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Biomedical subjects

J L Sugerman

Publications and source records attributed to J L Sugerman.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Sedative effects of ethanol at night.

The sedative effect of 0.7 g/kg of 100% ethanol, ingested at 9:30 PM, was investigated to examine the combined effects of ethanol and circadian sleepiness/alertness levels. Fourteen healthy young adults participated in a placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover design. Each subject, on two separate occasions (placebo or ethanol), completed multiple sleep latency testing and the repeated test of sustained wakefulness as objective measures of physiological sleep tendency, and completed the Stanford Sleepiness Scale as a measure of subjective sleepiness. The results indicate that a moderate dose of ethanol significantly increases physiological sleepiness during early morning hours even in individuals that are relatively alert at these times. Therefore, the marked reduction in alertness and related performance deficits that normally occur at night are worsened by ethanol ingestion. Sleepiness, due to any cause, and ethanol may well be a dangerous combination.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Effect of caffeine on physiological sleep tendency and ability to sustain wakefulness at night.

Marked sleepiness occurs during typical night shift work hours and this reduced alertness is associated with marked performance deficits. The effect of caffeine (versus placebo) upon sleepiness at night was studied using objective measures of physiological sleep tendency and ability to sustain wakefulness. Both measures show caffeine to reduce sleepiness at a single dose roughly the equivalent of two to four cups of coffee. Despite impressive objective differences in alertness with caffeine, subjects did not consistently differentiate between drug conditions on subjective alertness assessments. The use of CNS stimulants to promote alertness during night shift hours should be considered, particularly for occupations for which alertness is critical.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Physiological sleep tendency and ability to maintain alertness at night.

The maintenance of wakefulness test (MWT) and repeated test of sustained wakefulness (RTSW) were compared to the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) during nighttime hours to evaluate differential sensitivity to variation in physiologic sleepiness/alertness. The degree of sleepiness varied by time of night and was further manipulated by varying prior sleep. Seven healthy normal sleepers were evaluated on the MWT, RTSW, MSLT, a digit symbol substitution test and the Wilkinson addition test in a protocol beginning at 2200 h and terminating at 0830 the following morning. A counterbalanced, crossover design compared an evening nap condition to a no-nap condition. The MWT and RTSW discriminated between nap and no-nap conditions, but the MSLT did not. This suggests that in some situations the MWT and RTSW may be more sensitive to changes in physiologic sleepiness/alertness than the MSLT. The data are discussed in terms of possible methodologic limits of the MSLT and the relationship between physiologic sleep tendency and the capacity to maintain alertness.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Physiological sleep tendency on a simulated night shift: adaptation and effects of triazolam.

Daytime sleep and nocturnal sleepiness were examined in 18 normal sleepers (9 young adults, 9 middle-age adults) for 5.5 days following acute sleep/wake schedule inversion. Triazolam and placebo were compared in a counterbalanced, crossover design. Triazolam improved daytime sleep, but did not produce significant changes in sleep tendency at night. Physiological sleep tendency in the early morning hours (0200 to 0600) was profound, but decreased significantly within 3 to 4 days following sleep/wake inversion, irrespective of treatment condition. Nocturnal performance data generally were consistent with changes in physiological sleep tendency. We conclude that extending daytime sleep by an average of approximately 50 min per day via administration of a hypnotic does not appear to significantly reduce circadian sleep tendency in the early morning hours. Further, considerable adaptation, in terms of sleep tendency, occurred within a weak of simulated night shift despite a relatively constant daytime sleep pattern.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Evaluation of insomnia.

The effective treatment of patients with a complaint of insomnia requires an appreciation of the range of etiologic factors underlying the symptom of insomnia, as well as sound clinical judgment and appropriate application of available therapeutics. Systematic inquiry regarding nocturnal and daytime aspects of a patient's life is helpful in narrowing the range of diagnostic possibilities. Specialized evaluation at a sleep disorders center may be useful in cases of chronic insomnia that remain refractory to initial interventions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Daytime alertness in subjective and objective insomnia: some preliminary findings.

Daytime performance and alertness were examined in two groups of patients with disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS) and a control group of self-described good sleepers. Individuals complaining of disturbed sleep that was verified by polysomnographic indices (objective DIMS) and a group with complaints of disturbed sleep in the absence of objective findings (subjective DIMS) were compared with normal sleepers. Nocturnal polysomnographic recordings documented increased sleep latencies and decreased sleep efficiencies for the objective DIMS group and essentially normal sleep for the subjective DIMS group. However, the subjective DIMS group showed impaired daytime vigilance compared with both the objective DIMS and control groups. Additionally, the subjective DIMS group demonstrated an atypical daytime alertness and a tendency toward lowered arousal during vigilance task performance. Insomniacs without clear objective findings of disturbed sleep, therefore, showed decrements commonly seen following sleep loss or sleep disturbance, whereas insomniacs with evidence of disturbed nocturnal sleep did not differ from the control group in terms of waking function.

Adult↗