DARIEN, IL – Loneliness is not only heartbreaking, it breaks up a normal night’s sleep, a new study shows. Researchers say compromised sleep may be one pathway by which feelings of loneliness adversely affect our health.

“It’s not just a product of very lonely individuals having poor sleep. The relationship between loneliness and restless sleep appears to operate across the range of perceived connectedness,” said lead author Lianne Kurina, PhD, of the Department of Health Studies at the University of Chicago.

Kurina and her co-authors compared the degree of loneliness reported by a close-knit population of 95 adults in rural South Dakota with measurements of their sleep cycles. None of the individuals were socially isolated, yet their perceptions of loneliness varied. Higher loneliness scores were linked to significantly higher levels of fragmented sleep. The total amount of sleep and the degree of daytime sleepiness were not impacted.

“Loneliness has been associated with adverse effects on health,” Kurina said. “We wanted to explore one potential pathway for this, the theory that sleep – a key behavior to staying healthy – could be compromised by feelings of loneliness. What we found was that loneliness does not appear to change the total amount of sleep in individuals, but awakens them more times during the night.”

These findings, appearing in the Nov. 1 issue of the journal SLEEP, were similar to a 2002 study published by the American Psychological Society that compared the loneliness reported by college students with their measured quality of sleep. The lonelier the students felt, the more their sleep was broken-up during the night.

The similarities among the studies help point out that loneliness and social isolation are two distinct concepts, Kurina said. Loneliness reflects perceived social isolation or feelings of being an outcast, the often-painful discrepancy between a person’s desired and actual social relationships.

“Whether you’re a young student at a major university or an older adult living in a rural community, we may all be dependent on feeling secure in our social environment in order to sleep soundly,” Kurina said. “The results from these studies could further our understanding of how social and psychological factors ‘get under the skin’ and affect health.”

For a copy of the study, “Loneliness Is Associated with Sleep Fragmentation in a Communal Society,” or to arrange an interview with an AASM spokesperson, please contact PR Coordinator Doug Dusik at 630-737-9700, ext. 9345, or ddusik@aasmnet.org.

It is now well established that participation in regular physical activity improves blood glucose control and can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes mellitus, along with positively affecting lipids, blood pressure, cardiovascular events, mortality, and quality of life.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/734020?src=emailthis

http://blogs.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/2011/01/vitamin-d-daytime-energy-the-old-fashioned-way.html?ecd=wnl_slw_020311

INFORMATION FROM WEBMD

Slideshow: Thyroid Symptoms and Solutions

http://women.webmd.com/slideshow-thyroid-symptoms-and-solutions

More than 60% of post-menopausal women report insomnia symptoms. In fact, in their lifetimes, women report the most problems with their sleep during perimenopause and post-menopause. Most sleep problems are caused by hot flashes, mood disorders, insomnia and sleep-disordered breathing. Snoring, accompanied by pauses or gasps in breathing, are signs of a more serious sleep disorder, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). An estimated 18 million Americans have sleep apnea, including one in four over 65. While sleep apnea is more common in men, its prevalence in women increases after age 50. Because being overweight is a risk factor for sleep apnea, the increase in abdominal fat during menopause may be one reason menopausal are 3.5 times as likely to get this sleep disorder. Some attribute the hormonal changes, such as the decrease in progesterone, as a trigger for apnea. As sleep apnea is associated with high blood pressure and stroke, it is important to speak to your doctor if you are exhibiting symptoms.

Changing and decreasing levels of estrogen cause many menopausal symptoms including hot flashes, which are unexpected feelings of heat all over the body accompanied by sweating. They usually begin around the face and spread to the chest affecting 75-85% of women around menopause. Prior to the hot flash, body temperature rises and is accompanied by an awakening. Hot flashes last an average of 3 minutes leading to decreased sleep efficiency. Most women experience these symptoms for one year, but about 25% have hot flashes for five years. While total sleep time may not suffer, sleep quality does. Hot flashes may interrupt sleep and frequent awakenings cause next-day fatigue. If you are experiencing these symptoms please contact your healthcare professional to seek advice.

Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together. ~Thomas Dekker

Yes ladies we ALL have sleep issues at one time or another, typically this is due to our hormone changes during the span of our lifetime. Wow, what a span we have! What symptoms, sign or diseases should prompt a woman tor her doctor to consider that she might need to have a sleep evaluation? Women may experience daytime fatigue, lack of energy or excessive sleepiness despite getting an adequate amount of sleep (usually 7-8 hours) at night. They may notice headaches when they first awaken. Their bed partner may report that they have heavy snoring, or that they have breathing pauses during their sleep and make choking sounds sometimes with these. Women themselves may notice that they have frequent unexplained awakenings at night, awaken frequently to urinate, or sometimes awaken from sleep at night feeling as if they are gasping or choking. These things should be addressed with a healthcare professional.

We also know that women’s risk for sleep apnea increases as they transition through menopause, so that post menopausal women are up to three times more likely to have OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) compared to premenopausal women. Also women who are overweight or obese are at greater risk for having sleep apnea. Women (or men) who have blood pressure that is difficult to control despite taking medication and have some of these symptoms may also wish to be evaluated for sleep apnea, as diagnosis and treatment of OSA can help with blood pressure for control.

Common complaints by women are difficulty maintaining sleep, un-refreshing sleep, chronic fatigue, lack of energy, snoring, frequent nighttime urination, awakening gasping, daytime sleepiness, awakening with a headache, or edema (swelling) of the feet. The “classic” symptoms are snoring, witnessed apneas (pauses in breathing), and daytime sleepiness, but women may not experience these things. Weight gain, depression, waking up gasping for breath, hypertension, and dry mouth in the morning may be tip-offs for women that may need a sleep evaluation. Finally, women who are obese, pregnant women, and post-menopausal women all have a greater risk of OSA (obstructive sleep apnea). Women with the endocrine disorder, polycystic ovary syndrome, are also more likely to have sleep apnea even after controlling weight and should seek a healthcare professional.

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book. ~Irish Proverb