Insomnia

Insomnia is very common among young people and has harmful physical and psychological consequences. Studies show that insomnia hinders happiness and increases anxiety and stress. However, this study was not conducted among nursing students, who are prone to sleep problems. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between insomnia, happiness, anxiety and stress among a group of nursing students living in northwest Iran.

In this cross-sectional study, 636 nursing students completed an online questionnaire that included demographic information and measures of insomnia, happiness, anxiety, and perceived stress.

Happiness was inversely related to anxiety, perceived stress and insomnia. Anxiety was related to stress and insomnia, while insomnia and stress also had a strong linear relationship. The relationship between the main study variables and demographic variables was as follows: Happiness had a significant relationship with academic semester, anxiety with overall academic grade point average and employment status, stress with academic semester and overall academic grade point average, and finally insomnia with academic semester, overall academic grade point average and employment status

Mental health problems are common among nursing students. On the other hand, the variables examined in this study, including insomnia, anxiety and stress, have a detrimental effect on happiness, which is a key dimension of mental health. Therefore, self-care practices and provision of mental health support services for nursing students should be promoted.

The goal of sports science researchers is to maximize the performance of athletes in various sports fields, in this regard, researchers are trying to discover and identify the factors that affect the performance of athletes, and it is completely accepted that sleep is one of the necessities of health. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of 30 hours of sleep deprivation on the response of orexin-A levels and pulmonary function to an anaerobic activity in active male students.

This research was conducted semi-experimental and in the form of a pre-test and a post-test. The protocol was that in the control position, after 12 hours of fasting and 8 hours of sufficient sleep, in the experimental position after 12 hours of fasting and 30 hours, complete insomnia of the subjects was investigated in the student dormitory with controlled conditions.

The information related to the comparison of post-test and pre-test in two experimental situations (sleep deprivation) and control (sufficient sleep) showed that orexin-A hormone increased significantly in sleep deprivation conditions compared to resting conditions and this difference It is considered significant at the (p=0.001) level. Insomnia also caused significant changes in physiological indicators.

30 hours of sleep deprivation caused an increase in orexin-A levels, which shows the importance of night sleep, which is one of the influential factors related to obesity and overweight. It should be given more attention, especially by coaches and athletes, who after sleep deprivation has a significant effect on their performance.

Accompanying sleep disorders such as insomnia, delayed sleep, and wakefulness, as well as anxiety and depression with obsessive-compulsive disorder, are common in patients with OCD. However, not much research has been done on the relationship between sleep disorders and the severity of symptoms in patients with OCD. This article examines the frequency and relationship between sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, and the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in patients with OCD.

Convenience sampling was used in this cross-sectional research. The participants in the study were those who were referred to the clinic of a psychiatric hospital and the central clinic complex in Sari. Obsessive-compulsive disorder diagnosis of the participants was confirmed by a psychiatrist based on DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. Eighty-eight patients participated in the study after obtaining informed consent. Demographic questionnaires, Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), morning-evening questionnaire (MEQ), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), WHO-5 well-being (Depression) Index, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Data analysis was done with SPSS version 20 software.

Out of 88 patients, 65 (73.86%) were women 23 (26.14%) were men, 71.59% were married, 57.95% had under diploma degree, and 94.22% had no history of drug use. The average age of the patients was 44.48 ± 11.51 years. The duration of OCD was 11.28±14.60 years In terms of the severity of OCD symptoms, 1.1% was very mild, 19.32% was relatively mild, 42.45% was moderate, and 37.50% was severe. In the type of sleep schedule, 17.03% were inclined to evening or relative evening type. Four patients (4.62%) had daytime sleepiness. Also, 52 patients (61.90%) had some degree of insomnia. In terms of the severity of insomnia, 23.86% were mild, 28.40% were moderate and 6.81% were severe. The frequency of depression was 68% and anxiety was 79%. No statistically significant relationship was found between the severity of obsessive-compulsive disorder and hypersomnia, evening chronotype, anxiety, and depression. But insomnia (P= 0.046) and duration of illness (P= 0.004) were related to it. The Pearson correlation coefficient between age, duration of obsessive-compulsive disorder, and severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms was 0.169 (P= 0.116) and 0.377 (P=0.001), respectively. Spearman's correlation coefficient between the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms with depression and anxiety was 0.090 (P=0.403) and 0.044 (P=0.685), respectively. The average severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms was 23.48±7.87 in women and 20.04±5.88 in men, and no significant difference was seen in both sexes (P=0.060). In linear regression, the two factors affecting the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms were the duration of the illness and the severity of insomnia.

