Here’s the sleep news for this week:
Updated safe sleep guidelines
The American Academy of Pediatrics updated their safe sleep guidelines this week. In addition to emphasizing that babies should always sleep in a crib or bassinet, on their back, without soft pillows, toys, blankets, or loose bedding, the guidelines stipulate that infants should sleep on a level surface, without an incline, and that baby health devices such as SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) monitors should only be used in conjunction with safe-sleep guidelines, as data is insufficient to support their usefulness in preventing SIDS.
Another addition for the 2022 update is that the guidelines noted the persistent racial and ethnic disparities for infants’ risk of death, citing that the rate of sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUIDS) in Black and American Indian/Alaska Native infants are double and almost triple that of white infants.
Estrogen and progesterone therapies could reduce snoring in menopausal women
A new study published in PLOS ONE has found that there’s a link between sex hormones and obstructive sleep apnea. Of the 774 women in the study, researchers found that 551 snored and 411 also reported other sleep apnea symptoms. The study found that among all women, doubling concentrations of 17β-estradiol, estrone, and estrone 3-sulfate resulted in 18%, 23%, and 17% decreased odds of snoring, and doubling progesterone levels was associated with 12% lower odds of snoring. Overall scientists think that these results could lead to using sex hormones in treating obstructive sleep apnea.
These cancer cells spread while you’re asleep
A new study published on Wednesday in Nature has found that circulating tumor cells in breast cancer patients are more likely to jump to the bloodstream at night than during the day. While a disrupted circadian rhythm has been shown to put you at an increased risk for cancer, this new discovery sheds light on tumors’ behavior while the body is at rest. This doesn’t, however, lessen the importance of sleep for cancer patients — these findings are meant to show that the cells are most active during a specific phase in the 24-hour cycle. Researchers maintain that interrupting your circadian rhythm can increase the severity of illness.
In pop-sleep news:
Beyonce’s new “Break My Soul” is a reminder to prioritize ourselves.
Total Request Live: Sleep Divorce
TV host Carson Daly talked last week on the Today Show about his own sleep divorce. The topic came up during a segment about the Scandinavian Sleep Method where each partner sleeps with their own blanket. Daly, who has spoken openly about having sleep apnea, says he and his wife, Siri, both sleep better apart. This isn’t a new phenomenon as "sleep divorces" are becoming more common for many married couples.
In sleep-centric social media...
Talk show host and actress, Drew Barrymore, passionately argues against making your bed — and we agree.
