DOCSLIB.ORG

Understanding and Managing Microsleeps

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Understanding and Managing Microsleeps Specialists in Fatigue Risk Management UNDERSTANDING AND MANAGING MICROSLEEPS Clockwork Research White Paper 18/01 March 2018 2 Understanding and managing microsleeps WHAT IS THE RISK OF A MICROSLEEP? If you have ever struggled to keep your eyes open to watch just one more episode of your favourite box set, or to stop your head nodding during an important afternoon meeting, you are familiar with the experience of microsleeps. These brief, involuntary lapses in perception of the outside world occur when we are tired. They last for 0.5 to 15 seconds, and are preceded by behavioural signs of sleepiness, such as yawning. When we experience microsleeps we are not fully aware of what is going on around us, which is why even if you do watch the episode or get through the meeting, you probably will not remember it well. The consequences of microsleeps depend on the task you are completing when you experience them. While there are no repercussions for having microsleeps while reading a book in bed, microsleeps can be catastrophic if you are driving a tanker, administering medicine, or responding to an emergency call-out. In the US working population, 27% of people report unintentionally falling asleep on the job in the last month, and 16% of people reported experiencing at least one ‘near miss’ safety incident due to fatigue1. In the UK, it is not difficult to find a factory worker, pilot, nurse or security guard who has battled to keep their eyes open at work. When we finish work and are feeling tired, we then undertake what is for many of us the riskiest task of the day – the drive home. Driving requires continuous vigilance and a microsleep can be fatal. In the UK, approximately 20% of road accidents are related to a driver falling asleep at the wheel, with 1 in 25 fatal road accidents caused by fatigue2. Fatigue related accidents are more likely to result in more severe consequences as a driver who has fallen asleep cannot brake or swerve to avoid or reduce the impact. OF ROAD ACCIDENTS ARE RELATED TO DRIVERS FALLING 20% ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL 1 National Safety Council. (2017). Fatigue in the Workplace: Causes & Consequences of Employee Fatigue. 3 Understanding and managing microsleeps HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE HAD A MICROSLEEP? Microsleeps are a result of not having had adequate sleep, or being awake for an extended period. One study found that when sleep was reduced to only 4 hours, the following afternoon when participants completed a monotonous tracking task for 50 minutes, the number of microsleeps during the task increased to an average of 27.9, compared to 11.9 microsleeps when the participants had had an average of 8 hours sleep the previous night3. Although we are reasonably good at knowing how tired we are, many people are unaware when they actually experience a microsleep, and will underestimate how many have occurred. For example, a study found that participants who had completed a 45-minute task starting at 01:30, that was designed to be simplistic and not mentally demanding, had on average 7.4 microsleeps. However, the participants themselves estimated that they had experienced only 2.9 microsleeps4. Therefore, we need to take steps to manage tiredness proactively, rather than waiting for the later signs of microsleeps, such as head nodding. 2 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2016 3 Innes, C.R., Poudel, G.R. and Jones, R.D. (2013). Efficient and regular patterns of nighttime sleep are related to increased vulnerability to microsleeps following a single night of sleep restriction. Chronobiology International, 30(9), pp.1187-1196. 4 Torsvall, L. and Åkerstedt, T. (1988). Extreme sleepiness: quantification of EOG and spectral EEG parameters. International Journal of Neuroscience, 38(3-4), pp.435-441., Reviewed in Kennedy, G., Howard, M. and Pierce, R. (2001). Microsleep Literature Review. 