Author: svefnsetrid

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News

Do you want to participate in the Sleep Revolution?

Sleep Revolution

Lifestyle Study – Long-term Study

We are looking for participants in scientific research.

Participants : All genders, in the age range of 18-50 years

Inclusion criteria are a BMI ≥ 25, physical inactivity, snores or has strong suspicion of mild sleep apnea. Shift workers cannot participate.

If you are interested to participate, please answer the following screening questionnaire: https://redcap.ru.is/surveys/?s=LRACD8XAWT

Please read the text below to make sure this study is something for you:

All chosen participants will be asked to wear a smartwatch and fill in a sleep diary for 2 weeks prior to the intervention period to get a baseline. Participants that fulfil the inclusion criteria of the study will be chosen from the people that have answered the screening list (will be sent individually)

There will be 5-8 visits (depending on groups) that will take place at Reykjavik University (RU), the study spans a 12-week period.

This project aims at finding new approaches to treat snoring to mild sleep apnea with a lifestyle intervention. The data will be collected at Reykjavik University (RU) using sleep studies, a digital sleep diary, different neurocognitive tasks, questionnaires, a smartwatch, as well as body composition and physical fitness measurements.

The participants will possibly be asked to:

  • Answer questionnaires
  • Use a smartwatch over a short period
  • Keep a digital sleep diary
  • Take a digital attention and vigilance test
  • Have their height, weight, body composition and physical fitness measured
  • Possibly take part in an exercise program
  • Participation is free of charge.

All the participants will receive a letter with their results regarding sleep and whether the measurement indicates sleep apnea or another sleep disorder, upon request. If the results of the sleep study are considered to require further examination due to a possible sleeping disorder, it will be advised to consult a doctor and seek appropriate treatment within the healthcare system.

If you are interested to participate, please answer the following screening questionnaire: https://redcap.ru.is/surveys/?s=LRACD8XAWT

If you have further questions regarding participation, please contact us by e-mail: sleeprevolution@ru.is. Individuals who participate can withdraw from the study at any time without explanation.

The guarantor for the project is Erna Sif Arnardóttir, Assistant Professor, Reykjavik University

The study has received permission from The National Bioethics Committee and The Data Protection Authority (VSN 22-082)

Download the information letter for participants in English or Icelandic here:

Lifestyle_Information letter for participants_ENG

Lifestyle_Upplysingabref_til_thatttakenda_ICE

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 965417

Categories
Sleep disorders

Do you want to participate in the Sleep Revolution

Sleep Revolution

Lifestyle Study – Long-term Study

We are looking for participants in scientific research.

Participants : All genders, in the age range of 18-50 years

Inclusion criteria are a BMI ≥ 25, physical inactivity, snores or has strong suspicion of mild sleep apnea. Shift workers cannot participate.

If you are interested to participate, please answer the following screening questionnaire: https://redcap.ru.is/surveys/?s=LRACD8XAWT

Please read the text below to make sure this study is something for you:

All chosen participants will be asked to wear a smartwatch and fill in a sleep diary for 2 weeks prior to the intervention period to get a baseline. Participants that fulfil the inclusion criteria of the study will be chosen from the people that have answered the screening list (will be sent individually)

There will be 5-8 visits (depending on groups) that will take place at Reykjavik University (RU), the study spans a 12-week period.

This project aims at finding new approaches to treat snoring to mild sleep apnea with a lifestyle intervention. The data will be collected at Reykjavik University (RU) using sleep studies, a digital sleep diary, different neurocognitive tasks, questionnaires, a smartwatch, as well as body composition and physical fitness measurements.

The participants will possibly be asked to:

  • Answer questionnaires
  • Use a smartwatch over a short period
  • Keep a digital sleep diary
  • Take a digital attention and vigilance test
  • Have their height, weight, body composition and physical fitness measured
  • Possibly take part in an exercise program
  • Participation is free of charge.

All the participants will receive a letter with their results regarding sleep and whether the measurement indicates sleep apnea or another sleep disorder, upon request. If the results of the sleep study are considered to require further examination due to a possible sleeping disorder, it will be advised to consult a doctor and seek appropriate treatment within the healthcare system.

If you are interested to participate, please answer the following screening questionnaire: https://redcap.ru.is/surveys/?s=LRACD8XAWT

If you have further questions regarding participation, please contact us by e-mail: sleeprevolution@ru.is. Individuals who participate can withdraw from the study at any time without explanation.

