Randomized trial of polychromatic blue-enriched light for circadian phase shifting, melatonin suppression, and alerting responses.

Wavelength comparisons have indicated that circadian phase-shifting and enhancement of subjective and EEG-correlates of alertness have a higher sensitivity to short wavelength visible light. The aim of the current study was to test whether polychromatic light enriched in the blue portion of the spectrum (17,000 K) has increased efficacy for melatonin suppression, circadian phase-shifting, and alertness as compared to an equal photon density exposure to a standard white polychromatic light (4000 K). Twenty healthy participants were studied in a time-free environment for 7 days. The protocol included two baseline days followed by a 26-h constant routine (CR1) to assess initial circadian phase. Following CR1, participants were exposed to a full-field fluorescent light (1 × 10 14 photons/cm 2 /s, 4000 K or 17,000 K, n = 10/condition) for 6.5 h during the biological night. Following an 8 h recovery sleep, a second 30-h CR was performed. Melatonin suppression was assessed from the difference during the light exposure and the corresponding clock time 24 h earlier during CR1. Phase-shifts were calculated from the clock time difference in dim light melatonin onset time (DLMO) between CR1 and CR2. Blue-enriched light caused significantly greater suppression of melatonin than standard light ((mean ± SD) 70.9 ± 19.6% and 42.8 ± 29.1%, respectively, p \u3c 0.05). There was no significant difference in the magnitude of phase delay shifts. Blue-enriched light significantly improved subjective alertness (p \u3c 0.05) but no differences were found for objective alertness. These data contribute to the optimization of the short wavelength-enriched spectra and intensities needed for circadian, neuroendocrine and neurobehavioral regulation

Impact of Multi-Night Experimentally Induced Short Sleep on Adolescent Performance in a Simulated Classroom

Study Objectives: Investigate whether a realistic "dose" of shortened sleep, relative to a well-rested state, causes a decline in adolescents' learning and an increase in inattentive and sleepy behaviors in a simulated classroom setting. Methods: Eighty-seven healthy 14.0- to 16.9-year olds underwent a 3-week sleep manipulation protocol, including two 5-night sleep manipulation conditions presented in a randomly counterbalanced within-subjects cross-over design. Wake time was held constant. Bedtimes were set to induce Short Sleep (SS; 6.5 hours in bed) versus Healthy Sleep (HS; 10 hours in bed). During the morning at the end of each condition, participants underwent a simulated classroom procedure in which they viewed lecture-based educational videotapes and completed relevant quizzes. Their behaviors in the simulated classroom were later coded by condition-blind raters for evidence of inattention and sleepiness. Results: Adolescents had a longer average sleep period during HS (9.1 hours) than SS (6.5 hours). Compared to scores during HS, adolescents scored significantly lower on the quiz, showed more behaviors suggestive of inattention and sleepiness in the simulated classroom, and were reported by adolescents themselves and by their parents to be more inattentive and sleepy during SS. However, the impact of the manipulation on quiz scores was not mediated by changes in attention or sleepiness. Conclusions: Although effect sizes were modest, these findings suggest that previously-reported correlations between sleep duration and academic performance reflect true cause-effect relationships. Findings add to the growing evidence that the chronically shortened sleep experienced by many adolescents on school nights adversely impacts their functioning and health

Reducing the Number of Sleepy Students’ in the Class during Learning: In the Case of Third Year Plant Science Students

A nap is a short period of sleep, usually taken during the day. Action research was conducted at Debark University, college of agriculture and environmental sciences for 3rd-year plant science students with the sleepy students in the class room. The general   objective was reducing the number of sleepy students in the case of plant science third year students. Then identified problems help to plan the intervention for further work. We have prepared questioners for those students with open and closed ended questionnaires; in addition to that we have carried out an interview with them and observations so as to address the objectives of the study. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. The data were generated from primary sources. The primary data were collected from 7 students using questionnaires. Data from the questionnaire were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20). To reduce the number of sleepy student in the class room, we implemented different innervations  like bring them in front seat, open the class room windows, giving tasks to them, making the lecturing method more attractive, and participatory. We could reduce the number of sleepy students from 7 to 3 then further works are suggested. The method of lecturing should not be boring, able to use attractive teaching material and others, make the class room environment favorable to learn (good) aeration, make the learning process participatory, advising the student on   planed time management, giving a task for the sleepy student to present or to share idea, try to call by their name for those students having sleepiness problem in the class and others are suggestions or recommendation for next cycle. Keywords: Sleepy, reducing, number, students, class DOI: 10.7176/JCSD/69-02 Publication date: January 31st 202

