This week in sleep news…
Your child’s sleep problems could be inherited
If your child has sleep problems, it may be genetic, according to new research published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Researchers analyzed the sleep patterns of 2,458 children, as reported by their parents, by looking at their polygenic risk scores for insomnia (a measure of your disease risk due to your genes) and sleep duration. They found that children between 18 months and 15 years old who had higher polygenic risk scores were more likely to have sleep problems including trouble falling asleep, sleeping less than most children, and waking up often during the night. Additionally, they found that children who are genetically predisposed to sleep longer have longer sleep duration but are also more awake during the night in adolescence.
Sleep troubles tied to emotional exhaustion in healthcare workers
Poor sleep may lead to an increased chance of burnout, according to a new analysis. A cross-sectional analysis looked at burnout among health care workers. This analysis included 126 full-time health care workers from four emergency departments who completed a single online-based questionnaire on demographics, sleep, and burnout. The burnout symptoms were measured with the Abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory–9, which includes three burnout subscales: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment.
They found poor sleep quality and insomnia were both associated with a 2.5 times greater chance of depersonalization and emotional exhaustion.
Sleep more, stand more
Replacing 30 minutes of sitting a day with equal time standing or sleeping could improve obesity markers like body weight and waist circumference, according to a new cross-sectional study investigating the impact of movement behavior on cardiometabolic health. Researchers analyzed data from six studies and ranked behaviors according to their association with heart health. Moderate to vigorous activity was linked to the greatest benefit, followed by light activity, standing, sleeping, and lastly, sitting.
The study’s findings suggest that, while high-intensity activity may give you benefits sooner, adding light activity, more standing, or even going to bed earlier could improve heart health measures over time. The study’s authors emphasize that these findings show that replacing any sedentary action with any other activity can be beneficial.
In social media news …
SNL provided us insight into what their sleep paralysis demon looks like with their sketch last Saturday starring Timothée Chalamet and Bowen Yang.