4 Understanding and managing microsleeps WHEN DO MICROSLEEPS OCCUR? Microsleeps occur most frequently when we are tired, in the afternoon, at night, and during monotonous tasks. Shiftworkers can be especially vulnerable to microsleeps, because they are often simultaneously exposed to these factors - examples could be a sleep-deprived nurse filling out routine paperwork while on nightshift, or a security professional who has had 4 hours of sleep and is providing round-the-clock surveillance. A U.S. ESTIMATE OF IS LOST IN PRODUCTIVITY PER EMPLOYEE PER YEAR $1967 DUE TO SLEEP LOSS9 Microsleeps are most likely to occur during the times of day when our circadian rhythm in alertness is low, i.e. during the mid-afternoon and night. Circadian rhythms are 24-hour rhythms generated by a cluster of cells in our brain known as our body clock. Humans are diurnal, meaning that our alertness is high when we are awake during the day, and low at night, when we are sleepy and prone to microsleeps. We also experience a circadian dip in alertness during the mid-afternoon. This is one biological reason for the mid- afternoon siesta that is common in some societies, and is also the reason for the increase in microsleeps that we are likely to experience around this time of day. Nightshift workers, many of whom are chronically sleep deprived, and are awake all night, face an increased risk of accidents when driving home following a night shift. Nightshift workers have been shown to experience microsleeps on a post-nightshift drive at more than twice the rate of a post sleep drive5. Driving performance also dramatically decreased with workers having significantly more emergency braking manoeuvres and lane excursions on a post-nightshift drive. A study in nurses showed, at their most tired, driver’s eyes were closed for over 7% of each minute on the post-nightshift drive home, which for a 30 minute drive travelling at 30mph translates to driving over 1 mile with closed eyes6. Research has shown that microsleeps are more prevalent during simple, non-engaging tasks7, and increase with time on the task. This means that the longer a task is performed, the more microsleeps are likely to occur. A study in airline pilots showed that rate of microsleeps was higher during cruise, where workload is low, compared to take-off and landing, which are tasks that are more complex. The rate of microsleeps also increased as the flight progressed, where the rate of microsleeps doubled after flying for 7 hours during the day and quadrupled after just 3 hours of flying at night8. 5 Lee, M.L., Howard, M.E., Horrey, W.J., Liang, Y., Anderson, C., Shreeve, M.S., O’Brien, C.S. and Czeisler, C.A. (2016). High risk of near-crash driving events following night-shift work. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(1), pp.176-181. 6 Ftouni, S., Sletten, T.L., Howard, M., Anderson, C., Lenné, M.G., Lockley, S.W. and Rajaratnam, S.M. (2013). Objective and subjective measures of sleepiness, and their associations with on-road driving events in shift workers. Journal of Sleep Research, 22(1), pp.58-69. 7 Buckley, R.J., Helton, W.S., Innes, C.R., Dalrymple-Alford, J.C. and Jones, R.D. (2016). Attention lapses and behavioural microsleeps during tracking, psychomotor vigilance, and dual tasks. Consciousness and Cognition, 45, pp.174-183. 8 Samel, A., Wegmann, H.M. and Vejvoda, M. (1997). Aircrew fatigue in long-haul operations. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 29(4), pp.439-452. 9 Rosekind, M.R., Gregory, K.B., Mallis, M.M., Brandt, S.L., Seal, B. and Lerner, D. (2010). The cost of poor sleep: workplace productivity loss and associated costs. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 52(1), pp.91-98 5 Understanding and managing microsleeps INEFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF MICROSLEEPS When we experience microsleeps, many of the things we do to try to stay awake are not effective. We try to look awake, but microsleeps can occur with our eyes open or closed. We try to stay focused, but we cannot stop our brain from drifting towards sleep. We stand up when our head starts to nod, but we can sleep on our feet. Ineffective strategies we use while driving include winding down the window, and turning up the radio10. This might give us a short burst of alertness, but ultimately does not prevent microsleeps. 10 Reyner, L.A. and Horne, J.A. (1998). Evaluation of ‘in-car’countermeasures to sleepiness: cold air and radio. Sleep, 21(1), pp.46-51. 