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Roger J Cole

Publications and source records attributed to Roger J Cole.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Nonpharmacologic techniques for promoting sleep.

Athletes could benefit from simple, self-administered, nonpharmacologic techniques for promoting sleep onset. A wealth of physiologic evidence and limited clinical data support several potential methods that might be conveniently applied at or near bedtime. These include inverted posture, skin warming/core cooling, motor relaxation, sensory withdrawal/masking, breathing techniques, and cognitive relaxation. Each holds promise as a possible element of a comprehensive sleep management program, but all need further investigation to confirm their efficacy or to determine optimal methods of application.

Body Temperature Regulation↗

Measuring and identifying large-study metrics for circadian rhythm disruption in female flight attendants.

OBJECTIVES: Flight attendants can experience circadian rhythm disruption due to travel through multiple time zones. The objectives of this study were to determine whether flight attendants are more likely than teachers (comparison group) to experience circadian disruption, as measured by melatonin production, and to identify metrics of circadian disruption for epidemiologic studies of reproductive health in which biomonitoring is infeasible. METHODS: Each day, for one menstrual cycle, 45 flight attendants and 26 teachers kept a daily diary, collected and measured their overnight urine, and wore an activity monitor to assess sleep displacement. The relation between melatonin production and flight attendant and teacher status was analyzed with linear and multiple logistic regression. The relation between sleep displacement, melatonin, and flight-history-derived variables (including time zones crossed) were examined with exploratory factor analyses. RESULTS: Flight attendants experience increased circadian disruption, as measured by a higher adjusted melatonin rate variance, than teachers [2.8 x 10(5) versus 1.0 x 10(5) (ng/hour)2, respectively: P=0.04] and are more likely to be in the highest quartile of melatonin variance (odds ratio 2.3; 95% confidence interval 0.6-9.1). In the factor analysis, the number of time zones crossed was related to both melatonin desynchronization and sleep displacement. CONCLUSIONS: Flight attendants experience increased circadian disruption, as measured by more variable melatonin rates, than a minimally flying comparison group. For epidemiologic studies of flight crews in which melatonin measurement is infeasible, the number of time zones crossed is a useful indicator of both sleep displacement and melatonin desynchronization.

Adolescent↗

Bright-light mask treatment of delayed sleep phase syndrome.

We treated delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) with an illuminated mask that provides light through closed eyelids during sleep. Volunteers received either bright white light (2,700 lux, n = 28) or dim red light placebo (0.1 lux, n = 26) for 26 days at home. Mask lights were turned on (< 0.01 lux) 4 h before arising, ramped up for 1 h, and remained on at full brightness until arising. Volunteers also attempted to systematically advance sleep time, avoid naps, and avoid evening bright light. The light mask was well tolerated and produced little sleep disturbance. The acrophase of urinary 6-sulphatoxymelatonin (6-SMT) excretion advanced significantly from baseline in the bright group (p < 0.0006) and not in the dim group, but final phases were not significantly earlier in the bright group (ANCOVA ns). Bright treatment did produce significantly earlier phases, however, among volunteers whose baseline 6-SMT acrophase was later than the median of 0602 h (bright shift: 0732-0554 h, p < 0.0009; dim shift: 0746-0717 h, ns; ANCOVA p = 0.03). In this subgroup, sleep onset advanced significantly only with bright but not dim treatment (sleep onset shift: bright 0306-0145 h, p < 0.0002; dim 0229-0211 h, ns; ANCOVA p < .05). Despite equal expectations at baseline, participants rated bright treatment as more effective than dim treatment (p < 0.04). We conclude that bright-light mask treatment advances circadian phase and provides clinical benefit in DSPS individuals whose initial circadian delay is relatively severe.

Adolescent↗