Permanent standard time is the optimal choice for health and safety: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement.

The period of the year from spring to fall, when clocks in most parts of the United States are set one hour ahead of standard time, is called daylight saving time, and its beginning and ending dates and times are set by federal law. The human biological clock is regulated by the timing of light and darkness, which then dictates sleep and wake rhythms. In daily life, the timing of exposure to light is generally linked to the social clock. When the solar clock is misaligned with the social clock, desynchronization occurs between the internal circadian rhythm and the social clock. The yearly change between standard time and daylight saving time introduces this misalignment, which has been associated with risks to physical and mental health and safety, as well as risks to public health. In 2020, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) published a position statement advocating for the elimination of seasonal time changes, suggesting that evidence best supports the adoption of year-round standard time. This updated statement cites new evidence and support for permanent standard time. It is the position of the AASM that the United States should eliminate seasonal time changes in favor of permanent standard time, which aligns best with human circadian biology. Evidence supports the distinct benefits of standard time for health and safety, while also underscoring the potential harms that result from seasonal time changes to and from daylight saving time. CITATION: Rishi MA, Cheng JY, Strang AR, et al. Permanent standard time is the optimal choice for health and safety: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement. J Clin Sleep Med. 2024;20(1):121-125.

Pediatric sleep: current knowledge, gaps, and opportunities for the future.

This White Paper addresses the current gaps in knowledge, as well as opportunities for future studies in pediatric sleep. The Sleep Research Society's Pipeline Development Committee assembled a panel of experts tasked to provide information to those interested in learning more about the field of pediatric sleep, including trainees. We cover the scope of pediatric sleep, including epidemiological studies and the development of sleep and circadian rhythms in early childhood and adolescence. Additionally, we discuss current knowledge of insufficient sleep and circadian disruption, addressing the neuropsychological impact (affective functioning) and cardiometabolic consequences. A significant portion of this White Paper explores pediatric sleep disorders (including circadian rhythm disorders, insomnia, restless leg and periodic limb movement disorder, narcolepsy, and sleep apnea), as well as sleep and neurodevelopment disorders (e.g. autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). Finally, we end with a discussion on sleep and public health policy. Although we have made strides in our knowledge of pediatric sleep, it is imperative that we address the gaps to the best of our knowledge and the pitfalls of our methodologies. For example, more work needs to be done to assess pediatric sleep using objective methodologies (i.e. actigraphy and polysomnography), to explore sleep disparities, to improve accessibility to evidence-based treatments, and to identify potential risks and protective markers of disorders in children. Expanding trainee exposure to pediatric sleep and elucidating future directions for study will significantly improve the future of the field.

A "Sleep 101" Program for College Students Improves Sleep Hygiene Knowledge and Reduces Maladaptive Beliefs about Sleep.

Sensitizing young adults about sleep hygiene knowledge and helpful sleep attitudes may have the potential to instill long-lasting healthy sleep practices. Towards these ends, evaluation of psychoeducational program "Sleep 101" tailored to college students was undertaken. Following two weeks of sleep-log recordings, participants were randomly assigned to a Sleep 101 (experimental) condition or a sleep monitoring (control) condition. The Sleep 101 condition was comprised of two 90-minute workshops aimed to educate students about healthy sleep practices, helpful thoughts about sleep, and ways to improve sleep. The sleep monitoring group received a sleep hygiene handout and completed sleep logs for the study duration. Sleep 101 participants endorsed fewer maladaptive beliefs and attitudes about sleep, increased sleep hygiene knowledge, and reduced sleep onset latency compared to the sleep monitoring participants. Brief psychoeducational courses may be a cost-effective way to alleviate current, and/or prevent future, sleep problems in young adults.

Single Case Designs in Psychology Practice.

A brief overview highlighting key elements of single case design is presented. Four types of single case design are identified. Central elements and the value of the use of single case designs are underscored.

Adolescent Sleep Quality Measured During Leisure Activities.

A one-week sleep monitoring by logs and actigraphs in preteens during summer camp was conducted. Campers aged 11-16 attended a two-week day camp that focused on the learning about science. Nine campers agreed to monitor their sleep and have their patterns explained (anonymously) to other campers during the expert lecture by the author. The aim of the study was to identify the sleep quality in an adolescent group. All nine of the sleep logs and actigraphs denoted severe sleep deprivation. The findings from the logs and actigraphs denoted sever sleep deprivation. The expert lecturer provided basic information about sleep per the science designation of the day camp. A follow up session provided strategies to address sleep deprivation.

Pain Clinic Referral to Psychological Services Best Addressed with Collaboration.

A case study of a middle aged female with severe musculoskeletal medical conditions causing severe pain is presented. The referral for psychological services was conducted in concordance with the medical treatments. In this case, the complex nature of the severe musculoskeletal medical conditions necessitated intensive care and the collaborative communications provided this to the patient. A tabulation of representative treatments is provided with an explanation of the nature of the collaboration. Outcome data in terms of patient self-reported pain ratings and sleep logging provided evidence of a mild improvement and stability where more negative findings, given the complexity of the medical conditions was expected.

College residential sleep environment.

College students regularly report increased sleep disturbances as well as concomitant reductions in performance (e.g., academic grades) upon entering college. Sleep hygiene refers to healthy sleep practices that are commonly used as first interventions in sleep disturbances. One widely used practice of this sort involves arranging the sleep environment to minimize disturbances from excessive noise and light at bedtime. Communal sleep situations such as those in college residence halls do not easily support this intervention. Following several focus groups, a questionnaire was designed to gather self-reported information on sleep disturbances in a college population. The present study used The Young Adult Sleep Environment Inventory (YASEI) and sleep logs to investigate the sleep environment of college students living in residential halls. A summary of responses indicated that noise and light are significant sleep disturbances in these environments. Recommendations are presented related to these findings.

Daily activities and sleep quality in young adults.

Daily activity levels were investigated as related to sleep quality in young adult college students aged 18 to 30 years. 85 participants (20 men, 65 women) completed the Young Adult Daily Activity Scale (YADAS). This 37-item checklist has 34 items based on focus group discussion points of college students' typical daily activities and three blank items for students to include their daily activities if not in the listing. The tabulation of type and amount of waking daily activities represents a unique measurement of factors that may affect sleep quality. The participants also rated their typical sleep quality using a standard 5-point scale (low indicating poor sleep). Correlations of sleep ratings and activities were not significant.

Utility of personality measurement of clinic patients with insomnia.

An assessment study examining the relationship between sleep quality and personality style in individuals presenting to a sleep clinic with symptoms of insomnia was conducted. The protocol entailed standard clinical interviews conducted by a board certified sleep physician and licensed clinical psychologist. Participants were then assessed using a standard interview and the Millon Clinical Multi-axial Inventory III (MCMI-III) A follow-up appointment was conducted to provide interpretation and treatment recommendations from the interview and testing data. The results from a review of 210 cases are presented in terms of their sleep quality and dominant MCMI-III patterns. Preliminary multivariate analyses indicated two common profiles that correspond to the presentation of insomnia symptomology. These clusters were termed "avoidant" and "anxious" profiles, accordingly. Item content analyses were conducted via the Noteworthy Item classification in the MCMI-III manual to determine the viability of a category determined by the authors called Sleep Behavior Preoccupation. Of this sample 17% fit into the category.