6 Understanding and managing microsleeps EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF MICROSLEEPS Microsleeps are not as rare as we might like to think. Many of us do not get our ideal amount of sleep each night, and as a consequence, we experience cumulative sleep loss, and do not perform or feel at our best. This can happen for many reasons, such as extended work hours, social or family commitments, or sleep disorders. To manage microsleeps effectively, we need to recognise that they are a sign of severe sleepiness. Microsleeps occur when we are so tired that our brain snatches brief periods of sleep against our will and without our knowledge. When we are showing the signs of a microsleep, our cognitive performance is already impaired, and has been for a while. Therefore, if you are struggling to keep your eyes open, or your head is nodding, it is time to stop what you are doing, get some sleep, and come back when you are alert. Once microsleeps start, sleep is the only real solution, and in some workplaces, employees are able to take a nap in a controlled manner.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sleep Matters the Impact of Sleep on Health and Wellbeing Mental Health Awareness Week 2011
    Sleep Matters The impact of sleep on health and wellbeing Mental Health Awareness Week 2011 Address Mental Health Foundation Sea Containers House 20 Upper Ground London SE1 9QB United Kingdom Telephone 020 7803 1100 Email [email protected] Website www.HowDidYouSleep.org £10 IBSN 978-1-906162-65-8 Registered charity number England 801130 Scotland SC039714 © Mental Health Foundation 2011 Contents 04 Executive summary 08 Introduction 12 Part 01 – Sleeping and sleep patterns 28 Part 02 – Poor sleep 48 Part 03 – Sleeping well 62 Conclusion 66 Useful resources 68 References 72 Appendix: Sleep diary 76 Acknowledgements 01 ‘The main facts in human life are five: E. M. Forster Executive We spend approximately a Poor sleep over a sustained period One of the most widely used and – The new Public Health Outcomes third of our lives asleep. Sleep leads to a number of problems which successful therapies is Cognitive Framework should include a specific Summary are immediately recognisable, including Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This is outcome on reducing sleep problems is an essential and involuntary fatigue, sleepiness, poor concentration, useful even for people who have across the whole population. process, without which we lapses in memory, and irritability. had insomnia for a long period of time. Sleep should also be reflected in cannot function effectively. A full course of such a therapy with new national mental health outcome It is as important to our Up to one third of the population may a sleep specialist is potentially costly, indicators, including improving bodies as eating, drinking suffer from insomnia (lack of sleep and is most appropriate for people sleep for people who experience and breathing, and is vital for or poor quality sleep).
    [Show full text]
  • Variability of Driving Performance During Microsleeps
    PROCEEDINGS of the Third International Driving Symposium on Human Factors in Driver Assessment, Training and Vehicle Design VARIABILITY OF DRIVING PERFORMANCE DURING MICROSLEEPS Amit Paul1, Linda Ng Boyle1, 3, Jon Tippin2, Matthew Rizzo1, 2, 3 (1) College of Engineering and (2) Medicine (3) Public Policy Center University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA E-mail: [email protected] Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the value of measuring microsleeps as an indicator of driving performance impairment in drowsy drivers with sleep disorders. Drivers with sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea/hypopena syndrome (OSAHS) are at increased risk for driving performance errors due to microsleep episodes, which presage sleep onset. To meet this aim, we tested the hypothesis that OSAHS drivers show impaired control over vehicle steering, lane position and velocity during microsleep episodes compared to when they are driving without microsleeps on similar road segments. A microsleep is defined as a 3-14 sec episode during which 4-7 Hz (theta) activity replaces the waking 8-13 Hz (alpha) background rhythm. Microsleep episodes were identified in the electroencephalography (EEG) record by a neurologist certified by the American Board of Sleep Medicine. Twenty-four drivers with OSAHS were tested using simulated driving scenarios. Steering variability, lane position variability, acceleration and velocity measures were assessed in the periods during a microsleep, immediately preceding (pre) microsleep, and immediately following (post) microsleep. In line with our introductory hypothesis, drivers with OSAHS did show significantly greater variation in steering and lane position during the microsleep episodes compared to the periods pre and post microsleep.
