What is Sleep?
Although everyone needs to sleep to maintain their health, the question “what is sleep?” has proven surprisingly difficult. During the state of sleep, the brain exhibits profound changes.
It is now believed the function of sleep is to clear metabolic waste products from the pathways of the brain. This helps explain why healthy sleep must be sufficient in both duration and depth.
What Conditions Are Associated With Sleep?
The most common health condition associated with sleep is insomnia. Insomnia is difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or both. Sleep disturbances can be physiological in nature (for example, Restless Legs Syndrome) or psychological (for example, nightmares.)
Experts have estimated that about 25% of Americans develop some degree of insomnia in any given year. In 75% of cases, it passes without long-term damage to sleep habits.
Other common sleep disorders include:
- Snoring
- Sleep apnea, “pauses” in breathing often caused by soft tissue blockage in the airway
- Sleep hypoventilation, trouble breathing in sleep caused by respiratory muscle weakness
- Restless Legs Syndrome, which causes discomfort only alleviated by moving the legs
- Bruxism, the grinding of the teeth during sleep, which can damage the teeth and jaw
Sleep medicine experts also recognize several less common sleep disorders. These include things like narcolepsy, nightmares and night terrors, and Rapid Eye Movement Behavior Disorder.
Maintaining Sleep Health
Many chronic sleep conditions arise with no known cause. However, maintaining good sleep hygiene can help. Sleep hygiene refers to the whole collection of habits that affect sleep health.
In general, it is a good idea to develop a consistent bedtime and routine for “going to bed.” Discontinue the use of phones and other “screens” an hour before bed, since the blue light of these devices inhibits the brain’s natural response to reduced lighting at night.
Remember, many factors can contribute to sleep health issues:
- Certain medications, such as those used for high blood pressure and asthma
- Chronic pain disorders and other conditions that cause persistent discomfort
- Stress in your personal or work life and conditions like anxiety or depression
Each individual has a slight variance in sleep need. Likewise, the duration of sleep needed does change depending on life stage. However, it is important to know everyone needs about eight hours of nightly sleep to maintain mental and physical health.
Medical Research on Sleep
With the answers to key questions on “why do we sleep?” coming into view, sleep researchers are continuing to pursue clinical sleep studies looking for new sleep disorder treatments.
Sleep clinical care has undergone revolutionary changes in recent years thanks to imaging technology that precisely pinpoints sleep-related changes in the human brain at any age.
Current Clinical Trials on Sleep
This list includes all clinical trials on sleep recognized by ClinicalTrials.gov. To add sleep clinical trials to our list, contact us.
- Usefulness of NESA Microcurrents in the Treatment of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorderson May 16, 2024 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorder Interventions: Device: Non-invasive Neuromodulation; Device: Placebo Non-invasive Neuromodulation Sponsors: University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Recruiting
- The Effect of Dexmedetomidine and Esketamine Combined Infusion Quality of Sleep Undergoing Modified Radical Mastectomyon May 15, 2024 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Dexmedetomidine Plus Esketamine Affect Postoperative Sleep Quality Interventions: Drug: Dexmedetomidine administration; Drug: Dexmedetomidine plus low-dose esketamine administration; Drug: Dexmedetomidine plus high-dose esketamine administration Sponsors: Anqing Municipal Hospital Recruiting
- Evaluation of the Effects of Using Cooling Pillowcases, on the Symptoms of Hot Flushes, Sleep and Life Qualityon May 15, 2024 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Breast Cancer Interventions: Other: Cooling Pillowcases Sponsors: Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi Recruiting
- Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseaseon May 14, 2024 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Cardiovascular Disease Sponsors: IRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo" Recruiting
- SUNOSI® (Solriamfetol) Pregnancy Registryon May 14, 2024 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Narcolepsy; Obstructive Sleep Apnea; Pregnant Women and Their Offspring Interventions: Drug: Sunosi (solriamfetol); Drug: Other prescription wake-promoting medications or stimulants; Other: No treatment Sponsors: Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. Recruiting
- Digital Dyadic Family Based Intervention to Improve Sleep in Children With ODD and Their Parents: NiteCAPP SINCC (Pilot)on May 13, 2024 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Oppositional Defiant Disorder; Insomnia Chronic Interventions: Behavioral: NiteCAPP SINCC Sponsors: University of South Florida Recruiting
- Effectiveness of Neuromuscular Exercise in Patellofemoral Pain Syndromeon May 9, 2024 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome Interventions: Other: control; Other: Exercise Sponsors: Uskudar University Recruiting
- The Effects of External Nasal Dilator Strips on Sleep and Cardiovascular Healthon May 7, 2024 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Healthy Interventions: Device: External Nasal Dilator Strip Sponsors: Florida State University Recruiting
- Acupressure Therapy on Post-stroke Fatigue, Depression, and Sleep Disturbances in Ischemic Stroke Patientson May 7, 2024 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Inflammatory Cytokine; Circadian Rhythm; Acupressure; Post-stroke Fatigue; Sleep; Ischemic Stroke Interventions: Behavioral: Circadian based acupressure application Sponsors: China Medical University Hospital; National Science and Technology Council Recruiting
- Baker Gordon Syndrome Natural History Studyon May 6, 2024 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Rare Diseases; Autism or Autistic Traits; Development Delay; SYT-SSX Fusion Protein Expression; Sleep Disorder; Epilepsy, Generalized; Motor Delay Interventions: Diagnostic Test: Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI); Genetic: Whole Genome Sequencing; Other: Induced Pluripotential Stem Cells Sponsors: University of Missouri-Columbia Recruiting
- The Function of Biphasic Sleep in Infantson May 6, 2024 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Sleep Deprivation Interventions: Behavioral: Nap; Behavioral: Wake Sponsors: University of Massachusetts, Amherst; University of Maryland, College Park Recruiting
- The Impact of Physical Activity in Young Adultson May 2, 2024 at 4:00 am
Conditions: Physical Inactivity; Sleep Hygiene; Smartphone Addiction; Pain Interventions: Other: Calisthenic exercise program Sponsors: KTO Karatay University Recruiting
Why Are More Clinical Trials on Sleep Necessary?
There may be no single “cure for insomnia”, but clinical trials on sleep help doctors develop effective sleep disorder treatment protocols for the various situations where sleep is disturbed.
Ongoing sleep research continues to redefine what we know about each of these conditions. Insomnia treatments are just one of the new sleep clinical resources coming from this effort.
Conclusion
The majority of American adults experience sleep disturbances at some point in life. With that in mind, clinical trials on sleep truly affect everyone. Unfortunately, sleep disorders are under-diagnosed – and those who suffer often do not pursue treatment. Participating in clinical studies on sleep is one way to help ensure you, and others, will rest better.
Content Box
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180605154114.htm
- https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/pdfs/Insomnia.pdf
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-future-of-sleep-studies
- https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia/what-insomnia
- https://medlineplus.gov/sleepdisorders.html
- https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/sleep-hygiene