Pediatric sleep difficulties after moderate–severe traumatic brain injury

The objective of this study is to systematically investigate sleep following moderate–severe pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). School-aged children with moderate–severe TBI identified via hospital records were invited to participate, along with a school-age sibling. Subjective reports and objective actigraphy correlates of sleep were recorded: Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), Sleep Self-Report questionnaire (SSR), and 5-night actigraphy. TBI participants (n = 15) and their siblings (n = 15) participated. Significantly more sleep problems were parent-reported (CSHQ: p = 0.003; d = 1.57), self-reported (SSR: p = 0.003; d = 1.40), and actigraph-recorded in the TBI group (sleep efficiency: p = 0.003; d = 1.23; sleep latency: p = 0.018; d = 0.94). There was no evidence of circadian rhythm disorders, and daytime napping was not prevalent. Moderate–severe pediatric TBI was associated with sleep inefficiency in the form of sleep onset and maintenance problems. This preliminary study indicates that clinicians should be aware of sleep difficulties following pediatric TBI, and their potential associations with cognitive and behavioral problems in a group already at educational and psychosocial risk

Caffeine Use and Associations with Sleep in Adolescents with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

The objective of this study was to compare caffeine consumption in the morning, afternoon, and evening in adolescents with and without Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and examine associations with sleep functioning. Participants were 302 adolescents (ages 12-14) with (n=140) and without (n=162) ADHD. Adolescents wore actigraph watches to assess total sleep time and wake after sleep onset and reported on their sleep-wake problems and the number of caffeinated beverages consumed per day in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Parents reported on adolescents’ difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep. Chi-square analyses, odds ratios, and path analyses were conducted. Analyses controlled for sex, medication status, and pubertal development. Adolescents with ADHD were 2.47 times more likely to consume caffeine in the afternoon and evening than adolescents without ADHD. Path analyses indicated significant associations between afternoon caffeine use and more self-reported sleep problems for adolescents with and without ADHD, and an association between evening caffeine use and self-reported sleep problems only in adolescents with ADHD. Afternoon caffeine use was also associated with parent-reported sleep problems in adolescents with ADHD but not in adolescents without ADHD. Caffeine use was not associated with actigraphy-assessed sleep. This is the first study to show that adolescents with ADHD consume more caffeine than their peers during later times of the day. Additionally, caffeine use is more consistently associated with poorer subjective sleep functioning in adolescents with ADHD compared to adolescents without ADHD. Pediatricians and mental health professionals should assess for caffeine use in adolescents with ADHD and co-occurring sleep problems

Sleep, Health, and Aging

As people grow older, getting a good night's sleep remains essential to maintaining good health. Insomnia is a common complaint in older adults, and although occasional sleep complaints may not be associated with age, chronic sleep difficulties are experienced more often by older adults than by younger adults

How Do Children Talk About Sleepiness and Fatigue?

This item is only available electronically.Sleepiness and fatigue experienced excessively or chronically are associated with numerous negative impacts on childhood development and wellbeing. The overlapping nature and lack of consensus for definitions of these symptoms within childhood may contribute to misdiagnosis, as does the lack of research – which has focused on adult populations and quantitative methodologies to date. Similarly, current measures of child sleepiness and fatigue are typically derived from adult measures, thereby neglecting the child’s perspective and limiting the understanding and measurement of these phenomena in children. The present study is the first qualitative examination of children’s own language around the concepts of sleepiness and fatigue. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with primary school children from Adelaide, South Australia (N = 42) with the sample stratified by gender, school grade (three, five, & seven), and socio-economic status. Interviews presented eight visual and audio scenarios, and participants’ responses to these were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analysed using a realist epistemology. Analysis led to the identification of two overarching themes: 1) language describing ‘objective’ experiences which can be observed by others and 2) language describing ‘subjective’ experiences which cannot be observed by others. Four subthemes exist: ‘causes’ and ‘behavioral responses’ (objective descriptions), and ‘body-based sensations’ and ‘mind-based experiences’ (subjective descriptions). Importantly, across themes, children shared various features which distinguished between sleepiness and fatigue. Based on these findings, there is potential to develop a developmentally sensitive self-report measurement tool designed to accurately identify and distinguish between sleepiness and fatigue in children.Thesis (B.PsychSc(Hons)) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 202

