Research is finding that there is an intricate connection between sleep and inflammation, such that lack of sleep can increase inflammation, noted Andrew McHill, PhD, an assistant professor at Oregon Health and Science University.
Research is finding that changing blood pressure responses from shift work may be due to increased sympathetic activity and that there is an intricate connection between sleep and inflammation, such that lack of sleep can increase inflammation, noted Andrew McHill, PhD, an assistant professor at Oregon Health and Science University.
McHill is an author on 5 abstracts presented at SLEEP 2023 that investigate the impact of sleep patterns and circadian variations on blood pressure and overall health outcomes.
Transcript
Can you elaborate on the interplay between sleep disruption and the body's inflammatory response?
So we know that sleep and inflammation are very intricately connected, such to the point where if you have too much inflammation, it makes it harder to get to sleep or to stay asleep, and if you don't get enough sleep, it can actually increase your inflammation. As far as our findings go, we think it more pertains to the sympathetic activity and increased sympathetic activity with shift work and sleep disruption that is probably changing blood pressure responses when working these shifts.
How do these alterations affect hemodynamic changes observed in blood pressure regulation?
We are very interested in this overnight blood pressure dipping patterns. We know that if your blood pressure dips 10% or greater than what it is during the daytime, that's a very healthy phenotype. However, in some individuals, they don't have this overnight dipping, which has been associated with a whole host of adverse cardiovascular outcomes and premature mortality. So we've been really focusing on this 24-hour blood pressure rhythm, and we find that when individuals transition into shift work or have been working shift work for a long time, they begin to lose this ability to dip their blood pressure at night when they're going to sleep. And so this could be related to a whole host of about adverse outcomes down the road.
Can you provide examples of these adverse outcomes?
Premature mortality, any type of cardiovascular event, heart attack, stroke, it's been tightly associated with all of those 4 outcomes.
I think it's a very exciting time to be in the field of sleep and circadian research, as we are really looking into this kind of personalized approach for sleep hygiene and sleep habits, and looking at novel mechanisms, such as sleep regularity, for improving health. And I think that these mechanisms may be more feasible for an individual. It's easier, I think, probably to tell someone to go to bed at the same time than to tell them to get more sleep, which is a very difficult intervention. By telling someone if you can just try as hard as you can to go to sleep at the same time, I think will be a lot more feasible.
Specialty Pharmacists at the Forefront: Elevating Care for Rare Diseases
May 1st 2024In the US, a disease is considered rare when it affects fewer than 200,000 persons, or 1 in every 1500 individuals, with an estimated total of 25 to 30 million Americans overall living with a rare disease at any given time.
Read More
Tackling Health Inequality: The Power of Education and Experience
April 30th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our final episode of this limited series and our conversation with Janine Jelks-Seale, MSPPM, director of health equity at UPMC Health Plan.
Listen
Latest Advances and Updates of Treatment in the Real World at AUA
May 1st 2024The annual meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) not only presents the newest therapies coming out but showcases the latest in how treatments are being used in the real world, said Stephen Freedland, MD, of Cedars Sinai.
Read More
Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listen
AUA to Focus on Inclusive Care, Robotic Surgeries, and Future of Urology at 2024 Annual Meeting
May 1st 2024The American Urological Association (AUA) 2024 Annual Meeting will highlight the latest innovations and future trends in urology, featuring dynamic plenary sessions, educational opportunities for providers, and discussions on cutting-edge treatments and global health initiatives.
Read More
Specialty Pharmacists at the Forefront: Elevating Care for Rare Diseases
May 1st 2024In the US, a disease is considered rare when it affects fewer than 200,000 persons, or 1 in every 1500 individuals, with an estimated total of 25 to 30 million Americans overall living with a rare disease at any given time.
Read More
Tackling Health Inequality: The Power of Education and Experience
April 30th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our final episode of this limited series and our conversation with Janine Jelks-Seale, MSPPM, director of health equity at UPMC Health Plan.
Listen
Latest Advances and Updates of Treatment in the Real World at AUA
May 1st 2024The annual meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) not only presents the newest therapies coming out but showcases the latest in how treatments are being used in the real world, said Stephen Freedland, MD, of Cedars Sinai.
Read More
Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listen
AUA to Focus on Inclusive Care, Robotic Surgeries, and Future of Urology at 2024 Annual Meeting
May 1st 2024The American Urological Association (AUA) 2024 Annual Meeting will highlight the latest innovations and future trends in urology, featuring dynamic plenary sessions, educational opportunities for providers, and discussions on cutting-edge treatments and global health initiatives.
Read More
2 Commerce Drive
Cranbury, NJ 08512