    [Show full text]
  • Narcolepsy Need-To-Know Guide
    Narcolepsy Need-to-Know Guide For Employers Having narcolepsy does not necessarily stop someone from doing the job they want, but there are some issues which can affect work. Narcolepsy and its symptoms Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder, the effect of which is that the part of the brain that controls sleep and wakefulness does not function as it should. The messages about when to sleep and when to stay awake get mixed up. When you have narcolepsy, your brain moves between the stages of sleep at inappropriate times. These changes cannot be controlled and this results in a number of symptoms. The symptoms that are most likely to have an impact on working life are: Excessive daytime sleepiness A continual feeling of tiredness and an irresistible urge to fall asleep during the day. This may cause someone to fall asleep at inappropriate times and in unusual places. Even if not asleep, they may be very drowsy and preoccupied with trying to resist the urge to sleep. Cataplexy A sudden episode of muscle weakness, usually triggered by strong emotion, mainly laughter, anxiety and anger. These episodes can last a few seconds or minutes, and may involve the muscles of the face and neck and upper or lower limbs. The head may droop and speech may become slurred. More severe episodes may cause the person to drop things or become unsteady, which may result in them falling to their knees or to the ground. It is important to note that cataplexy does not involve a loss of consciousness; the person affected is fully aware of what is happening.
    [Show full text]
  • Sleeping While Awake Lant
    CONSCIOUSNESS REDUX “It was literally true: I was going through life asleep. My body had no more feeling than a drowned corpse. My very existence, my life in the world, seemed like a hallucination. A strong wind would make me think my body was about to be blown to the end of the earth, to some land I had never seen or heard of, where my mind and body would separate forever.” —From Sleep, by Haruki Murakami, 1989 PHYSIOLOGY turn off—your mind remains hypervigi- Sleeping While Awake lant. You toss and turn but can’t find the blessed relief of sleep. The reasons for During microsleep, the entire brain nods off so briefly that we often don’t notice it. sleeplessness may be many, but the con- ) Now research shows that individual neurons in the brain can slumber, too, sequences are always the same: You are Koch fatigued the following day, you feel especially when we are sleep-deprived E ( sleepy, you nap. Attention wanders, your B CA We’ve all been there. You go to bed, reaction time slows, you have less cogni- C close your eyes, blanket your mind and tive-emotional control. Fortunately, BY CHRISTOF KOCH wait for consciousness to fade. A timeless fatigue is reversible and disappears after ); SEAN M Christof Koch is president interval later, you wake up, refreshed a night or two of solid sleep. and chief scientific officer at and ready to face the challenges of a new We spend about one third of our lives the Allen Institute for Brain day (note how you can never catch your- in a state of repose, defined by relative illustration Science in Seattle.
    [Show full text]
  • Microsleep Episodes, Attention Lapses and Circadian Variation in Psychomotor Performance in a Driving Simulation Paradigm
    PROCEEDINGS of the Second International Driving Symposium on Human Factors in Driver Assessment, Training and Vehicle Design MICROSLEEP EPISODES, ATTENTION LAPSES AND CIRCADIAN VARIATION IN PSYCHOMOTOR PERFORMANCE IN A DRIVING SIMULATION PARADIGM Henry J. Moller Leonid Kayumov Colin M. Shapiro Sleep Research and Human Performance Laboratory Toronto Western Hospital University Health Network University of Toronto, Canada E-mail: [email protected] Summary: Numerous studies document circadian changes in sleepiness, with biphasic peaks in the early morning and late afternoon. Driving performance has also been demonstrated to be subject to time-of-day variation. This study investigated circadian variation in driving performance, attention lapses (AL) and/or frequency of microsleep (MS) episodes across the day. Sixteen healthy adults with valid driver’s licenses participated in the study. Using the York Driving Simulator, subjects performed four intentionally soporific 30-minute driving simulations at two-hour intervals (i.e., at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, and 16:00). During each session, individuals had EEG monitoring for MS episodes (defined as 15 to 30 seconds of any sleep stage by polysomnographic criteria) and AL episodes (defined as intrusion of alpha- or theta-EEG activity lasting 4-14 seconds). Measured variables included: lane accuracy, average speed, speed deviation, mean reaction time (RT) to “virtual” wind gusts and off-road events. Mean values of each variable at every time were analyzed using a general linear model and paired sample t-tests. RT displayed significant within-group variation, with paired samples tests at df=15 showing RT at 10:00 significantly faster than at other times of the day, but no significant within-group variation between other times of the day.
