Recent research has found that rocking promotes sleep in mice, but there is a lack of information on whether rocking also promotes sleep in rats and the neurophysiological mechanisms involved. The purpose of the present experiment was to elucidate the effects of rocking on sleep-wake staging in rats. EEG recordings were made on a platform with a frequency of 1.5 HZ and a displacement of 20 mm for 12 h of rocking and 12 h of stillness in rats, and the proportion of each sleep phase in the 24-h EEG was analyzed. The contents of glutamate and GABA in the VLPO region of rats were measured during shaking. The results showed that at a shaking frequency of 1.5 HZ, the proportion of non-rapid eye movement (REM) sleep increased and wakefulness decreased in the first 12 h of the rats, and there was no significant effect in the last 12 h. In the experiments, GABA levels in the VLPO region of awake rats gradually increased after the onset of uniform rocking exercise and began to decrease after reaching a peak at 20 min. After 40 min, GABA levels leveled off and did not change significantly above 60 min, but had no effect on glutamate levels. These results suggest that 1.5 HZ of rocking promotes NREM sleep and reduces wakefulness in rats, and that rocking may be related to GABAergic neurons in promoting sleep in rats.

The Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS) is a common tool for assessing daytime sleepiness in children and adolescents. Despite its widespread use, its internal consistency reliability across populations and cultures is still being assessed. This meta-analysis synthesizes data from multiple studies to assess the PDSS's internal consistency. A comprehensive review of 18 databases was conducted to gather studies examining the reliability of PDSS using Cronbach's alpha. A random-effects model was employed to calculate the overall Cronbach's alpha, while the I statistic and Tau estimate assessed the consistency between studies. Subgroup analyses, meta-regression, and sensitivity analyses were performed to explore and verify the reasons for any observed differences. Additionally, funnel plot inspection, Egger's regression, and trim-and-fill method were used to evaluate publication bias. The meta-analysis included nine studies with a total of 8064 participants ( = 9). The estimated pooled Cronbach's alpha was 0.77 (95% CI 0.75 to 0.80), indicating high internal consistency. Significant heterogeneity was detected (I = 87.88%, Tau = 0.001, H = 8.25). The prediction interval (0.69 to 0.86) suggested that most individual studies reported acceptable to excellent internal consistency. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses did not identify any unduly influential studies or significant moderators (age, sex). No evidence of publication bias was found using multiple assessment methods. The current meta-analysis confirms the high internal consistency reliability of the PDSS across varied study groups and cultures in non-clinical populations. While the findings support the international use of PDSS to assess daytime drowsiness in children and adolescents, validation in clinical populations remains necessary to establish its utility in diagnostic and treatment contexts. Open Science Framework (OSF) https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/F7M3Z.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intraoperative esketamine in improving postoperative sleep quality based on evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A systematic search was conducted in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Medline (via Ovid), and EMBASE. Eligible studies were RCTs comparing the effects of esketamine versus placebo on postoperative sleep quality in surgical patients. Statistical analyses were performed using Cochrane Review Manager version 5.4.1. A total of 10 RCTs comprising 1,287 patients were included. Esketamine significantly improved postoperative sleep quality compared to placebo on postoperative day (POD) 1 (SMD =  - 0.52, 95% CI [- 0.69, - 0.34],  < 0.00001, I = 61%), POD 2 (SMD =  - 0.60, 95% CI [- 1.16, - 0.03],  = 0.04, I = 77%), POD 3 (SMD =  - 0.44, 95% CI [- 0.71, - 0.18],  = 0.001, I = 76%), and POD 7 (SMD =  - 0.31, 95% CI [- 0.58, - 0.04],  = 0.03, I = 0%). While the incidence of adverse events did not differ significantly between groups, elevated odds ratios indicated a potential trend toward a higher incidence with esketamine. Intraoperative esketamine may improve postoperative sleep quality. However, it is not yet possible to conclude whether this agent is suitable for clinical use in improving sleep targeting postoperative patients. Further high-quality RCTs are needed to confirm efficacy and evaluate long-term safety.

A cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2019 and January 2020 in seven Japanese municipal elementary schools in Higashiyamato City, Tokyo. A questionnaire was distributed to 922 children enrolled in the 1st and 2nd grades. After excluding incomplete questionnaires, 629 (52.3% male) children were included in the analysis. Both sleep disorders and constipation are highly prevalent among elementary school children and could be associated with each other since sometimes they coexist in adults. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the association between sleep and constipation among community-based elementary school children. Among children who reported insufficient sleep, multivariable-adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for constipation was 2.82 (1.48-5.37; -value: 0.002) and 2.19 (1.26-3.84; -value: 0.008) for children reporting unrefreshing sleep. Constipation was significantly associated with insufficient and unrefreshing sleep in elementary school children. Since both functional constipation and sleep have been reported to be strongly linked with altered gut microbiome, future studies assessing the value of symbiotics in addressing these issues seem warranted.

Sleep deprivation (SD) has deleterious effects on cognitive functions and mood state. Evidence has shown that total and rapid-eye movement (REM) SD may lead to mood disturbances, anxiety, and depressive-like behaviors in rodents. However, there are inconsistent reports showing the potential antidepressant effects of SD. The present systematic review study aimed to review all previously published studies (indexed in PubMed) to assess the effects of total and REM SD on depressive-like behavior in rats, with respect to rat model, rat strain, age or weight, sex, SD model, SD duration, SD method, and depression test. At first, 184 studies were identified. After removal of duplications and unrelated studies, 37 studies were included in the present systematic review. The results showed a wide range of inconsistent effects of total and REM SD (especially REM SD) on depressive-like behavior in control and model rats. Increased depressive-like behavior was the most effect seen induced by total and REM SD in control rats. However, REM SD in pathological conditions showed a therapeutic role via decreasing depression, but total SD did not show this effect. We also showed that sex and depression test may alter the effect of REM SD on depressive-like behavior (evidence is limited). We suggested that future studies should use various depression tests and both sexes to better investigate the effects of SD on depression. We also showed that chronic REM SD leads to manic-like behaviors in females, although this effect has not been well investigated in males.

Prolonged loneliness adversely affects mental and physical health. Even if feelings of loneliness are high, the association between loneliness intensity, mental health, and school refusal may differ depending on how loneliness is framed (i.e., loneliness orientation). In this study, we aimed to develop a Loneliness Orientation Test to examine the relationship between loneliness intensity and loneliness orientation; examine the differential impact of sleep problems on loneliness intensity/orientation, feelings of school refusal, and the number of absences; and examine the relationship between the combined types of loneliness intensity with loneliness orientation, sleep problems, and school refusal. The study sample included 168 senior high school students. We used loneliness-related measures, including the Loneliness Oriented Test developed in this study, sleep-related measures (insomnia, sleep debt, and chronotype), and school refusal-related measures (feelings of school avoidance and absenteeism). These findings showed that feelings of school avoidance and absenteeism were associated with different sleep problems (insomnia, sleep debt, and chronotype). Additionally, one-fourth of lonely individuals viewed loneliness positively; those with a positive loneliness orientation did not have worse sleep conditions than those with a negative loneliness orientation. Even when loneliness intensity is strong, outcomes such as sleep problems vary depending on an individual's orientation toward loneliness.

Chrononutrition is the study of the effect of time of food intake on metabolism, nutrition and health. It explores the inter-relationship between sleep hygiene and food habits. Chrononutrition is an upcoming and emerging aspect of nutrition with a lot of research activity being carried out. For this narrative review, an electronic literature search using PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane databases and Google Scholar was performed till 20th February of 2025. For the PubMed search, the following Mesh Terms combined with the Boolean Operators were used "chrononutrition OR chrononutrition" AND "sleep OR sleep cycle OR circadian rhythm" AND "diet OR meal". These keyword searches were limited to the articles title and abstract. Relevant articles, written in English language with sufficient information on components of chrononutrition, diet and sleep that were published after January 2014 were included in this narrative review. Literature search shows that research on chrononutrition and aspects of sleep are limited. However, a lot of research has been directed towards it and it has been gaining importance. In this review we explore the various components of chrononutrition and how it impacts sleep. Temporal aspects of eating have undergone tremendous changes with modern lifestyle and are having a profound impact on our sleep and health. Skipping breakfast and late night eating has an adverse effect on metabolism resulting in obesity, metabolic syndrome, adverse cardiovascular health and bad sleep hygiene. Knowledge and advancement of research on chrononutrition can contribute to overall well-being.

