Changes in Sleep Regularity and Perceived Life Stress across the COVID-19 Pandemic : A Longitudinal Analysis of a Predominately Female United States Convenience Sample

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a profound impact on sleep and psychological well-being for individuals worldwide. This pre-registered investigation extends our prior study by tracking self-reported social jetlag (SJL), social sleep restriction (SSR), and perceived life stress from May 2020 through October 2021. Using web-based surveys, we collected self-reported sleep information with the Ultrashort Munich Chronotype Questionnaire at three additional timepoints (September 2020, February 2021 and October 2021). Further, we measured perceived life stress with the Perceived Stress Scale at two additional timepoints (February 2021 and October 2021). In a subsample of 181, predominantly female (87%), United States adults aged 19-89 years, we expanded our prior findings by showing that the precipitous drop in SJL during the pandemic first wave (May 2020), compared to pre-pandemic (February, 2020), rapidly rose with loosening social restrictions (September 2020), though never returned to pre-pandemic levels. This effect was greatest in young adults, but not associated with self-reported chronotype. Further, perceived life stress decreased across the pandemic, but was unrelated to SJL or SSR. These findings suggest that sleep schedules were sensitive to pandemic-related changes in social restrictions, especially in younger participants. We posit several possible mechanisms supporting these findings

Vascular endothelial growth factor is an important determinant of sepsis morbidity and mortality

Sepsis, the systemic inflammatory response to infection, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. The mechanisms of sepsis pathophysiology remain obscure but are likely to involve a complex interplay between mediators of the inflammatory and coagulation pathways. An improved understanding of these mechanisms should provide an important foundation for developing novel therapies. In this study, we show that sepsis is associated with a time-dependent increase in circulating levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and placental growth factor (PlGF) in animal and human models of sepsis. Adenovirus-mediated overexpression of soluble Flt-1 (sFlt-1) in a mouse model of endotoxemia attenuated the rise in VEGF and PlGF levels and blocked the effect of endotoxemia on cardiac function, vascular permeability, and mortality. Similarly, in a cecal ligation puncture (CLP) model, adenovirus–sFlt-1 protected against cardiac dysfunction and mortality. When administered in a therapeutic regimen beginning 1 h after the onset of endotoxemia or CLP, sFlt peptide resulted in marked improvement in cardiac physiology and survival. Systemic administration of antibodies against the transmembrane receptor Flk-1 but not Flt-1 protected against sepsis mortality. Adenovirus-mediated overexpression of VEGF but not PlGF exacerbated the lipopolysaccharide-mediated toxic effects. Together, these data support a pathophysiological role for VEGF in mediating the sepsis phenotype

Circadian Rhythm and Sleep Disruption: Causes, Metabolic Consequences and Countermeasures.

Circadian (∼ 24 hour) timing systems pervade all kingdoms of life, and temporally optimize behaviour and physiology in humans. Relatively recent changes to our environments, such as the introduction of artificial lighting, can disorganize the circadian system, from the level of the molecular clocks that regulate the timing of cellular activities to the level of synchronization between our daily cycles of behaviour and the solar day. Sleep/wake cycles are intertwined with the circadian system, and global trends indicate that these too are increasingly subject to disruption. A large proportion of the world's population is at increased risk of environmentally-driven circadian rhythm and sleep disruption, and a minority of individuals are also genetically predisposed to circadian misalignment and sleep disorders. The consequences of disruption to the circadian system and sleep are profound and include myriad metabolic ramifications, some of which may be compounded by adverse effects on dietary choices. If not addressed, the deleterious effects of such disruption will continue to cause widespread health problems; therefore, implementation of the numerous behavioural and pharmaceutical interventions that can help restore circadian system alignment and enhance sleep will be important

Effects of sleep and sleep deficiency on autonomic function in humans

The autonomic system plays an important role in regulating blood pressure (BP). BP is elevated at night when individuals remain awake and continues to be elevated during either the night or the day if wakefulness persists. There is a close relationship between the high frequency (HF) of the variability of the RR interval (RRI), an index of parasympathetic predominance, and delta power during slow-wave sleep bouts. In addition, there is an HF rebound once sleep is permitted following sleep deprivation. Furthermore, this is the case for acute total sleep deprivation, as well as for models of chronic sleep restriction. Evidence indicates that sleep is important for autonomic homeostasis. It has long been recognized that physiological stress induces sympathetic activation. However, the simple fact that humans can voluntarily, and sometimes even with great pleasure, deprive themselves of sleep, has led us to overlook the role that deficient sleep plays as a physiological stressor. Physiological and epidemiological data have shown that short sleep is a risk factor for a broad range of morbidity and all-cause mortality. Understanding the role sleep plays in autonomic regulation can open new opportunities for the development of sleep interventions to improve cardiovascular health

Changes in Sleep Regularity and Perceived Life Stress across the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Analysis of a Predominately Female United States Convenience Sample

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a profound impact on sleep and psychological well-being for individuals worldwide. This pre-registered investigation extends our prior study by tracking self-reported social jetlag (SJL), social sleep restriction (SSR), and perceived life stress from May 2020 through October 2021. Using web-based surveys, we collected self-reported sleep information with the Ultrashort Munich Chronotype Questionnaire at three additional timepoints (September 2020, February 2021 and October 2021). Further, we measured perceived life stress with the Perceived Stress Scale at two additional timepoints (February 2021 and October 2021). In a subsample of 181, predominantly female (87%), United States adults aged 19–89 years, we expanded our prior findings by showing that the precipitous drop in SJL during the pandemic first wave (May 2020), compared to pre-pandemic (February, 2020), rapidly rose with loosening social restrictions (September 2020), though never returned to pre-pandemic levels. This effect was greatest in young adults, but not associated with self-reported chronotype. Further, perceived life stress decreased across the pandemic, but was unrelated to SJL or SSR. These findings suggest that sleep schedules were sensitive to pandemic-related changes in social restrictions, especially in younger participants. We posit several possible mechanisms supporting these findings

Dismantling the Component-Specific Effects of Yogic Breathing: Feasibility of a Fully Remote Three-Arm RCT with Virtual Laboratory Visits and Wearable Physiology

Despite the growing research base examining the benefits and physiological mechanisms of slow-paced breathing (SPB), mindfulness (M), and their combination (as yogic breathing, SPB + M), no studies have directly compared these in a ”dismantling” framework. To address this gap, we conducted a fully remote three-armed feasibility study with wearable devices and video-based laboratory visits. Eighteen healthy participants (age 18–30 years, 12 female) were randomized to one of three 8-week interventions: slow-paced breathing (SPB, N = 5), mindfulness (M, N = 6), or yogic breathing (SPB + M, N = 7). The participants began a 24-h heart rate recording with a chest-worn device prior to the first virtual laboratory visit, consisting of a 60-min intervention-specific training with guided practice and experimental stress induction using a Stroop test. The participants were then instructed to repeat their assigned intervention practice daily with a guided audio, while concurrently recording their heart rate data and completing a detailed practice log. The feasibility was determined using the rates of overall study completion (100%), daily practice adherence (73%), and the rate of fully analyzable data from virtual laboratory visits (92%). These results demonstrate feasibility for conducting larger trial studies with a similar fully remote framework, enhancing the ecological validity and sample size that could be possible with such research designs