The guarantor for the project is Erna Sif Arnardóttir, Assistant Professor, Reykjavik University

The study has received permission from The National Bioethics Committee and The Data Protection Authority (VSN 22-082)

Download the information letter for participants in English or Icelandic here:

Lifestyle_Information letter for participants_ENG

Lifestyle_Upplysingabref_til_thatttakenda_ICE

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 965417

Categories
News

Iceland to become a centre for international sleep research

Scientists at Reykjavik University (RU) to lead a research project receiving a 15-million Euro Horizon 2020 grant

Sleep Revolution, an interdisciplinary international research and development project, has been selected for a 15-million Euro grant from the EU‘s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Health, demographic change and wellbeing.

The project is led by Dr. Erna Sif Arnardóttir, Assistant Professor at Reykjavik University’s Department of Engineering. With almost 40 international collaborating partners from academia and industry, it aims to develop machine learning techniques to better estimate the severity and treatment needs for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), to improve health outcomes and quality of life. With the commitment of the European Sleep Research Society and the Assembly of National Sleep Societies, with its over 8000 members, the project further aims to create new standardised international guidelines for sleep medicine.

About half of the grant amount will be used in Iceland, for example to construct a powerful database consisting of data from sleep measurements of 30 thousand individuals, collected in Iceland and around Europe. For collecting additional data, the team will use smart watches, questionnaires, sleep-measuring devices, and neuropsychological tests. Furthermore, a safe digital platform will be developed for scientists and health professionals to share their findings and recommendations to participants and for participants to share data for research and diagnosis purposes.

Dr. Erna Sif Arnardóttir is the Director of the Reykjavik University Sleep Institute, chairman of the Icelandic Sleep Research Society and a director of the board of the European Sleep Research Society, which is also a participant in the research project:

It is a tremendous honour to get this opportunity to gather this large groups of Europe‘s leading experts and innovators in sleep research into one large research and development project to bring the field into the forefront of digital healthcare. By using interdisciplinary methods and new possibilities in information technology and artificial intelligence we aim to revolutionise how knowledge of obstructive sleep apnia and other sleep-related respiratory obstructions, such as snoring, is gained and used. We will shift the focus in analysis and treatment to the daily lives of people and pave the way for individual and more personal health care.

Dr. Ari Kristinn Jonsson, President of Reykjavik University says that the grant is yet another confirmation of the quality of research conducted at the University.

The competition in the Horizon 2020 Program is extremely tough and it is an amazing achievement for a young scientist to be selected for a grant in first try, and with a full house of points from the evaluation committee! We are extremely proud and look forward to continue building our sleep research with strong academic and industrial partners in the coming years.

Obstructive sleep apnia (OSA) is associated with various negative health consequences including increased risk of heart disease, hypertension and daytime sleepiness causing road accidents. The economic burden of OSA is rising as almost 1 billion people worldwide are estimated to have OSA. The current diagnostic metric relates poorly to the symptoms and comorbidities of OSA. It merely measures the frequency of breathing cessations without assessing OSA severity in any other physiologically relevant way. Furthermore, the clinical methods for analysing PSG (Polysomnography) signals are outdated, expensive and laborious. Due to this, the majority of OSA patients remain without diagnosis or have an inaccurate diagnosis leading to sub-optimal treatment.

Categories
News

Erna Sif Arnardóttir is the leader of the project.

Thought big and landed a 2.5 billion grant, Erna Sif Arnardóttir is the leader of the project.
Link to an article in Læknablaðið about the large European grant

Categories
Lectures on sleep

Video: How body clocks rule our livesbody

How body clocks rule our livesbody 

This video explains what the body clock is and how it effects our day-to-day life including when we wake up and fall asleep, when the best time is to eat and the effect of travelling on our circadian rhythm. 

Categories
Podcast

Snorri Björns about sleep

Podcast on sleep 

In the podcast, Snorri Björnsson talks to Erla Björnsdóttir, a clinincal psychologist with a PhD degree in sleep medicine about goal setting and the relationship between sleep and physical and mental health. 

Categories
General about sleep

Information about coffee

Caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant that can be found naturally in plants we use to make coffee, tea, and chocolate. Even though many people believe caffeine to be a supplement, that is not the case. Caffeine is the world’s most used psychoactive drug, and, contrary to most, it is legal.

Caffeine affects your body in multiple ways. Many of us rely on caffeine every day to reduce fatigue and increase focus. Caffeine temporarily increases our energy and alertness, but it can also cause irritability, anxiety, nausea, and headaches, as well as negatively affecting our sleep.

How does it work?
For every hour that we stay awake, a compound called adenosine starts to pile up in our brain, binding to certain receptors that gradually increase our need for sleep. Eventually, this need becomes so strong that sleep becomes inevitable, whether we like it or not.

