clínicos (anamnese e exame físico),e o uso de diário de sono e questionários (tais como o Índice de Gravidade de Insônia) pode ajudar na avaliação desses pacientes.Análises objetivas, como aquelas obtidas pela polissonografia, não são rotineiramente necessárias na maioria dos casos, exceto quando há a suspeita de outro distúrbio do sono.

Objective short sleep duration is associated with the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in insomnia / Insônia, com tempo de sono curto, medido objetivamente, esta associada a atividade do eixo hipotálamo-hipófise-adrenal

Objective To evaluate the association between objective short sleep duration in patients with insomnia and changes in blood parameters related to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity.Method A cross-sectional pilot study was conducted in 30 middle-aged adults with chronic insomnia who were divided into 2 groups according to polysomnography (PSG) total sleep time (TST) (TST > 5h and < 5h). All patients underwent subjective analysis of sleep quality, anthropometric measurements, PSG, and determination off asting blood parameters.Results The results revealed lower sleep efficiency and higher sleep latency for those with a TST < 5h. The subjective sleep quality was worse in the TST < 5h. Significantly, higher glucose and cortisol levels were observed with a TST < 5h. Glucose, cortisol and ACTH levels were inversely correlated with the PSG total sleep time.Conclusion Patients with insomnia with objective short sleep duration had HPA-associated endocrine and metabolic imbalances chronically linked to increases in cardiovascular risk observed with this more severe insomnia phenotype.

Objetivo Avaliar a associação entre insônia com tempo de sono curto e alterações sanguíneas relacionados com a atividade do eixo hipotálamo-hipófise-adrenal (HPA).Método Estudo piloto transversal, com 30 adultos de meia-idade, distribuídos em 2 grupos de acordo com o tempo total de sono (TTS) pela polisonografia (PSG) (TTS > 5h e < 5h). Os pacientes foram submetidos a análise subjetiva da qualidade do sono, medidas antropométricas, PSG e parâmetros sanguíneos em jejum.Resultados Revelaram baixa eficiência do sono e maior latência do sono para aqueles com TTS < 5h. A qualidade subjetiva do sono foi pior no TTS < 5h. Significativamente, os níveis de glicose e cortisol mais elevados foram observados no grupo com TTS < 5h. Os níveis de glicose, cortisol e ACTH foram inversamente correlacionados com o TTS da PSG.Conclusão Pacientes com insônia com tempo de sono curto apresentaram desequilíbrios endócrinos e metabólicos associados a atividade do eixo HPA, correlacionados ao aumento do risco cardiovascular observado neste fenótipo mais grave de insônia.

Insomnia with Short Sleep Duration: Nosological, Diagnostic, and Treatment Implications.

The diagnosis of insomnia is based solely on subjective complaints. This has contributed to the low reliability and validity of the current nosology of insomnia as well as to its lack of firm association with clinically relevant outcomes such as cardiometabolic and neurocognitive morbidity. We review evidence that insomnia with objective short sleep duration is associated with physiological hyperarousal, higher risk for hypertension, diabetes, neurocognitive impairment, and mortality as well as with a persistent course. It also appears that objective short sleep duration in poor sleepers is a biological marker of genetic predisposition to chronic insomnia. In contrast, insomnia with objective normal sleep duration is associated with cognitive-emotional and cortical arousal and sleep misperception but not with signs of physiological hyperarousal or medical complications. Thus, short sleep duration in insomnia may be a reliable marker of the biological severity and medical impact of the disorder. We propose that (a) objective measures of sleep be included in the diagnosis of insomnia and its subtypes, (b) objective measures of sleep obtained in the home environment of the patient would become part of the routine assessment and diagnosis of insomnia in a clinician's office setting, and (c) insomnia with short sleep duration may respond better to biological treatments, whereas insomnia with normal sleep duration may respond primarily to psychological therapies.