Seasonality of human sleep: Polysomnographic data of a neuropsychiatric sleep clinic
While short-term effects of artificial light on human sleep are increasingly being studied, reports on long-term effects induced by season are scarce. Assessments of subjective sleep length over the year suggest a substantially longer sleep period during winter. Our retrospective study aimed to inve...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-02-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1105233/full |
| _version_ | 1797904552302739456 |
|---|---|
| author | Aileen Seidler Katy Sarah Weihrich Frederik Bes Frederik Bes Jan de Zeeuw Jan de Zeeuw Dieter Kunz Dieter Kunz |
| author_facet | Aileen Seidler Katy Sarah Weihrich Frederik Bes Frederik Bes Jan de Zeeuw Jan de Zeeuw Dieter Kunz Dieter Kunz |
| author_sort | Aileen Seidler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | While short-term effects of artificial light on human sleep are increasingly being studied, reports on long-term effects induced by season are scarce. Assessments of subjective sleep length over the year suggest a substantially longer sleep period during winter. Our retrospective study aimed to investigate seasonal variation in objective sleep measures in a cohort of patients living in an urban environment. In 2019, three-night polysomnography was performed on 292 patients with neuropsychiatric sleep disturbances. Measures of the diagnostic second nights were averaged per month and analyzed over the year. Patients were advised to sleep “as usual” including timing, except alarm clocks were not allowed. Exclusion criteria: administration of psychotropic agents known to influence sleep (N = 96), REM-sleep latency > 120 min (N = 5), technical failure (N = 3). Included were 188 patients: [46.6 ± 15.9 years (mean ± SD); range 17–81 years; 52% female]; most common sleep-related diagnoses: insomnia (N = 108), depression (N = 59) and sleep-related breathing disorders (N = 52). Analyses showed: 1. total sleep time (TST) longer during winter than summer (up to 60 min; not significant); 2. REM-sleep latency shorter during autumn than spring (about 25 min, p = 0.010); 3. REM-sleep longer during winter than spring (about 30 min, p = 0.009, 5% of TST, p = 0.011); 4. slow-wave-sleep stable winter to summer (about 60–70 min) with 30–50 min shorter during autumn (only significant as % of TST, 10% decrease, p = 0.017). Data suggest seasonal variation in sleep architecture even when living in an urban environment in patients with disturbed sleep. If replicated in a healthy population, this would provide first evidence for a need to adjust sleep habits to season. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T09:50:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3ae1735b540f4a36a5ff69171292cb1b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-453X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T09:50:43Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-3ae1735b540f4a36a5ff69171292cb1b2023-02-17T04:32:27ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neuroscience1662-453X2023-02-011710.3389/fnins.2023.11052331105233Seasonality of human sleep: Polysomnographic data of a neuropsychiatric sleep clinicAileen Seidler0Katy Sarah Weihrich1Frederik Bes2Frederik Bes3Jan de Zeeuw4Jan de Zeeuw5Dieter Kunz6Dieter Kunz7Sleep Research and Clinical Chronobiology, Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Physiology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, GermanyClinic for Sleep & Chronomedicine, St. Hedwig Hospital, Berlin, GermanySleep Research and Clinical Chronobiology, Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Physiology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, GermanyClinic for Sleep & Chronomedicine, St. Hedwig Hospital, Berlin, GermanySleep Research and Clinical Chronobiology, Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Physiology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, GermanyClinic for Sleep & Chronomedicine, St. Hedwig Hospital, Berlin, GermanySleep Research and Clinical Chronobiology, Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Physiology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, GermanyClinic for Sleep & Chronomedicine, St. Hedwig Hospital, Berlin, GermanyWhile short-term effects of artificial light on human sleep are increasingly being studied, reports on long-term effects induced by season are scarce. Assessments of subjective sleep length over the year suggest a substantially longer sleep period during winter. Our retrospective study aimed to investigate seasonal variation in objective sleep measures in a cohort of patients living in an urban environment. In 2019, three-night polysomnography was performed on 292 patients with neuropsychiatric sleep disturbances. Measures of the diagnostic second nights were averaged per month and analyzed over the year. Patients were advised to sleep “as usual” including timing, except alarm clocks were not allowed. Exclusion criteria: administration of psychotropic agents known to influence sleep (N = 96), REM-sleep latency > 120 min (N = 5), technical failure (N = 3). Included were 188 patients: [46.6 ± 15.9 years (mean ± SD); range 17–81 years; 52% female]; most common sleep-related diagnoses: insomnia (N = 108), depression (N = 59) and sleep-related breathing disorders (N = 52). Analyses showed: 1. total sleep time (TST) longer during winter than summer (up to 60 min; not significant); 2. REM-sleep latency shorter during autumn than spring (about 25 min, p = 0.010); 3. REM-sleep longer during winter than spring (about 30 min, p = 0.009, 5% of TST, p = 0.011); 4. slow-wave-sleep stable winter to summer (about 60–70 min) with 30–50 min shorter during autumn (only significant as % of TST, 10% decrease, p = 0.017). Data suggest seasonal variation in sleep architecture even when living in an urban environment in patients with disturbed sleep. If replicated in a healthy population, this would provide first evidence for a need to adjust sleep habits to season.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1105233/fullsleepREMpolysomnographyseasonhumancircadian |
| spellingShingle | Aileen Seidler Katy Sarah Weihrich Frederik Bes Frederik Bes Jan de Zeeuw Jan de Zeeuw Dieter Kunz Dieter Kunz Seasonality of human sleep: Polysomnographic data of a neuropsychiatric sleep clinic Frontiers in Neuroscience sleep REM polysomnography season human circadian |
| title | Seasonality of human sleep: Polysomnographic data of a neuropsychiatric sleep clinic |
| title_full | Seasonality of human sleep: Polysomnographic data of a neuropsychiatric sleep clinic |
| title_fullStr | Seasonality of human sleep: Polysomnographic data of a neuropsychiatric sleep clinic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seasonality of human sleep: Polysomnographic data of a neuropsychiatric sleep clinic |
| title_short | Seasonality of human sleep: Polysomnographic data of a neuropsychiatric sleep clinic |
| title_sort | seasonality of human sleep polysomnographic data of a neuropsychiatric sleep clinic |
| topic | sleep REM polysomnography season human circadian |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1105233/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT aileenseidler seasonalityofhumansleeppolysomnographicdataofaneuropsychiatricsleepclinic AT katysarahweihrich seasonalityofhumansleeppolysomnographicdataofaneuropsychiatricsleepclinic AT frederikbes seasonalityofhumansleeppolysomnographicdataofaneuropsychiatricsleepclinic AT frederikbes seasonalityofhumansleeppolysomnographicdataofaneuropsychiatricsleepclinic AT jandezeeuw seasonalityofhumansleeppolysomnographicdataofaneuropsychiatricsleepclinic AT jandezeeuw seasonalityofhumansleeppolysomnographicdataofaneuropsychiatricsleepclinic AT dieterkunz seasonalityofhumansleeppolysomnographicdataofaneuropsychiatricsleepclinic AT dieterkunz seasonalityofhumansleeppolysomnographicdataofaneuropsychiatricsleepclinic |