Importance of regular lifestyle with daytime bright light exposure on circadian rhythm sleep–wake disorders in pervasive developmental disorders

Effects of regularizing sleep-wake schedules on daytime autonomic functions and psychological states in healthy university students with irregular sleep-wake habits

“…3 Irrespective of the reasons, they tend to sleep and wake irregularly during the social maladjustment as well as withdrawal from social situations and activity. 3,4,49 The present study suggests a possibility that the regularizing sleep-wake schedule might easily and effectively prevent and recover the problems. However, further studies, such as a control group study and clinical case studies, are necessary because of the presence of experimental limitations.…”

“…Recently, considerable numbers of students leave school and repeat or take off academic years for the reasons of an apathetic state which is often accompanied by symptoms of anxiety and depression, 48 social maladaptation due to PDDs 49 and unspecific reasons except for aberrations in patterns of daily life 3 . Irrespective of the reasons, they tend to sleep and wake irregularly during the social maladjustment as well as withdrawal from social situations and activity 3,4,49 . The present study suggests a possibility that the regularizing sleep–wake schedule might easily and effectively prevent and recover the problems.…”

“…Recent clinical fields have noted that many individuals with pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs), which are widespread abnormalities of social interactions and communication, as well as severely restricted interests and highly repetitive behavior (DSM‐IV‐TR), 2 were included among Hikikomori cases. According to self‐reports, school‐ or social‐refusal children and adults tend to sleep and wake irregularly while experiencing Hikikomori states, and the irregular sleep–wake patterns in PDDs are observed from early childhood 3,4 …”

“…According to self-reports, school-or social-refusal children and adults tend to sleep and wake irregularly while experiencing Hikikomori states, and the irregular sleep-wake patterns in PDDs are observed from early childhood. 3,4 Needless to say, sleep is important for maintenance of mental, physical, cognitive and social functions 5 and sleepiness is regulated to be higher from the evening to night hours 6 by the master circadian clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus. Intrinsically, the SCN oscillates with a period slightly longer than 24 h. 7,8 However, mainly daily photic input at 24-h intervals from the eye adjust the endogenous period [9][10][11] with time-dependent light-induced phase shift; for example, a single light pulse in the subjective morning or evening yields a phase advance or shift delay, respectively.…”

A One-Year Prospective Follow-Up Study on the Health Profile of Hikikomori Living in Hong Kong

“…The protracted confinement in bedroom could be hard to lead the usual domestic cycle of adequate and regular sleep causing poor sleep quality [1,3]. A recent review has discussed the similarities between hikikomori status and pervasive developmental disorders, which suggested the associations of physical problems such as headaches, neck, back and muscle pains, and gastrointestinal problems with the irregular sleep-wake rhythm of hikikomori [4]. Indeed, from the bio-psychosocial point of view, as supported by empirical evidences, the harmful impacts of socially withdrawn and sedentary lifestyle on both physical and mental health have long been established.…”