The University of Pittsburgh is conducting several research studies related to veterans’ sleep disorders and is seeking paid volunteer participants.
The studies are non-invasive and you will be compensated for your time.
For more information: http://www.veteranssleep.pitt.edu/default.asp
You may have insomnia if you:
-Have difficulty falling asleep
-Have difficulty staying asleep
-Are waking up too early
-Have poor quality sleep
A person with insomnia may also have the following symptoms:
-Feeling tired throughout the day
-Being easily irritated and grumpy
-Lack of concentration or memory
-Unable to stay awake during the day
-Decreased level of energy
-Lack of motivation
-Decrease in level of performance at work or in school
-Frustration about your sleep or about falling asleep
*If you are a military veteran and you think you may have insomnia, call/email us at 412-246-6409 / hakiman@upmc.edu
Links
*You might be suffering from nightmares if you:
-Wake up from sleep due to a disturbing dream
-Wake up in the morning with the memory of disturbing
dreams
-Have dreams that make you fearful, angry, sad, or upset
-Are able to think with a clear head and fully alert upon being
woken from sleep
-Remember specific and vivid details of a disturbing dream
-Have a great deal of difficulty falling back asleep after having
a dream
-Have dreams closer to the hours in the morning
-In veterans with PTSD, bad dreams may occur at all times of
the night, not only in the morning
*Nightmares invoke a variety of negative emotions including:
-Fear
-Anxiety
-Terror
-Anger
-Embarrassment
-Disgust
-Shame
-Sadness
*Nightmares can disrupt sleep
*Nightmares can increase your levels of fear and anxiety when
awoken and throughout the day.
*The loss of sleep from being continually woken up can lead to
more intense nightmares.
*Nightmares can prevent a person from being able to fall
asleep from constantly worrying about having nightmares if
he or she falls asleep.
*Nightmares not only seem real, but also become more
distressing as they are being had.
*If you are a military veteran, you are having bad dreams/nightmares, and you would like to participate in a research study on nightmares, call/email us at 412-246-6409 / hakiman@upmc.edu
Links
*You might be suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea if you:
-Wake from sleep due to choking or gasping for breath
-Have been told by your bed partner that you snore loudly or
stop breathing
-Feel your sleep is not refreshing
-Are sleepy throughout the day
-Fall asleep during the day unintentionally
-Feel fatigued
*Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep related breathing disorder
*With OSA, the airway is blocked as tissues collapse in the back of the throat, which prevents airflow to the lungs.
*While sleeping and the muscles of the throat relax, the tongue falls back due to gravity, blocking the airways.
*This can happen anywhere from a few times to several hundred times in a night.
*Sleep apnea is a common disorder affecting both men and women
-Being overweight increases the risk of sleep apnea
*If you are a military veteran and you think you may have Sleep apnea, talk to your doctor about being evaluated/tested in a sleep clinic.
Links
*You might be suffering from Sleep walking if you:
-Walk around while you are sleeping
-Get up from your bed and perform task while you are still
sleeping
-Behave in a dangerous manner
-Confused upon be woken up from a sleep walking episode
-Lack memory of what happened
*Sleep walking is a parasomnia, meaning certain physiological
systems are activated when they should not be while asleep,
and cause undesired events to occur.
*Sleepwalking occurs while you are asleep, but get up and
wander around.
*Before walking, a person might sit in bed as he or she stares
around the room in a confused manner.
*Sometimes, the individual might dart up out of bed quickly.
*This could be from a distressing dream that occurred, but
typically people do not remember detailed, vivid dreams.
*You could even talk or scream loudly while sleep walking.
*Your eyes look glassy or clouded over.
*Activities that are typically done in the day light hours could be
conducted while asleep as well.
*Memory of events that occur when sleep walking rarely exist.
*Upon awakening from a sleep walking episode, extreme
confusion can occur.
If you think you may be sleep walking at night- talk to your doctor about it.
Links
*You might be suffering from sleep terrors if you:
-Wake up at night with a loud scream from fear
-Are sweating and have a change in breathing while asleep
-Are difficult to wake up from sleep
-Are confused upon being woken up
-Lack memory of what has occurred
*Also referred to as night terrors, sleep terrors is an event that
occurs during sleep that is not desired.
*In a typical episode, you will sit up in bed screaming or
shouting. You also may be kicking and thrashing. Things that
are shouted may be difficult for others to understand.
*There can be a look of sheer terror on your face, can be
sweating, breathing heavily, and be very tense.
*During a sleep terror episode, a person can be difficult to
wake up and fail to respond to voices. Upon waking, confusion
is quite common, as well as no memory of what has occurred.
*If you think you may be having sleep terrors- talk to your doctor about it.
Links
Click on the following links for more information
Links
Locate a Sleep Center near you.
Links
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An article by Seth Robson of Stars and Stripes reports on a new military medicine study that found frequently reported sleep difficulties – particularly insomnia –- among returning combat veterans in at least the first several months they’re home.
“Soldiers in a combat environment have increased stress and have to be hyper-vigilant, both of which, along with the inherent noise and environmental disturbances result in poor sleep quality and frequent awakenings while deployed,” said Army Capt. Vincent Capaldi, the study’s lead author and a resident physician in psychiatry and internal medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in an interview with Stars and Stripes last month.
The latest sleep study shows the importance of regular, good sleep practices in soldiers upon redeployment and providing evaluations for those whose sleep difficulties persist, whether they have PTSD, TBI or solely sleep complaints, he said.
“A key takeaway (from the study) is that routine screening for sleep problems may be beneficial for all combat veterans, since many who suffer from sleep disturbance post-deployment are otherwise healthy,” Capaldi said.
The study did not find a connection between PTSD and TBI and obstructive sleep apnea, a diagnosed condition reported by some combat veterans.
The article did not discuss other common sleep disorders among combat veterans such as narcolepsy.
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(91outcomes.com) – A new study published in the current edition of the Journal of Sleep Research shows that proper sleep has a profound impact on the ability to learn.
Disturbed or dysfunctional sleep is a commonly reported symptom of Gulf War Illness (GWI), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) –- relatively common disorders among veterans of the last two decades of military service.
According to a USA Today article by Randy Dotinga about the study:
The research doesn't prove that sleep will help you learn more effectively. But it does provide more evidence that your brain doesn't just rest and dream when you're asleep, said study co-author Rebecca Spencer, an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Dotinga’s article about the study suggests that important integration of learning takes place during sleep:
Sleep researcher Michael Anch, an associate professor at Saint Louis University, said the study "emphasizes the growing awareness of the importance of sleep for optimal cognitive functioning."
"This study is consistent with other studies suggesting that sleep allows you to integrate learned information from various brain regions, which is not allowable by instant decisions," Anch said. "This gives credence to the notion that if you have a decision to make, sleep on it!"
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---Anthony Hardie, Madison, Wis.
