Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Genetic Associations Of Circadian Rhythm And Sleep Disorder Traits With Risk Of Monoclonal Gammopathy Of Undetermined Significance And Multiple Myeloma, Brittany Crawford

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Circadian rhythm disruption and sleep have been widely studied for their roles in immunity and cancer development. Evidence for an association of circadian rhythm and sleep traits with multiple myeloma (MM) risk is inconclusive. No studies have investigated these traits in relation to monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Given that MGUS precedes almost all MM cases, investigating sleep and circadian rhythm in relation to both MM and MGUS is necessary. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the genetic influences of circadian rhythm and sleep traits on the risk of MGUS and MM. Methods: Data were leveraged …

Effect Of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback On Sleep, Joshua Mercadel

Theses and Dissertations

Healthy amounts of sleep is vital for normal human functions such as daily learning, memory, emotional state and cardiovascular function. Studies conducted previously have shown sleep deprivation to be associated with increases in sympathetic activity contributing to autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysregulation. HRV biofeedback (HRVB) training induces HRV coherence, a condition that maximizes HRV and facilitates autonomic and cardiorespiratory homeostasis. This randomized, controlled, intervention trial will test the hypothesis that HRVB can improve HRV coherence and increase overall sleep quality. Patients are randomized to previously established HRVB or sham protocols (n=40 each, total planned enrollment N=80). Each participant completes a …

Sleep, Shiftwork Adaptation, Autonomic Dysfunction, And Metabolic Syndrome, Torrance Torrance

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Sleep is considered a physiological necessity and its disruption is associated with a wide variety of adverse mental and physical health outcomes including increased incidence of obesity, cancer, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, stroke, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), work-related and vehicle accidents, and aberration of the autonomic nervous system.

Methods: Three studies were conducted from three separate populations. The first study examined the latent trajectories of self-reported sleep quality in active duty Army soldiers over a 3-year period using data from the Global Assessment 2.0 survey and Repeated Measures Latent Class Analysis (RMCLA) procedures. Generalized Estimating …

Association Of Objective Measures Of Sleep And Inflammation Markers On Police Officers: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Megan R. Buss

Theses and Dissertations

Police officers are a unique occupational group due to the fact that they have more health problems than many other occupations. These health problems could be a result of elevated inflammation markers caused by poor sleep. Sleep influences circadian rhythms, which thereby influences the function of the immune system. The immune system is responsible for the body’s inflammatory response using pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, CRP, Fibrinogen, and TNF-a. These cytokines can become elevated if disruption of the sleep cycle occurs. Elevated levels of inflammatory markers are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Police officers also work shifts and …

Relationships Of Chronotype, Social Jetlag, Sleep, Physical Activity And Diet With Mood, Perceived Stress, Obesity, Blood Pressure And Prostate Cancer, Daria M. Mcmahon

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Chronotype, social jetlag, poor sleep, proinflammatory diet, and low physical activity have been associated with increased risk of chronic diseases: obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and cancer. Yet the relationships between these factors have not been extensively investigated in prospective studies.

Methods: Two studies were conducted. The first study followed 390 healthy men and women ages 21-35 for two years. Social jetlag [SJL] and sleep measures (total sleep time [TST], sleep onset latency [SOL], wake after sleep onset [WASO]), sleep efficiency [SE]), were derived from physical activity personal (armband) monitoring. The participants wore the armband for 4-10 …