Schizophrenia patients’ symptoms grow by disrupted sleep, wakefulness trends | Health

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Italy, in a paper just published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, describe sleep disturbances and irregularities in daily rhythms of rest and activity that are common in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD). explained.

Researchers found that both SSD patients residing in psychiatric facilities and those managing symptoms on an outpatient basis exhibited irregular sleep patterns, dysregulation of transitions between sleep-wake cycles, and overly strict sleep patterns. Having a daily life, I discovered that these predicted worsening SSD symptoms and were associated with symptoms such as: Decreased quality of life.

“Regulating the sleep-wake cycle is important for overall health, and our findings also apply to people without underlying mental health conditions,” said an associate professor of psychiatry and researcher. said Fabio Ferrarelli, M.D., Ph.D., lead author of . “Most people can benefit from better sleep hygiene and more attention to their daily routines by incorporating activity and variety into their routines.”

The effects of sleep disturbances have long been studied in relation to physical and mental health, and the well-established research literature suggests that people suffering from SSD are more likely to fall asleep than those without underlying mental health conditions. difficulty with sleep, suggesting inadequate sleep.

In addition, sedatives used to manage symptoms of SSD are known to alter sleep and increase the amount of time patients spend resting up to 15 hours per day. Too much sleep can have a negative impact on the patient’s symptoms of her SSD, Ferrarelli said.

“It’s important to be mindful of how the drugs we prescribe to patients affect their broader health,” he said. “Our research shows that 12 to 15 hours of sleep can be harmful, so it’s important to avoid over-prescribing sedatives and use the lowest dose possible.”

In a study of 250 participants, including approximately 150 residential and ambulatory SSD patients, one of the largest cohorts of published studies of sleep and SSD, the researchers were asked to wear wristbands to measure activity and rest throughout the day and night. Detects motion and acceleration.

The scientists didn’t track brain waves during sleep or distinguish between different sleep stages, such as fast and deep sleep, but they plan to do so in future research. Yet the results were strong and consistent.

They found that both home and ambulatory SSD patients tended to spend less time during the day being active and more time sleeping or passive resting than healthy controls.

In addition, inpatients had more fragmented sleep and more abrupt transitions between rest and activity compared to the outpatient group. Also, home patients had a stricter daily rhythm of rest and activity than outpatients, and those measures were associated with a greater degree of negative impact, such as reduced willingness to interact with others and a reduced ability to experience pleasure. correlated with mental health symptoms.

“The consistency between the two patient cohorts was somewhat surprising to us,” said Ferrarelli. “However, interestingly, we found that home patients had a much more stable daily routine. In our study, this rigor was strongly correlated with the severity of negative mental health symptoms in residential patients with schizophrenia. rice field.”

The researchers say it’s impossible to diagnose SSD using sleep-disordered markers because the symptoms of SSD overlap with other mental health conditions, such as dementia. But making changes to your routine and incorporating movement into your life are two simple steps anyone can take to improve and protect your brain health.

“Especially as we get older, we tend to get too immersed in routine,” said Ferrarelli. “Routines bring a sense of control to our lives and are very beneficial. Keeping a consistent sleep schedule is a great way to add variety to your schedule and improve your health in the long run.”

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