Sleep is an important process for human beings in order to keep many biological functions in a healthy recycle. However, several factors affecting sleep could induce too many sleep disorders in modern society, such as sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation has complex biological consequences inducing different biological effects, such as neural autonomic control changes, increased oxidative stress, altered inflammatory and coagulatory responses and accelerated atherosclerosis. This mini review summarizes consequence of sleep deprivation and its effects on the treatment of depression in different studies in order to have a better understanding of the impact of sleep deprivation on the equilibrium at multiple levels of sleep deprivation.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze sleep instability using Cyclic Alternating Pattern (CAP) during NREM sleep in patients with non-refractory Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) compared to control subjects.

Material and Methods: Our sample comprised 13 patients who underwent a neuroimaging examination and were diagnosed with non-refractory TLE, and 13 normal subjects. The sleep parameters and CAP analyses were assessed according to international criteria. We used the Mann-Whitney U-test with a significance level of 5%.

Results: The age of our subjects were similar between patients and the control group (33.8 ± 8.5 y.o. vs 26.1 ± 9.2 y.o., respectively), and all of them showed normal sleep efficiency. Patients with non-refractory TLE showed an increase in the CAP rate and longer CAP time compared to the control group (p < 0.001). We found a higher arousal index during NREM sleep compared to normal controls (10.2 ± 2.9 versus 6.3 ± 1.7; p = 0.001, respectively). However, the arousal index during REM sleep was similar in both groups (p=0.075). A subgroup analysis performed on both genders showed no significant differences.

Conclusion: Patients with non-refractory TLE showed an increased in CAP rate and arousal index compared to normal control subjects. Sleep instability might be associated with epilepsy itself and may reflect the relationship between the epileptic foci and systems responsible for sleep maintenance and stability. CAP may serve as a useful marker of endogenous circadian rhythms in mild disorders. Further studies are required to elucidate the role of sleep instability in TLE.

Obesity has become an epidemic worldwide. The health hazards and consequences of obesity are multiple. We will try to briefly go through the interrelationship between obesity and various sleep disorders in this mini review. Poor dietary behaviors resulting in obesity will also affect the sleep quality and might lead to breathing related sleep disorders. Improving dietary habits and prevention of obesity should be included within the management plan of various sleep disorders. Obesity is not only linked to sleep related breathing disorders but also affects sleep quality, duration, circadian pattern, restless leg syndrome, and sleep-related eating disorder.

Objectives: Sleep impairment and sleep disorders have various repercussions on the quality of life of an individual, affecting his professional, academic performance and mental health. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of sleep characteristics and comorbidities on the quality of sleep of medical students from a University Center, as well as their consequences.

Methods: Subjects were evaluated for sleep habits, sleep disorders, comorbidities, quality of sleep, impact on work and social relations, and memory complaints.

Results: The mean of hours of sleep for the group (n=135) was 6.42, the mean Epworth Sleepiness Scale score was 10.4, the mean Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score was 6.98. Significant associations between poor quality of sleep and number of hours of sleep (p= 0.00), Beck Depression Inventory scores (p= 0.03) and Beck Anxiety Inventory scores (p = 0.00) were detected. Depressive disorder was a factor for the worst PSQI results (linear regression analysis, p = 0.01).

Conclusion: Sleep deprivation, depressive and anxiety symptoms are related to a poor quality of sleep among medical students, influencing work and social life. Thus, we alert medical schools to be aware of the workload and attributions of these students and also of the possible depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and suicidal ideation between medical students.

Competitive Eating (CE), in recent times, has developed an international reputation (particularly in the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia) as a progressive sporting interest with burgeoning groundswell participatory and spectator support [1]. Speed Eaters or “Wolfers” such as the notable Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, multiple title holder of the July 4 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest [2], have had to suffer the ignominious “slings and arrows” of assumptions regarding the dangers of the sport, and the messages it sends in the context of rising obesity concerns [3], without any documented controlled trials to confirm such charges. Contrarily, we propose the hypothesis that CE may in fact be protective against onset of OSA, a condition that affects as many as 24% of men and 9% of women [4]. Such an hypothesis could be tested via a randomised controlled clinical trial, with recruited participants keen to transition from amateur consumption (or ‘best available eating practice’) to CE, randomly allocated to immediate entry to training and competition or to ongoing usual eating for 6 months. Both groups would undergo formal in laboratory polysomnography at commencement and 12 months, and then control group participants could still contract to CE thereafter. Such a design would permit support or refutation of our hypothesis. The study could perhaps also incorporate Electromyography (EMG) assessment of masticatory muscles and upper airway dilators (such as Genioglossus) in both groups (performed via needle electrode placement on the evening of polysomnography), to elucidate potential underlying mechanisms and for accurate physiological phenotyping [5]. MRI imaging for anatomical assessment would add further supportive data. Others have published on unusual upper airway muscle strengthening modalities as in didgeridoo playing [6] in controlled trials, and treatment effects have been noted. A negative may be progressive weight gain, and height, weight, body mass index and neck circumference would need to be recorded in both groups at 0, 6 and 12 months.