Sleep Patterns and the Behavior of Children in the Second-, Third-, and Fourth-Grades in Urban Public Schools

This investigation examined the relationship between nocturnal sleep patterns and behaviors in the classroom of seventy-four girls and fifty-nine boys from second-, third-, and fourth-grades attending five urban public schools in Norfolk, Virginia. The dependent variables were the classroom behavior that was subdivided into five personality areas for objective assessment of the student\u27s adjustment areas labeled self, social, school, home, and physical. The objective assessment was observed and documented on a seventy-eight item questionnaire by their primary classroom teachers who were familiar with the subjects behavior. The parents observed and recorded data on a sleep log listing independent variables such as length of daytime naps, time to bed, number of hours slept, number of hours in bed, age, and gender. The parents recorded the data on the sleep log for seven nights. Other independent variables were grade ranking and type of lunch subsidy. Stepwise regressions revealed that night awakenings have a significant impact on home, social, self, school, and total adjustment. A one-way MANOVA with hours of sleep as the categorical variable with three levels of sleep indicated that the length of sleep had no impact on a child\u27s adjustment. The levels of sleep were less than nine-hours, 9.00-to-10.45 hours, and 10.5 hours and greater. The recorded time difference between the longest sleeper and the shortest sleeper is only 0.66 hours. Study findings suggest that continuous and uninterrupted sleep is more critical than actual length of sleep. A two-way MANOVA yielded statistically significant main effects of gender and Tukey\u27s HSD test revealed gender effects (self, social, school, and physical but not home) indicating better adjustment for girls than boys. The two-way MANOVA yielded nonsignificant main effects for age. The interaction effect of gender and age was significant. In conclusion, the findings of the current study suggest practical applications to the urban environment. Parents can be educated to direct attention to their children\u27s sleep practices, schedules, and daily stresses in order to enhance continuous and uninterrupted sleep

A school-based physical activity promotion intervention in children: rationale and study protocol for the PREVIENE Project

The lack of physical activity and increasing time spent in sedentary behaviours during childhood place importance on developing low cost, easy-toimplement school-based interventions to increase physical activity among children. The PREVIENE Project will evaluate the effectiveness of five innovative, simple, and feasible interventions (active commuting to/from school, active Physical Education lessons, active school recess, sleep health promotion, and an integrated program incorporating all 4 interventions) to improve physical activity, fitness, anthropometry, sleep health, academic achievement, and health-related quality of life in primary school children. The PREVIENE Project will provide the information about the effectiveness and implementation of different school-based interventions for physical activity promotion in primary school children.The PREVIENE Project was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (DEP2015-63988-R, MINECO-FEDER). MAG is supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivenes

The relationships of sleep quality, length, and napping to physical performance

College students suffer from more sleep disturbances than the general population. Sleep difficulties can lead to lower levels of performance, memory, and cognitive ability. Sleep quality is known to impact individuals\u27 physical and psychological health. The relationship between sleep variables (i.e., sleep quality, sleep length, sleepiness, and a nap/relaxation) and physical performance (i.e., flexibility, grip strength, and peak performance) has not been fully examined. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between sleep quality, sleep length, and sleepiness and physical performance (e.g., flexibility, grip strength, and peak power), as well as to determine if a short nap diminishes the effect of poor sleep on the same physical performance measures. Participants of this study were students at a mid-sized southern United States university who were recruited from classes in the College of Education. The relationship between sleep quality, length, and sleepiness and flexibility, grip strength, vertical jump height, and peak power was assessed using the Sleep Quality Index, the Adult Sleep-Wake Scale, the Sleep Habits Questionnaire, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, hand dynamometer, vertical jump test, and sit-and-reach box. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to determine the effect of a nap/relaxation on flexibility, grip strength, vertical jump height, and peak power, with gender as an independent variable. Correlations were also conducted to determine the relationship between sleep quality, sleep duration, and sleepiness and flexibility, grip strength, and peak power