Considering the higher frequency of insomnia in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder compared to the normal population and its role in the severity of obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms, it is necessary to examine patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder in terms of insomnia. Also, older OCD patients should be examined more carefully in terms of the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

Various causal pathways play a role in the occurrence of depression in healthcare workers. This study aimed to assess the effect of perceived stress and insomnia on depression in healthcare workers using path analysis in Hamadan, Iran.

In this cross-sectional study, healthcare workers from Shahid Beheshti and Sina hospitals in Hamedan in 2023 were recruited. Perceived stress with two subscales of perceived helplessness and perceived self-efficacy, as well as insomnia and depression, were investigated using validated questionnaires. The path analysis was applied to assess the association.

In total, 235 healthcare workers (35.7% nurses) were included. Gender, age, monthly working hours, and number of night shifts per month had a significant impact on depression (P<0.05). Path analysis demonstrated that except for the effect of perceived self-efficacy on insomnia, all standardized regression weights for relationships were statistically significant (P<0.05). The effect size of perceived helplessness on depression was the strongest compared to other relationships (standardized regression weight = 0.40). The direct effect of perceived helplessness and perceived self-efficacy on depression or insomnia as a mediator had a good fit to the data.

As evidenced by the obtained results, with the implementation of intervention and preventive programs to reduce stress and improve sleep, the occurrence of depression in healthcare workers is expected to decrease significantly.

Pregnant women are susceptible to sleep disorders due to physiological and hormonal changes. Various demographic, socioeconomic and pregnancy-related factors affect the prevalence of disorders. Knowledge on prevalence of insomnia and related factors in Zahedan is lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of insomnia and its related factors in pregnant women.

This study was a cross sectional design in Zahedan, Iran during August 2021 and February 2022. Healthy pregnant women referred to urban comprehensive health centers were recruited. Through a researcher-made checklist, demographic, socioeconomic status (SES) and pregnancy-related features were measured. Insomnia was evaluated using Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI) screening tool. Linear regression analysis was used to analyze the data. The significance level of the statistical tests was considered as P <0.05.

A total, 240 pregnant women (26.30± 6.24 years old) were included. The prevalence rate of insomnia was 47%. Falling asleep and waking up during the night for >30 min were 56.3% and 72.0%, respectively. Daytime functioning impairment had a prevalence rate of 57.5%. Multivariable analysis showed that insomnia disorder is more common in women from the middle (β =6.22, P-value=0.002) and second richest economic status (4.26, 0.04), with a weight of more than 75 kg (4.55, 0.04) and in the third trimester of pregnancy (3.39, 0.01).

Insomnia symptoms are prevalent among pregnant women in Zahedan.  Pregnant women from the middle and second richest economic status, those who are overweight, and in the third trimester should be the target of intervention and educational programs to reduce and manage sleep disorders.

Sleep is one of the most important circadian cycles. Metabolic disorders, especially diabetes, can affect the quantity and quality of sleep. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between the quantity and quality of sleep and diabetes.

In this descriptive-cross-sectional study, 613 male and female students were randomly selected from the students of Gilan University of Medical Sciences in 1400. To collect information, two questionnaires for personal characteristics (blood sugar level) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Standard Questionnaire (PSQI) were used. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 software and descriptive (frequency, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistical methods at a significance level of p<0.05.

The results of the research showed that the largest age group was 21 (30.45) percent, 59.65 percent of the students were female, and the rest were male. In terms of marital status, 57.7% of students were married. Half of the students suffered from poor sleep quality. The average sleep duration also had a higher percentage than other subscales. Students who reported poor sleep quality did not control their sugar levels. Also, the students who had experienced the quality of sleep had controlled their sugar level well, and the relationship between the quality of the student's sleep and their blood sugar was significant (p =0.001).

Based on the results of the study in medical students, it is possible to prevent lack of sleep and its subsequent complications, i.e., increased blood sugar levels and diabetes, by teaching sleep hygiene and changing incorrect beliefs and habits despite the presence of night wakings and night watches

Sleep disorders are the most common behavioral complaints in children. Signs and symptoms of inadequate sleep in children are different from those in adults and may manifest as mood swings, activities, and excessive attention span and neurological disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate sleep disorders in children referred to pediatric clinics and its relationship with maternal insomnia in Baharloo Hospital in 1397-98.