    [Show full text]
  • Behavioural Microsleeps
    Reservoir Computing approaches to EEG-based Detection of Microsleeps Sudhanshu Ayyagari Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering A thesis presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Canterbury Christchurch, New Zealand February, 2017 "Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable" - Mark Twain Abstract Long-haul truck drivers, train drivers, and commercial airline pilots routinely experience monotonous and extended driving periods in a sedentary position, which has been associated with drowsiness, microsleeps, and serious accidents. Consequently, the detection and preferably prediction of the microsleeps in subjects working in these high-risk occupations is very important to workplace safety. Therefore, the aim of this project was EEG-based characterization and early detection of microsleeps during a sustained attention task. The overall approach was to identify reliable physiological cues of lapses of sustained attention and microsleeps, to develop a microsleep system which could be used to detect, or better yet, predict the onset of microsleeps in real time and trigger an alert to rouse the user from an impending microsleep. The main motivation of this project was to develop a state- of-the-art lapse detection system by employing novel classifier schemes based on reservoir computing (RC), specifically echo state networks (ESNs) with cascaded-leaky-integrator- neurons and liquid state machines (LSM) to increase current benchmark performances on microsleep detection. This is the first project and study to have implemented and evaluated EEG-based microsleep detection using RC models for the characterization and detection of microsleeps from the underlying EEG. Moreover, the novelty of the ESN-based cascaded-leaky-integrator neuron approach is in its simplicity (as networks with only 8 or less neurons could achieve optimal performance) and its superior microsleep detection performance.
    [Show full text]
  • Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Fire Fighters and EMS Responders
    Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Fire Fighters and EMS Responders Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Fire Fighters and EMS Responders Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Fire Fighters and EMS Responders Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Fire Fighters and EMS Responders Final Report, June 2007 Diane L. Elliot, MD, FACP, FACSM Kerry S. Kuehl, MD, DrPH Division of Health Promotion & Sports Medicine Oregon Health & Science University Portland, Oregon Acknowledgments This report was supported by a cooperative agreement between the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the United States Fire Administration (USFA), with assistance from the faculty of Or- egon Health & Science University, to examine the issue of sleep dep- rivation and fire fighters and EMS responders. Throughout this work’s preparation, we have collaborated with Victoria Lee, Program Man- ager for the IAFC, whose assistance has been instrumental in success- fully completing the project. The information contained in this report has been reviewed by the members of the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Safety, Health and Survival Section; Emergency Medi- cal Services Section and Volunteer and Combination Officers Sec- tion; and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC). We also grate- fully acknowledge the assistance of our colleagues Esther Moe, PhD, MPH, and Carol DeFrancesco, MA, RD. i Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Fire Fighters and EMS Responders Preface The U.S. fire service is full of some of the most passionate individuals any industry could ever have. Our passion, drive and determination are in many cases the drivers that cause us to take many of the courageous actions that have become legendary in our business.