However, there is a way around this. Caffeine binds to the same receptors as adenosine, blocking it from sending signals to our brain and allowing us to stay awake even though the amount of adenosine has come to a critical point. Nevertheless, consuming caffeine does not stop adenosine from piling up in our brain, resulting in a so-called caffeine crash when our body finally breaks down the caffeine, freeing the adenosine.

Caffeine has a half-life of about six hours, meaning that six hours after being consumed, 50% of the caffeine is still in effect. Even though you might find it easy to sleep after consuming caffeine, it does not mean that you sleep well. Caffeine impairs our sleep quality significantly, especially when it comes to our deep sleep. Deep sleep is essential for all human beings, contributing greatly to muscle growth/repair and waste removal in our brain, allowing us to feel invigorated after a good night’s sleep. Thus, it is recommended to minimize the consumption of caffeine in the afternoon, promoting better sleep.

Side Effects and Withdrawal Symptoms
Caffeine is usually harmless when consumed in moderate amounts. However, it can cause various side effects, such as tremors, dizziness, rapid heartbeat and breathing, high blood pressure, headaches, nausea, irritability, and stress. When you consume caffeine regularly, your body develops a tolerance to it, making you less responsive to its effects. For this reason, many people become dependent on caffeine and experience withdrawal symptoms once they stop consuming it. These withdrawal symptoms include headaches, muscle pain and fatigue. Withdrawal from caffeine is not considered dangerous but it is recommended to gradually reduce the consumption to minimize discomfort.

Moderate amount
Caffeine should be consumed moderately, 400mg a day (4-5 cups of coffee) has been cited as a safe amount. Of course, this varies between individuals, some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others, and it is important to take body weight, health, and caffeine tolerance into account. Women who are pregnant or nursing are advised to limit their consumption to 200mg a day. Caffeine consumption can be harmful to children and teenagers, and should, therefore, be avoided. Caffeine has no nutritional value, so there is no need for it in our diet.

References and further information can be found on the following sites: 

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/spilling-beans-how-much-caffeine-too-much 

https://www.healthline.com/health/caffeine-effects-on-body#3 

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/caffeine-and-sleep 

https://examine.com/nutrition/how-caffeine-works-in-your-brain/ 

Categories
Sleep disorders

Sleep paralysis

Sleep paralysis is a sleep disorder resulting in the inability to move the body, before or after you wake up, despite being awake and conscious. In this state, you will most likely lose the ability to speak and move any muscle, except your eyes, causing you to feel paralyzed.

As if this is not startling enough, the disorder is often accompanied by hallucinations. You may see and even hear things that are nowhere to be found. Creatures in a shadowlike form, the sound of a footstep or a voice, and the assurance that someone is present in the room with you are all common descriptions from people who suffer from sleep paralysis. This often leaves a feeling of fear and can cause the person to feel anxious and dread going to sleep.

Even though it can be very frightening, sleeping paralysis is not a dangerous disorder. You will still be able to breathe normally and the episode will usually pass by in a few seconds or minutes. Being aware of what is happening might help calm you down during an episode.

Sleep paralysis generally takes place in the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of our sleep, the stage where dreaming occurs. Normally, when we sleep, our brain sends signals to the muscles, causing them to relax completely as if they were paralyzed. This prevents you from acting out your dream while sleeping and invigorates your muscles. When we wake up, our brain immediately stops these signals and we can move again, without ever knowing that our muscles were completely “paralyzed” just a few seconds ago. However, these signals sometimes seem to go awry, causing us to wake up only to find out we cannot move at all. Our brain seems to be awake while our body is still in sleep mode.

Sleep paralysis most often appears in the teen years and can be prominent in your 20s and 30s. The symptoms tend to emerge during stressful times or when you suffer from a lack of sleep. It is therefore recommended to keep a consistent sleep schedule, stay away from caffeine and alcohol, exercise regularly, and limit screen time right before sleep.

It is worthwhile to mention that sleep paralysis can be a sign of narcolepsy, which is a dangerous disorder. However, narcolepsy is uncommon and has other, much more prominent, symptoms as well.

References and further information can be found on the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s website:
http://sleepeducation.org/sleep-disorders-by-category/parasomnias/sleep-paralysis

Categories
Podcast

Prodcast: Feel better, Live More

Video: What happens to your body and brain if you do not get sleep. In the radio show Feel Better, Live More, Dr. Chatterjee with sleep researcher Matthew Walker on sleep.

Categories
Lectures on sleep

Video: What happens to your body and brain if you don’t get sleep

What Happens To Your Body And Brain If You Don’t Get Sleep? 

Sufficient sleep is essential for healthy brain and body function. In this video, sleep expert Matthew Walker discusses the effects of sleep deprivation on your brain and body.