This is a cross-sectional study of analytical-descriptive type. The statistical population includes children aged 2 to 12 years referred to Baharloo Hospital who were included in the study as a sample by considering the inclusion criteria of 303 people. Data collection tools include; The BEARS questionnaire was used to assess sleep disorders in children and the ISI questionnaire was used to assess maternal insomnia. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and T-test.

The results showed that among children aged 2 to 12 years, 74 mothers had insomnia according to the sleep questionnaire. The mother had a daughter and 38 mothers had a son. But insomnia mothers were higher in percentage among mothers of female children (44.4%) (p <0.05). There was also a significant relationship between children who have trouble going to bed at night and who have an insomniac mother. Among sleepless mothers (n = 74), 27 children (36.5%) had difficulty going to bed at night, which was higher in terms of both number and percentage of children of mothers with normal sleep (p <0.05). .

Insomnia and sleep disorders are related to a decrease in physical and mental health and quality of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of sleep deprivation on blood sugar, cortisol and insulin levels in athletes compared to non-athletes.

In this semi-experimental study, 14 healthy men participated in two groups of athletes (7 people) and non-athletes (7 people). One night of sleeplessness (8 hours) was applied to the subjects of both groups. According to the objectives of the research, blood samples were taken from all the subjects in two stages. The data were analyzed using the dependent t test for intra-group comparison and independent t test for inter-group comparison at a significance level of 5%. In conducting the research, the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki, the general guidelines for ethics in research with human subjects and the regulations governing it were observed and the code of ethics was issued by the ethics committee of Lorestan University.

Insomnia did not lead to a significant difference between the blood sugar and insulin levels of athletes and non-athletes when faced with a (p≤0.05). Also, insomnia did not cause a significant difference in the amount of cortisol between two groups of athletes and non-athletes (p≤0.05).

It seems that changes in blood sugar, cortisol and insulin are related to the duration of insomnia and are not affected in short-term and intermittent insomnia.

Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder that is associated with cortical hyperexcitability. Potentially transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) modifies the cortical state related to insomnia. Therefore, we hypothesized that by using tDCS the intensity of insomnia can be reduced, followed by improvement of the mood symptoms.

This study was an experimental design with a pre-test and post-test with a control group. The statistical sample included 32 females with chronic insomnia that were randomly divided into an experimental group (active stimulation) and a control group (sham stimulation). Transcranial direct current with an intensity of 2 mA was applied for 30 minutes during 12 sessions (three times in the week) in the active stimulation group. In this protocol, anodal stimulation of left Superior temporal gyrus (STG) and cathodal stimulation of right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and left secondary motor cortex (SMA). In the control group, sham stimulation was performed for 30 minutes during 12 sessions (three times in the week). The participants were evaluated before and after of the intervention using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS).

The findings of this research showed that the application of transcranial direct current stimulation was effective in reducing the severity of insomnia and improving positive and negative affect (P<0.001, F=19.87). The value of this effect (eta2) in the severity of insomnia, negative mood and positive mood is 0.64, 0.34 and 0.6 respectively.

The results of the present study showed that the implementation of our designed tDCS protocol for the treatment of insomnia, significantly reduced the intensity of insomnia in women with chronic insomnia and improved their mood symptoms.

Circadian rhythms are natural processes that regulate the sleep-wake cycle and are repeated approximately every 24 hours and controlled by an internal circadian clock. Incorrect functioning of the circadian clock system disrupts the normal sleep pattern. The molecular regulation of this system is done by several clock genes, the most important of which is the CLOCK gene that encodes a transcription factor that plays a central role in regulating the molecular circadian clock. In this study, the rs1801260 polymorphism of the CLOCK gene was investigated in Iranian patients with insomnia.

In this study, 60 blood samples were collected from people with profound problems of insomnia, inability to control sleep and irregular sleep as the patient group and 60 samples from people without any history of insomnia or sleep disorder as the control group. Then DNA was extracted and rs1801260 polymorphism was assessed by ARMS-PCR using specific primers for normal and mutated alleles and the results were analyzed.

According to the results, 50% of patients had GG, 36.7% had AG and 13.3% had AA genotype. In the control group, the frequency of GG, AG and AA genotypes was 30%, 26.7% and 43.3%, respectively. Also, this polymorphism is significantly associated with insomnia in patients (p<0.05) and has no significant relationship with gender, age and lifestyle of patients.

These findings show that the rs1801260 polymorphism and the presence of the G allele in this position have a significant relationship with sleep disorder and it seems to play an important role in occurrence of insomnia in the Iranian population. Therefore, checking the CLOCK gene in patient or susceptible people can be helpful for effective prevention and treatment of the disease.