We aimed to develop a practical, data-driven, shortened version of the Cancer-related Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep (C-DBAS) scale that maintains diagnostic accuracy while minimizing assessment time and efforts for both patients and clinicians. A sample dataset of 564 cancer patients was collected. Responses to 18 items were organized into six groups based on response similarity using exploratory factor analysis and K-means clustering. The most representative item from each group was then selected utilizing eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost). Subsequently, a symbolic regression-based clinical score generator (SymScore), a newly developed clinical score generator, was employed to assign optimized weights to the selected items, enabling accurate prediction of the total scores for the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep-16 items (DBAS-16) and 2-item Cancer-related Dysfunctional Beliefs about Sleep (C-DBS) questionnaires. Six key items (items 4, 5, 7, 9, and 15 from DBAS-16 and item C2 from C-DBS) were identified, allowing close estimation of the total score for the combined DBAS-16 and C-DBS, referred to as C-DBAS-6. XGBoost applied to C-DBAS-6 demonstrated strong predictive performance, achieving an R value of 0.88 when contrasted with the actual total scores of the combined DBAS-16 and C-DBS. Application of the SymScore to C-DBAS-6 achieved comparable performance with an R value of 0.90, despite being a simpler approach that necessitated only the summation of response weights from a score table without employing a complex machine learning algorithm. The application of SymScore to C-DBAS-6 represents a highly accurate shortened version of the DBAS-16 and C-DBS questionnaires.

This pilot study investigated the impact of a 24-h sleep deprivation period on circulating biomarkers of creatine metabolism in 23 healthy adults (24.6 ± 4.3 years; 7 females). Contrary to the hypothesis that sleep deprivation would reduce creatine levels, serum creatine significantly increased post-deprivation (95% CI -3.66 to 25.22 μmol/L;  = 0.03), while guanidinoacetic acid and creatinine levels remained unchanged. Our findings suggest a complex relationship between sleep deprivation and creatine metabolism, emphasizing the need for further research using advanced biomarkers to elucidate these mechanisms and assess creatine's potential protective role under stress conditions.

Reasonable exercise intervention can effectively improve sleep disorders, but the best combination of exercise prescription variables is not yet clear. This study compares the effects of different combinations of exercise prescription variables on the sleep quality of people with sleep disorders through a network meta-analysis, providing strong evidence for the development of effective exercise intervention programs. Searches were conducted through five databases: Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Scopus, with the search date cut-off being September 30, 2024. Stata 17.0 and RevMan 5.4 software tools were used to generate network evidence plots and funnel plots, and the surface under the cumulative ranking was used to rank the impact of each exercise prescription variable. Sensitivity analysis was also conducted using a one-by-one elimination method to verify the robustness of the results. Following the PICOS principle and PRISMA guidelines, this study included 30 randomized controlled trial articles involving 2576 subjects, with data extraction independently completed by two researchers. The results of the network meta-analysis show that the optimal exercise prescription combination is yoga with a frequency of twice a week, a duration of ≤ 30 min, lasting 8-10 weeks, and performed at high intensity. This study indicates that high-intensity yoga, twice a week, with a duration of ≤ 30 min, and lasting 8-10 weeks, has the best effect on improving the sleep quality of people with sleep disorders. Further, high-quality research is needed to confirm these findings due to the limited studies included.

Nonrestorative sleep (NRS) is clearly more associated with objective indices than primary insomnia symptoms. Stress is a comorbid factor for NRS. In 2015, the Stress Check Program was launched in Japan as a new occupational health policy. This study aimed to clarify whether the presence or absence of high job stress (HJS), as determined by Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ), is related to the comorbidity of NRS. The subjects were 23,813 Japanese office workers who were 20 to 59 years old. The results of the BJSQ and medical examinations from a single year were examined. Presence or absence of HJS was assessed using the BJSQ and investigated in a medical interview using a personal computer. Additionally, HJS and NRS comorbidity were analyzed to determine if there were relationships between them. The subjects had a mean age of 43.2 ± 10.7 years. The proportions of subjects with NRS and HJS were 27% and 10%, respectively. HJS was associated with a risk of NRS (odds ratio, 3.68; 95% confidence interval, 3.35-4.03;  < 0.001), after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, life-related diseases comorbidity and cardiovascular disease comorbidity, sleep time, and lifestyle habits. HJS as measured using the BJSQ was the strongest significant comorbid factor for NRS.

