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June 11, 2008Strong associations between disturbed rest/activity rhythms and mortality rates in older men |
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From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: A research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday at SLEEP 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS), is the first to report strong associations between disturbed rest/activity rhythms and mortality rates in older, community-dwelling (non-institutionalized) men. The study, funded by the National Institute on Aging and authored by Misti L. Paudel, of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in Minneapolis, focused on 3,053 community-dwelling men aged 67 years and older. Rest/activity biological rhythms were obtained, and specific measures of these rhythms included the time of the peak of the rest/activity rhythm (acrophase), the height of the rest/activity rhythm (amplitude) and the robustness or strength of the rest/activity rhythm (F-value). The results showed that men with the lowest amplitude (i.e., lowest quintile) had higher mortality rates than men with the highest amplitude (i.e. highest quintile). "The association between rest/activity rhythm disruptions and mortality has been studied in cancer patients and older, institutionalized adults with Alzheimer disease," said Paudel. More research is needed in order to understand the physiologic and biological mechanisms underlying these associations, as well as the contribution of poor health." Avoiding substances that disturb your sleep, like alcohol or caffeine. Those who have trouble sleeping are advised to see a sleep specialist at a facility accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). The annual SLEEP meeting brings together an international body of 5,000 leading researchers and clinicians in the field of sleep medicine to present and discuss new findings and medical developments related to sleep and sleep disorders.
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