Latest in Sleep Medicine News

Daily physical activity (PA) is shaped not only by stable intentions but also by affective expectations that fluctuate across days. Guided by the health action process approach (HAPA) and anticipatory affect perspectives, this study examined whether morning anticipated leisure pleasure (ALP) and planned leisure activity type were independently and interactively associated with same-day PA volume. By integrating morning ALP with day-level planned leisure context, this study clarifies how an early-day affective expectancy relates to same-day PA under varying daily contexts and identifies potential intervention targets for promoting daily PA in young adults.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been reported among both survivors and response workers following large natural disasters. The Japan Disaster Rehabilitation Assistance Team (JRAT) provides rehabilitation-focused support;however, few studies have examined post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among JRAT members. This study investigated the relationship between PTSS and the physical and mental conditions of JRAT members during support activities.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) causes intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation, which may alter gut microbiota composition. We primarily aimed to compare intestinal Desulfovibrio detection/abundance between patients with moderate-to-severe OSAS and healthy controls. Secondarily, we evaluated the association between Desulfovibrio and polysomnographic oxygen desaturation parameters, including ODI and minimum SpO2.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive lung disease that profoundly impacts patients' daily lives. While pharmacological therapies continue to advance, less is known about how patients experience the burden of disease across different periods after IPF diagnosis, resulting in a lack of evidence for the development and optimisation of patient-centred intervention strategies. Therefore, this study aimed to explore how individuals with IPF experience the disease and its impact on daily life in China.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) influences the sleep-wake cycle, yet in vivo evidence remains limited. We conducted a longitudinal, multimodal study in 38 patients with Parkinson's disease undergoing STN-DBS, integrating full-night video-polysomnography with synchronized subthalamic local field potentials (LFPs) 6 months post-surgery. Twenty patients completed pre/post video-polysomnography (19 with LFPs data). Slow-wave sleep increased after DBS, with no change of efficiency and fragmentation indices. Mean heart rate decreased in wake and sleep. REM-related motor events within REM sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD) declined, no change was seen in REM sleep without atonia (RSWA). LFPs showed delta/theta-band increase from wake to NREM and marked beta suppression in N2-N3. Arousals exhibited alpha/beta-band elevation. During REM, RSWA featured higher alpha/beta/gamma with lower delta versus atonic REM; RBD episodes further increased theta/beta/gamma and total power. These measures identify promising subcortical signatures of sleep and REM motor phenomena, informing sleep-aware adaptive DBS.

Sleep suppresses most motor output, yet rapid eye movement sleep (REMs) is marked by brief muscle twitches, including eye movements (EMs), indicating selective motor preservation. How these opposing features are coordinated remains unclear. Here we show that cholinergic neurons in the oculomotor nucleus (nIII) possess dual functional organization governing REMs termination and oculomotor execution in mice. We identify a ventrolateral periaqueductal gray-projecting nIII subset whose activity dissociates from EMs but undergoes a progressive increase prior to REMs termination. Optogenetic activation of this subset suppresses REMs without affecting EMs, whereas extraocular muscles-projecting nIII neurons reliably induced EMs without altering sleep-wake states. These motor and sleep-modulating functions of nIII neurons are coordinated by genetically distinct Vglut2- and Vgat-expressing neurons in the upstream nucleus papilio. Collectively, our findings revealed a microcircuitry underlying REMs exit, where motor related function of nIII is preparing the mammal to enter the subsequent wakefulness with elevated motor capabilities.

Type D personality, defined by the co-occurrence of negative affectivity and social inhibition, has been associated with poorer health outcomes in chronic diseases, including asthma. However, the psychological mechanisms underlying the relationship between Type D personality and asthma control remain unclear. This cross-sectional study included 150 adult patients with asthma recruited from a tertiary outpatient clinic. Participants completed the Asthma Control Test (ACT), Type D Personality Scale (DS-14), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Type D personality traits were identified in 39.3% of the sample. Compared with non-Type D individuals, patients with Type D personality had higher depressive and anxiety symptom scores and poorer sleep quality (all p < 0.05). Mediation analyses using bootstrapping (5,000 resamples) revealed significant indirect effects of Type D personality on asthma control through depression (β = -0.088, 95% CI [-0.132, -0.047]), anxiety (β = -0.115, 95% CI [-0.158, -0.078]), and sleep quality (β = -0.057, 95% CI [-0.091, -0.029]). These indirect effects remained statistically significant after adjustment for age, sex, smoking status, and FEV1 (% predicted). These findings suggest that Type D personality is indirectly associated with poorer asthma control through increased psychological symptom burden and impaired sleep quality.

