Healthy aging is associated with a reduction in daytime sleep propensity, sleep continuity, and SWS. In contrast, experimental disruption of SWS leads to an increase in daytime sleep propensity. The age-related decline in SWS and reduction in daytime sleep propensity may reflect a lessening in homeostatic sleep requirement. Healthy older adults without sleep disorders can expect to be less sleepy during the daytime than young adults.

These results indicate that ingestion of caffeinated beverages may maintain aspects of cognitive and psychomotor performance throughout the day and evening when caffeinated beverages are administered repeatedly. This study also demonstrates that day-long tea consumption produces similar alerting effects to coffee, despite lower caffeine levels, but is less likely to disrupt sleep. Other differences between tea and coffee were more subtle, and require further investigation.

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The objectives of this study were, firstly, to examine the association between job strain and sleep quality in a sample of primary and secondary school teachers and, secondly, to assess whether the relationship between job strain and sleep quality is mediated or moderated by an individual's inability to 'switch-off' from work related issues during leisure time. School teachers (N = 143) completed an hourly record of their work related thoughts over a workday evening between 5 pm and bedtime, and then rated their sleep quality the following morning. Individuals were classified as reporting high (n =462) or low (n = 52) job strain using predetermined cut-off scores.Consistent with previous research, the results showed that both groups demonstrated a degree of unwinding and disengagement from work issues over the evening. However, compared to the low job strain group, the high job strain teachers took longer to unwind and ruminated more about work related issues, over the whole evening, including bedtime. There was no difference in total sleep time between the groups, but high job strain individuals reported poorer sleep quality compared to low job strain individuals. With respect to the second objective, across the whole sample (N = 143), work rumination and job strain were significantly correlated with sleep quality, but work rumination was not found to mediate, or moderate the relationship between job strain and sleep quality. It was speculated that the initial low contribution of job strain to sleep quality (r = -.18) may have contributed to this null finding. The current findings may have implications for how we assess and manage sleep disturbance in stressed workers.3

Pregabalin appears to have an effect on sleep and sleep architecture that distinguishes it from benzodiazepines. Enhancement of slow-wave sleep is intriguing, since reductions in slow-wave sleep have frequently been reported in fibromyalgia and general anxiety disorder.

Aims To assess whether fexofenadine in a range of doses from 80 to 180 mg has any disruptive effects on aspects of psychomotor and cognitive function in comparison with placebo, loratadine and promethazine, an antihistamine known to produce psychomotor and cognitive impairment. Methods Twenty-four healthy volunteers received fexofenadine 80 mg, 120 mg and 180 mg, loratadine 10 mg, promethazine 30 mg (as a positive internal control) and placebo in a six-way crossover, double-blind study. Following each dose, subjects were required to perform a series of tests of cognitive function and psychomotor performance at 1.5, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 24 h post dose. The test battery included critical flicker fusion (CFF), choice reaction time (CRT) and assessment of subjective sedation (LARS). Overall levels of activity were monitored by means of wrist mounted actigraphs throughout each of the 24 h experimental periods.Results Fexofenadine at all doses tested was not statistically different from placebo in any of the tests used and loratadine did not cause any significant impairment of cognitive function. Significant impairments were found following promethazine. Promethazine caused a significant reduction in CFF threshold and this effect was evident up to 12 h post dose ( P<0.05). There was a significant increase in recognition reaction time at 3 and 6 h post promethazine administration, and the drug caused a significant ( P<0.002) increase in the percentage of 'sleep-like' activity from actigraph records during the daytime. Conclusions Fexofenadine at doses up to 180 mg appears free from disruptive effects on aspects of psychomotor and cognitive function in a study where the psychometric assessments have been shown to be sensitive to impairment, as evidenced by the effects of the verum control promethazine 30 mg.Keywords: antihistamines, cognitive function, fexofenadine, loratadine, promethazine, psychomotor performance the patient at an increased risk of accidents in situations Introduction such as driving and operation of machinery, where high levels of alertness are required [5][6][7], but also reduce Antihistamines are the drugs of choice in the symptomatic treatment of various allergic disorders such as seasonal compliance with treatment regimens due to excessive fatigue and malaise. and perennial allergic rhinitis and chronic urticaria [1, 2]. However, the use of traditional antihistamines such as Adverse effects experienced with older drugs with sedative effects resulted in the development of a second diphenhydramine, chlorpheniramine, triprolidine and promethazine is often associated with a number of generation of antihistamines with equipotent antiallergic action. Clinical trials have consistently demonstrated that unwanted side-effects of which sedation is the most pronounced [3][4][5]. These side-effects can interfere with the second generation antihistamines have a much more favourable therapeutic index and a significantly lower the performance of daytime activities and not only place incidence of sedative effects tha...

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Summary: The present paper describes standardized procedures within clinical sleep medicine. As such, it is a continuation of the previously published European guidelines for the accreditation of sleep medicine centres and European guidelines for the certification of professionals in sleep medicine, aimed at creating standards of practice in European sleep medicine. It is also part of a broader action plan of the European Sleep Research Society, including the process of accreditation of sleep medicine centres and certification of sleep medicine experts, as well as publishing the Catalogue of Knowledge and Skills for sleep medicine experts (physicians, non-medical health care providers, nurses and technologists), which will be a basis for the development of relevant educational curricula. In the current paper, the standard operational procedures sleep medicine centres regarding the diagnostic and therapeutic management of patients evaluated at sleep medicine centres, accredited according to the European Guidelines, are based primarily on prevailing evidence-based medicine principles. In addition, parts of the standard operational procedures are based on a formalized consensus procedure applied by a group of Sleep Medicine Experts from the European National Sleep Societies. The final recommendations for standard operational procedures are categorized either as 'standard practice', 'procedure that could be useful', 'procedure that is not useful' or 'procedure with insufficient information available'. Standard operational procedures described here include both subjective and objective testing, as well as recommendations for follow-up visits and for ensuring patients' safety in sleep medicine. The overall goal of the actual standard operational procedures is to further develop excellence in the practice and quality assurance of sleep medicine in Europe. © 2011 European Sleep Research Society