This week in sleep news …
Sleep deprivation tied to high blood pressure risk for women
Women who are sleeping less than six hours a night are more likely to develop hypertension compared to those who slept for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended minimum of seven or eight hours, according to a new study in Hypertension. Researchers analyzed data from 66,122 participants without hypertension in 2001 and then assessed participants for hypertension every two years during 16 years of follow-up, assessing sleep duration and sleeping difficulties several times along the way.
During follow-up, researchers documented 25,987 cases of hypertension. Compared with women who reported sleeping seven to eight hours, women with shorter nightly sleep duration had a higher risk for hypertension. Women who reported longer sleep duration — nine hours or more — did not have a statistically significant increase in hypertension risk.
Japan's government taking action to get their citizens more sleep
Two recent reports have shed light on the lack of sleep by workers in Japan, spurring Japan’s ministry of health to make a public call to action for workers to get more sleep. One report showed that Japanese people got the least amount of sleep of 33 countries evaluated by the study, with 37.5% of men and 40.6% of women getting less than six hours of sleep a night. Another study reported that on average Japanese people got a little more than six hours of sleep per night.
The Japanese health ministry is now recommending that adults get an absolute minimum of six hours, junior high and high school children get between eight and 10 hours, and elementary school children get between nine and 12 hours. Children between the ages of 3 and 5 need 10 to 13 hours of sleep, the ministry said, while infants under the age of 2 should have 11 to 14 hours. The CDC guidelines here in the U.S. recommend at least seven hours for adults. Other age recommendations are aligned across both governments, except for infants under the age of 2, who should get 12 to 16 hours.
How nightly use of CPAP devices for sleep apnea can help lower cardiovascular risks
People with cardiovascular disease and obstructive sleep apnea who use a CPAP machine for four or more hours per day have a significantly lower risk of a major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular event, according to a study published in JAMA. The study looked at about 2,100 people who received CPAP therapy and nearly 2,100 who did not. Both groups received education on dietary changes to help manage weight and cardiovascular risk factors, as well as sleep hygiene counseling. After analyzing this data, researchers determined that adherence to using a CPAP machine was associated with a reduction in the risk of a cardiovascular event, suggesting that continual CPAP use is a key factor in secondary cardiovascular prevention in patients with OSA.
Samsung brings sleep apnea feature to Galaxy Watch
A new sleep apnea feature is going to be introduced for the Samsung Galaxy Watch early next year. The new feature is intended to help more people spot obstructive sleep apnea symptoms in early stages. This feature monitors blood oxygen levels during sleep and identifies moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea by analyzing how the detected blood oxygen values change, then estimates the Apnea-Hypopnea Index, an index used to indicate the severity of sleep apnea. All users have to do is track their sleep twice within 10 days, logging more than four hours each time, to gauge whether they are showing symptoms.
In more fun sleep news …
Ahead of the New York Giants game in Miami this weekend, the team’s defensive coordinator, Don "Wink" Martindale, is letting pressure get to his sleep. Martindale told reporters that he was sleeping like a baby, but not the way people usually mean it. “I'm sleeping like a baby. Every two hours I wake up and cry and go to the bathroom and try to go back and get some more sleep.” Hopefully, the Giants rally for a good game so Martindale can finally get some good sleep.