This study explored the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Insomnia Catastrophizing Scale (ICS) for assessing catastrophic thoughts related to sleep, shedding light on one of the key cognitive dimensions of insomnia, among the general Korean population. The study analyzed secondary data from 399 participants who completed an online survey conducted during September 26-30, 2022. The survey contained various rating scales, namely, the ICS, Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep-16, Glasgow Sleep Effort Scale, Dysfunctional Beliefs about Sleep-2, Insomnia Severity Index, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Among the participants, 51.1% were male, with 13.3% reporting past psychiatric symptoms and 12.3%, current psychologic distress. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the construct validity of both the nighttime (ICS-N) and daytime (ICS-D) subscales, with good model fits observed. Item response theory analysis indicated strong discrimination ability for both scales. Cronbach's alphas showed the reliability of internal consistency for ICS-N (alpha = 0.950) and ICS-D (alpha = 0.961). The Korean version of the ICS, including both subscales, demonstrated reliability and validity in assessing sleep-related catastrophic thoughts among the general Korean population.

Long-term shift work significantly impacts the health of healthcare workers, with sleep disorders (SD) being a common and urgent concern. Traditional predictive models often perform poorly in identifying minority class samples-specifically healthcare workers experiencing SD-due to dataset imbalances. This study aimed to construct a risk warning model by introducing the synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SMOTE) to improve the predictive accuracy for SD among healthcare workers engaged in long-term shift work, providing a scientific basis for early intervention. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the sleep conditions of 181 healthcare workers at CR&WISCO General Hospital, Wuhan University of Science and Technology. Participants were divided into two groups based on their sleep status: 70 individuals in group A (AG) with SD, and 111 individuals in group B (BG) without SD. The application of the SMOTE-based risk warning model was analyzed for predicting SD in healthcare workers under long-term shift work, and the model's performance was validated against two other models and three verification datasets. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of SD among healthcare workers under long-term shift work revealed that gender, age, occupation, education level, professional title, authorization strength, shift duration, work hours, anxiety, and depression were identified as independent influencing factors. The SMOTE warning model achieved a sensitivity of 83.22%, specificity of 78.67%, accuracy of 85.35%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 74.60%, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 87.67%, significantly outperforming the original dataset, backpropagation (BP) model, and the random forest (RF) model ( < 0.05). ROC curve analysis showed an AUC value of 0.85 for the SMOTE-processed data, indicating superior predictive performance of the SMOTE-based warning model. The SMOTE-based risk warning model effectively enhances the prediction of SD in healthcare workers engaged in long-term shift work, demonstrating significant clinical applicability. This finding not only contributes to improving the health management of healthcare workers but also provides a reference model for similar issues in other fields.

Sleep disorders and osteoporosis frequently co-occur in the elderly, especially among those living at high altitudes. This study aimed to investigate the association between sleep disorders and osteoporosis among elderly residents of high-altitude regions in China. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis from January 2021 to January 2023, enrolling 160 elderly participants aged 60 years and older from high-altitude areas. Sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and osteoporosis was diagnosed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Demographic data, blood parameters, and pulmonary artery pressure were collected. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and logistic regression to determine the independent association between sleep disorders and osteoporosis, adjusting for potential confounders. Osteoporosis was prevalent in 65% of the participants, with 75% of those also having sleep disorders. A significant negative correlation was found between sleep quality and bone density (ρ = -0.65, P < 0.001), suggesting a positive relationship between the severity of sleep disorders and the risk of osteoporosis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between sleep disorders and the presence of osteoporosis (OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.20-2.20, P = 0.001). Subgroup analyses showed stronger associations in females (OR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.50-3.20, P < 0.001) and participants aged over 70 years (OR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.30-3.10, P = 0.002). Significant correlations were also observed in participants with oxygen saturation below 85% (OR = 2.50, 95% CI: 1.60-3.90, P < 0.001) and those with elevated pulmonary artery pressure (OR = 2.80, 95% CI: 1.80-4.30, P < 0.001). Sleep disorders are significantly associated with osteoporosis in the elderly at high altitudes, with physiological variables in this environment potentially exacerbating this relationship.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) participate in diverse biological processes. However, whether circRNAs exhibit distinct expression patterns under obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)-induced chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) remains unexplored. We conducted RNA sequencing to compare expression profiles between CIH rats ( = 4) and normoxic controls ( = 4), identifying differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs. After filtering candidate circRNAs, we validated their expression in four OSA patients and four controls using qRT-PCR. Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to confirm the diagnostic potential of these circRNAs. The miRanda software predicted target microRNAs (miRNAs), and the circRNA-miRNA regulatory network was visualized using Cytoscape software. In total, we identified 43 DE circRNAs, primarily enriched in functions like protein binding, cytoskeleton organization, and supramolecular complexes. We selected eight DE circRNAs associated with CIH for validation in OSA patients ( = 4) and controls ( = 4), with five displaying significant expression differences. These eight circRNAs showed distinct expression patterns between CIH and control groups, suggesting potential utility in distinguishing CIH conditions. Notably, our analysis identified mir-466b-3p as associated with DE circRNAs in the context of CIH. In conclusion, this study described circRNA expression profiles in CIH rats and identified several circRNAs with altered expression in CIH conditions. These findings suggest areas for further research into the relationship between circRNA expression and CIH.

