Emotional Abuse in Childhood May Disrupt Sleep Decades Later

FRIDAY, June 10 (HealthDay News) -- Emotional abuse in childhood can lead to sleep disruption in old age, a new study finds.

In analyzing nearly 900 adults ageD 60 and older, researchers found that seniors who were emotionally abused by their parents decades earlier were at greater risk for poor sleep quality years later.

"A negative early attachment continues to exert an influence on our well-being decades later through an accumulation of stressful interpersonal experiences across our lives," study author Cecilia Y. M. Poon, said in a news release from the Gerontological Society of America. "The impact of abuse stays in the system. Emotional trauma may limit a person's ability to fend for themselves emotionally and successfully navigate the social world."

The study included 877 adults who answered questions about their childhood in a 1995 midlife development survey. A decade later, these participants were re-questioned about their relationships, emotional distress and quality of sleep, including how often within the past month they had trouble falling or remaining asleep or felt tired regardless of how much sleep they got.

Researchers found those who endured early emotional abuse (not physical abuse or emotional neglect) by their parents reported a higher number of problems sleeping in old age.

Emotional abuse included insults, swearing, silent treatment, intimidation, or threats of violence or physical abuse.

The study, published in the Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological and Social Sciences, pointed out that emotional abuse during childhood also took a toll on adult relationships.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides more information on the emotional abuse of children.

SOURCE: Gerontological Society of America, news release, June 8, 2011Copyright

Sleep Disorder Linked to Heart Rhythm Problems

FRIDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) -- People with an implantable cardiac defibrillator and a breathing disorder that occurs during sleep are at greater risk for potentially deadly heart problems during the night, new research suggests.

An implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) is a device that monitors heart rhythm and corrects an abnormal heartbeat with an electrical shock. The new study revealed a significant increase in cases of ventricular tachycardia (a dangerous rapid heartbeat) and ventricular fibrillation (a severely abnormal heart rhythm) among patients with ICDs who also were diagnosed with sleep-disordered breathing.

In the study, published in the May issue of the journal HeartRhythm, researchers in Israel analyzed 45 patients with ICDs in an overnight sleep study and followed them over the course of one year.

Twenty-six of the study participants (57.8 percent) had sleep-disordered breathing, and these patients were more likely to receive what the researchers call "appropriate ICD therapy" -- a shock to correct the heart rhythm.

The risk for ventricular arrhythmias was higher between midnight and 6 a.m. among patients with sleep-disordered breathing, the results showed. The researchers concluded that patients with an ICD who experience nighttime arrhythmias should undergo screening for sleep-disordered breathing.

"Currently, there is limited data available with regard to the predictors of fatal arrhythmias in patients with an ICD," study author Dr. Tawfig Zeidan-Shwiri, of Ramban Medical Center in Haifa, Israel, said in a news release from the Heart Rhythm Society.

"Our study sought to find specific clinical data to help improve the safety and quality of life of patients living with an ICD, and the results indicate that the presence of sleep-disordered breathing should be considered in all patients with appropriate ICD therapy," Zeidan-Shwiri added. "However, more studies are needed to assess whether treatment of sleep-disordered breathing reduces the risk of appropriate ICD therapy."

More information

The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more information on sleep-disordered breathing.

SOURCE: Heart Rhythm Society, news release, May 18, 2011Copyright