Sleep

Mental Health Disorders: Sleep and circadian disruptions are core features of many mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism and ADHD.Insufficient sleep leads to fatigue, irritability and concentration difficulties.

Poor sleep increases the risk of anxiety disorders, major depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, substance use and suicide​.

Cognitive Function:
Sleep is essential for memory consolidation and cognitive function. Sleep disturbances contribute to cognitive decline.

Children with ADHD: 12.7% to 80% have sleep issues.

Adults with ADHD: 29% to 44.4% have sleep issues; 75% of both children and adults experience these problems.

Increased Sleep Problems: ADHD increases the likelihood of severe sleep problems in adolescents by 6.2 times.

Mutual Reinforcement: Sleep problems and ADHD can create a vicious cycle, each exacerbating the other.

Priority in Treatment: Sleep issues should be a focus in ADHD management to break the cycle and improve overall quality of life.

Hormonal Imbalance: Insufficient sleep increases ghrelin (hunger hormone) and decreases leptin (satiety hormone), leading to higher appetite and calorie intake, contributing to weight gain.

Diet Quality: Poor sleep is linked to unhealthy eating habits, including increased consumption of high-calorie snacks and reduced intake of nutritious foods, leading to weight gain.

Weight Loss Efforts: Adequate sleep supports successful weight loss. Better sleep quality and duration improve hormonal balance and reduce hunger cues, enhancing the effectiveness of dietary interventions.

Impact of Sleep on T2DM: Short sleep duration and poor sleep quality are linked to higher risks of T2DM. Sleep deprivation increases levels of fasting insulin, glucose, and insulin resistance markers. Sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) increase the risk of T2DM.

Sleep and Metabolism: Sleep affects insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism. Disrupted circadian rhythms from irregular sleep can lead to insulin resistance. Hormones regulating glucose (like cortisol) are impacted by sleep quality.

Bidirectional Relationship: T2DM can lead to sleep disturbances (e.g., nocturia, neuropathy) which worsen blood sugar control. Both insufficient (<6 hours) and excessive (>9 hours) sleep are linked to higher T2DM risk.

Longevity: Good sleepers, defined as those sleeping at least seven hours a night, experienced an 18% reduction in the risk of death. Adopting all eight healthy habits, including good sleep, could extend life expectancy by more than 20 years compared to those who adopted none. 

Health Benefits: Good sleep contributes to better overall health, stress management, and emotional well-being.

Recommendations: To improve sleep and extend lifespan, engage in regular physical activity, maintain a nutritious diet, manage stress, avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption and foster beneficial social relationships. 

Healthcare Costs: For instance, NHS Trusts spent nearly £72m annually on sleeping pills.

Productivity Loss: Chronic insomnia is estimated to cost the UK economy up to £34 billion per year in lost productivity.

Workplace Absenteeism: People with chronic insomnia can lose 11-18 days of work annually.

Quality of Life: Sleep issues affect day-to-day activities, making them more challenging due to fatigue and lack of concentration. This can lead to a lower quality of life and increased societal inequalities.

Safety Risks: Driver fatigue due to poor sleep is a serious problem, potentially contributing to up to 20% of road accidents . Poor sleep can lead to high-risk behaviours, including aggression and violence.

Education and Awareness: There is a significant lack of awareness about the links between poor sleep and various health conditions.

Impact on stress and histamine response

A lack of sleep can significantly exacerbate stress and worsen the histamine response in several ways:

1. Increased Cortisol Levels: Sleep deprivation leads to higher cortisol levels which contributes to chronic stress, increasing overall inflammation and reactivity in the body, worsening conditions like allergies or sensitivities.

2. Weakened Immune System: Sleep is essential for immune system regulation. When sleep is lacking, the immune system becomes dysregulated, leading to heightened inflammatory responses. This can increase the release of histamine from mast cells.

3. Increased Histamine Production:  During prolonged wakefulness, histamine levels in the brain increase to help keep the body alert. However, this heightened histamine level can exacerbate allergic symptoms or inflammatory responses.

4. Exacerbation of Stress Responses: Lack of sleep impairs the brain's ability to regulate emotions and stress. Poor emotional regulation can increase perceptions of stress, which in turn triggers more inflammatory processes in the body, further driving the release of histamine.

5. Decreased Ability to Detoxify Histamine: Sleep helps the body repair and detoxify. When sleep is impaired, the body’s ability to break down and remove excess histamine through enzymes such as diamine oxidase (DAO) is reduced. 

By addressing sleep issues, it's possible to help manage stress and prevent the exacerbation of histamine-related symptoms.