Recent research has identified the mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA-c (MOTS-c) as a crucial mitochondrial peptide that significantly influences metabolic regulation, mimics the effects of exercise, and mitigates oxidative stress. This study aims to investigate the relationship between serum MOTS-c levels and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to enhance our understanding of the disease's pathophysiology. By elucidating this relationship, we hope to uncover new insights into the mechanisms underlying OSA and its associated metabolic complications. Seventy-seven participants were enrolled in this study, including 53 patients with OSA and 24 controls. We measured serum MOTS-c levels and collected participants' demographic characteristics, polysomnography (PSG) data, complete blood count (CBC) data, and sleep-related questionnaires. The study included 77 participants, consisting of 8 patients with mild OSA, 16 with moderate OSA, 29 with severe OSA, and 24 controls. The cohort comprised 26 women and 51 men. Analysis revealed that serum MOTS-c levels were significantly correlated with BMI, AHI (Apnea-Hypopnea Index), and ODI (Oxygen Desaturation Index), independent of age. Additionally, the severity of OSA was inversely related to serum MOTS-c levels, with lower levels observed in patients with more severe OSA. Variations in serum MOTS-c levels were also noted across different BMI classifications. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), with BMI as a covariate, demonstrated that the severity of OSA was an independent factor influencing serum MOTS-c levels. Serum MOTS-c levels correlate with both severity of OSA and BMI classification, suggesting that MOTS-c may have significant therapeutic potential for treating OSA.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive decline in cognitive function and emotional disturbances. The amygdala is an important connectivity structure in the brain and is responsible for emotional responses. 5-HT is involved in various neurodevelopmental processes in the brain. In this study, correlation study of 5-HT in brain with cognitive function and anxious-like behavior was investigated in APP/PS1 transgene mice. Multiple behavioral tests were performed to examine the cognitive function and anxiety behavior of AD mice. In vivo hippocampus long-term potentiation (LTP) was recorded to reflect synaptic plasticity. 5-HT levels in hippocampus and amygdala were determined. Further, we explored the correlation between 5-HT levels in hippocampus and amygdala and long-term cognitive behaviors and anxiety behaviors in the AD mice using linear regression analysis. Our results demonstrated that there was close linear correlation between 5-HT level in brain and spatial cognition and anxiety behavior of APP/PS1 transgene mice. 5-HT influences spatial learning and memory by regulating the synaptic plasticity in hippocampus of APP/PS1 transgenic mice. These results indicate that 5-HT might be potentially beneficial in the treatment of AD.

This study investigated the association between common mental disorders (CMD) and sleep parameters measured objectively through actigraphy, as well as using self-reported data, among female shift workers in southern Brazil. This cross-sectional study involved 450 female participants, with 278 undergoing actigraphy. CMD was assessed using a Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20), while self-reported sleep disturbance was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scale. Actigraphy was utilized to measure sleep quality over a consecutive 48-h period. The odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using multinomial logistic regression. The prevalence of sleep disturbance was 9.7% (95% CI 7.2-12.9) according to the PSQI, while CMD prevalence was 47.3% (95% CI 42.6-52.1) in the entire sample. Sleep disturbance was significantly associated with positive CMD screening (OR = 20.03; 95% CI 7.22-55.54) as well as with night shift work (OR = 5.38; 95% CI 1.75-16.52). CMD did not exhibit a statistically significant association with objective sleep quality parameters measured using actigraphy. However, adjusted analysis of sleep efficiency revealed that women on the afternoon (OR = 3.09; 95% CI 1.53-6.25) or night shifts (OR = 3.43; 95% CI 1.60-7.35) had a higher prevalence of 10 or more awakenings during sleep compared to those working morning shifts. This study highlights the high prevalence of CMD among female shift workers. Furthermore, CMD demonstrated a statistically significant association with self-reported sleep disorders within this population group. However, this association was not observed when compared with objective data collected by actigraphy.