Frailty is a multidimensional condition encompassing physical, cognitive, and psychosocial domains; however, existing assessment approaches are often limited to physical domains or rely on clinical and laboratory-based measures, restricting accessibility and scalability. A comprehensive and quantifiable index is therefore needed to detect early functional decline in community-dwelling older adults. This study aimed to develop and validate a Physical Function-focused Frailty at Risk Index (PFFR-I) in 729 adults aged ≥ 65 years. The PFFR-I was constructed in two stages: a physical function composite was first derived as the composite z-score of grip strength, preferred gait speed, and physical activity; the final PFFR-I (ranging from 0 to 1, with higher values indicating poorer functional status) was then estimated from regression-predicted values incorporating multidimensional predictors, including demographics, comorbidities, patient-reported outcomes, gait parameters across multiple speed conditions, cognitive function, and quality of life. The PFFR-I demonstrated strong discriminative validity, with higher scores in individuals with a history of falls (OR = 4.80, p = 0.006). Quartile stratification revealed progressive functional decline, with the highest-risk group showing impairments in sleep quality, psychological stress, and 5-times sit-to-stand (AUC = 0.86). The PFFR-I may support early detection and targeted interventions.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major global public health problem, with a high burden of long-term sequelae that extend beyond acute survival and physical recovery. Sleep disturbances are increasingly recognised as a common and clinically significant consequence of TBI, yet they remain under-recognised and inadequately addressed, particularly in low- and middle-income countries such as Vietnam. This study aimed to assess sleep quality and to identify factors associated with sleep disturbances among patients with TBI in Vietnam. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020 through phone interviews among 212 TBI patients in Vietnam. Data on demographics and socioeconomic status, health risk behavior, mental health issues, social support, and sleep quality were collected. Multivariate Tobit regression and Multivariate Logistic Regression models were used to determine factors related to the PSQI score and sleep disturbances among TBI patients. A total of 212 adults with TBI were enrolled (mean age 47.1 ± 17.6 years, and 67.5% were male), nearly half of the participants (47.2%) reported sleep disturbances. The majority experienced mild TBI (93.9%), and road traffic accidents were the leading cause of injury (65.6%). Individuals with sleep disturbances indicated a significantly higher prevalence of depressive symptoms compared with those without sleep disturbances (38.0% vs. 7.1%, p < 0.001). In addition, perceived social support was significantly lower among participants with sleep disturbances than normal sleep quality (p < 0.001). Multivariable regression analysis indicated that being female, hazardous drinking, and higher depressive symptom scores were associated with poorer sleep quality, whereas higher educational levels and stronger perceived social support were associated with better sleep outcomes. This is one of the first studies in Vietnam to examine sleep disturbances and their associated factors among patients with TBI. The findings indicate a high prevalence of sleep disturbances and highlight significant associations between sleep quality and sociodemographic characteristics, depressive symptoms, perceived social support, and health behaviors. This study underscores the importance of recognizing sleep disturbance as a key outcome in TBI care and highlights the need for integrated, multidisciplinary rehabilitation interventions that address sleep, mental health, and social functioning, with particular attention to vulnerable groups such as women, individuals with lower educational attainment, and those with substance use.

The upper airway is a complex structure, prone to repetitive collapse in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). This review discusses the pathophysiological aspects of OSA, with a focus on the anatomy and pathophysiology of upper airway obstruction. This disorder is characterised by different mechanisms that constitute its pathology, which may all contribute to apnoea presence and severity. These include pharyngeal anatomy, collapsibility, upper airway muscle responsiveness, loop gain and arousal threshold. Identification of interindividual differences in the underlying mechanisms of OSA offers promise for a more targeted approach to OSA management.