Investigating the Prevalence of Sleep Disorder and the Impact of Sweet Almond on the Quality of Sleep in Students of Tehran, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Insomnia is an important problem in medical sciences students and has implications for their educational progress. The current study aimed to estimate the prevalence of sleep disorders and investigating the impact of sweet almond on quality of sleep in students of the Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran who live in dormitories. METHODS: This is a before-after study conducted in 2017. At first, using the ISI questionnaire prevalence of sleep disorders was determined. Sweet almond was the study intervention. Each day, 10 almonds were given to 446 students for 14 d. At the end of the second week, again ISI questionnaire was filled. SPSS was used to analyze data. The McNemar, Wilcoxson Signed Ranks, and Repeated Measures tests were used. RESULTS: Out of 442 participants, 217 (49.1%) were female. Before intervention, 343 (77.6%) had insomnia and 99 (22.4%) had normal sleep. After intervention, 306 (69.2%) had insomnia and 136 (30.8%) had normal sleep. Having sweet almond for two weeks is associated with reducing insomnia (P<0.05). Investigating the almond impact in different categories also showed that it has a reducing impact on severe, mild, weak and normal sleep categories (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Sweet almond has impacts on quality of sleep of those students of the TUMS that are living in dormitories. Intervention programs to improve quality of sleep are necessary and with regard to the high prevalence of insomnia, students must be protected, guided and consulted.

Cosmic rays as a novel hypothetic explanation for the ancient mentioned effects of sleeping under the night sky.

Traditional medicine scientists believed that sleeping under the stars and moonlight is not healthy because it brings about nose bleeds and respiratory problems. In Avicenna's view, the spirit and its tendency to the light are introduced as main etiology, which cannot explain star light as a proper etiology. In modern knowledge, it seems cosmic rays that reach our planet's atmosphere by electron cascade, play a key role. Internal organs' electrical charge distribution disturbance caused by these electrons can lead to irregular spasms in the muscular walls of arteries and other organs. These interactions may finally lead to circulation (epistaxis and hypertension) and respiratory (catarrh) problems.

Peritoneum as an origin of epilepsy from the viewpoint of Avicenna.

There are studies that show that the concepts of epilepsy have been rooted in Persian medicine; Avicenna "Ibn-e-Sina"-one of the great Persian physicians in the Islamic golden age (9th-12th century AD)-has considered some types of epilepsy with the association of the stomach, the spleen, the "Maraqq," and the whole body which has not been reviewed properly. These organs influence on the brain and can cause epilepsy. This article presents concept of Maraqq-related epilepsy; according to Avicenna's view, "Maraqq" is a membranous structure which is located in the abdomen (equivalent of parietal peritoneum in current nomenclature). We discuss his viewpoint about the diagnosis and treatment of Maraqq-related epilepsy with focus on herbal remedies. The concept of a relationship between the "Maraqq" and the brain is well discussed in the old Persian medicine texts; however, it seems that further studies in this area are required to clarify Avicenna's view about the pathophysiological mechanisms, clinical manifestations, and treatment strategies.