    [Show full text]
  • Sleep Disorders As Outlined by Outlined As Disorders Sleep of Classification N the Ribe the Features and Symptoms of Each Disorder
    CHAPTER © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION 2NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC NOT FORSleep SALE OR DISTRIBUTION Disorders NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION © Agsandrew/Shutterstock © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION CHAPTER OUTLINE EEG arousal alveolar hypoventilation paradoxical breathing idiopathic central alveolar History of Sleep Disorders© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLCmicrognathia © Joneshypoventilation & Bartlett Learning, LLC Classification of Sleep DisordersNOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTIONretrognathia NOTsnoring FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION Insomnia apnea–hypopnea primary snoring Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders index (AHI) sleep-related groaning Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence respiratory disturbance catathrenia Circadian Rhythm Sleep–Wake Disorders index (RDI) CPAP therapy Parasomnias respiratory effort–related positional therapy Sleep-Related© Jones Movement & Bartlett Disorders Learning, LLC arousal (RERA)© Jones & Bartletttonsillectomy Learning, LLC OtherNOT Sleep FOR Disorders SALE OR DISTRIBUTION upper-airwayNOT resistance FOR SALEadenoidectomy OR DISTRIBUTION Chapter Summary syndrome bi-level therapy excessive daytime multiple sleep latency LEARNING OBJECTIVES sleepiness (EDS) test (MSLT) sudden infant
    [Show full text]
  • Steering Entropy Changes As a Function of Microsleeps
    PROCEEDINGS of the Third International Driving Symposium on Human Factors in Driver Assessment, Training and Vehicle Design STEERING ENTROPY CHANGES AS A FUNCTION OF MICROSLEEPS Amit Paul1, Linda Ng Boyle1, 3, Erwin R. Boer4, Jon Tippin2, Matthew Rizzo1, 2, 3 1College of Engineering 2College of Medicine 3Public Policy Center University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa, USA E-mail: [email protected] 4LUEBEC San Diego, California, USA Summary: This study aimed to assess steering entropy as a measure of decrements in driving performance caused by microsleeps. Microsleeps are brief, unintended episodes of loss of attention that last 3-14 seconds. These episodes, which are frequent in drivers with sleep disorders, can be long enough to impact steering performance and are particularly disruptive when driver action is imperative, as when driving around curved highway segments. Steering entropy is a driver-centered performance measure that can detect drivers’ corrective responses to situations when the vehicle state falls outside the driver’s expectations. This study tests the hypothesis that steering entropy is an indicator of increased erratic steering behavior during microsleep episodes in drivers with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopena syndrome (OSAHS). Twenty-four drivers with OSAHS were used in this study and their electroencephalography (EEG) defined microsleep (cases) and non-microsleep episodes (crossover control) were compared using a case-crossover method. The performance measure, steering entropy, was calculated from a time-series history of steering angle data. Steering entropy was compared for each microsleep in the three-second interval both immediately preceding and immediately following each microsleep. Results showed that steering entropy was higher on curves during microsleeps and post microsleeps when compared to straight road segments and the no-workload baseline condition.
    [Show full text]
  • Sleep Disorders, Sleepiness and the Risk of Traffic Accidents
    Sleep disorders, sleepiness and the risk of traffic accidents Mahssa Karimi Doctoral thesis Department of Internal medicine and clinical nutrition Institute of Medicine Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg Gothenburg 2014 Gothenburg 2014 Cover illustration: Earl Keleny Sleep disorders, sleepiness and the risk of traffic accidents © Mahssa Karimi 2014 [email protected] ISBN 978-91-628-8940-1 http://hdl.handle.net/2077/34848 Printed in Gothenburg, Sweden 2014 Aidla Trading Kompendiet AB This thesis is dedicated to my parents and my love Yashar Sleep disorders, sleepiness and the risk of traffic accidents Mahssa Karimi Department of Internal medicine and clinical nutrition, Institute of Medicine Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg Göteborg, Sweden ABSTRACT The aim of this thesis was to identify the prevalence of sleep disorders, mainly obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), among public transport operators (PTO´s). Further to assess the risk of motor vehicle accident (MVA) in a group of patients with suspected OSA compared with the general population. Additionally, we aimed to identify specific risk factors linked to a history of MVA in these patients and to assess the prevalence of such factors in a large European sleep apnea patient database. We also determined the interventional effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on hypersomnolence, neurocognitive function and history of traffic accident. Finally, we investigated functional cognitive markers associated with history of MVA among PTO´s as well as single and multi-center cohorts of patients with OSA. The study used objective and subjective methods to assess sleep, sleep disorders, hypersomnia, vigilance and daytime cognitive performance.
    [Show full text]
  • CMRF - PG/2013 Page 1
    FINAL PROJECT REPORT Date: 3 February 2014 Name: Dr Carrie Innes, Prof Richard Jones, Dr Govinda Poudel, Dr Michael Hlavac, Dr Paul Kelly Project Title: Effect of Obstructive Sleep Apnea on Microsleeps & Cerebral Blood Flow Summary Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is associated with increased risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cognitive dysfunction. While it is well known that OSA leads to chronic periodic blood oxygen desaturation during sleep, in this study we also found an association between moderate-severe OSA and decreased cerebral blood flow when awake. This study also found a relationship between OSA severity and microsleep propensity. OSA is associated with a substantially increased risk of car accidents (injurious and fatal). Our research supports the hypothesis that this increase in car accidents is likely to be due to increased propensity for ‘fall-asleep-at-the-wheel’ events. Ultimately, this research aims to reduce OSA- related vascular and cognitive impairment, and microsleep-related deaths and injuries by providing evidence for the need for increased funding for OSA screening and treatment. Please copy the "Specific Objective(s)" statement, entered on your application form, in the space below. This research aims to answer the following questions: 1. Do people with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) (≥5 events/h) have a higher propensity for microsleeps than age- and sex-matched people without OSA? 2. Is there a correlation between OSA severity and microsleep propensity? 3. Do people with moderate-severe OSA (>30 events/h) have a higher propensity for microsleeps than matched people without OSA? 4. Do people with mild OSA (5–30 events/h) have a higher propensity for microsleeps than matched people without OSA? 5.
    [Show full text]
  • The Relationship Between Simple Snoring and Sleep Bruxism: a Polysomnographic Study
    International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Article The Relationship between Simple Snoring and Sleep Bruxism: A Polysomnographic Study Monika Michalek-Zrabkowska 1 , Mieszko Wieckiewicz 2,* , Piotr Macek 1 , Pawel Gac 3 , Joanna Smardz 2 , Anna Wojakowska 1, Rafal Poreba 1, Grzegorz Mazur 1 and Helena Martynowicz 1 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Occupational Diseases, Hypertension and Clinical Oncology, Wroclaw Medical University, 213 Borowska St., 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland; [email protected] (M.M.-Z.); [email protected] (P.M.); [email protected] (A.W.); [email protected] (R.P.); [email protected] (G.M.); [email protected] (H.M.) 2 Department of Experimental Dentistry, Wroclaw Medical University, 26 Krakowska St., 50-425 Wroclaw, Poland; [email protected] 3 Department of Hygiene, Wroclaw Medical University, 7 Mikulicza-Radeckiego St., 50-345 Wroclaw, Poland; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +48-660-47-87-59 Received: 15 October 2020; Accepted: 30 November 2020; Published: 2 December 2020 Abstract: Simple snoring is defined as the production of sound in the upper aerodigestive tract during sleep, not accompanied by other pathologies. Sleep bruxism (SB) refers to repetitive phasic, tonic, or mixed masticatory muscle activity during sleep. In this study, we investigated the relationship between simple snoring and SB in patients without obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). A total of 565 snoring subjects underwent polysomnography. After examination, individuals with OSA were excluded from the study group. Finally, 129 individuals were analyzed. The bruxism episode index was positively correlated with maximum snore intensity. Phasic bruxism was positively correlated with snore intensity in all sleep positions.
    [Show full text]