BACKGROUND Functional somatic symptoms (FSS), like chronic pain and overtiredness, are often assumed to be stress-related. Altered levels of the stress hormone cortisol could explain the association between stress and somatic complaints. We hypothesized that low cortisol levels after awakening and low cortisol levels during stress are differentially associated with specific FSS. METHODS This ...

The reported circadian rhythm of blood pressure variability with a rise in pressure before awakening has been the subject of controversy. Previous studies have suggested that since heart rate continues to fall before awakening while blood pressure is rising these physiological variables are subject to different control mechanisms. To evaluate further the dissociation of heart rate and blood pre...

This study examined the impact of an important factor contributing to successful aging, humor, on post-awakening cortisol levels among a group of 45 older men whose ages ranged from 64 years to 86 years (mean=73.6 years). Four saliva samples were collected from the participants for 2 days immediately after waking and every 15 min thereafter for three times. Cortisol data of the 2 days were aggr...

Occupy Wall Street was a thrilling protest that briefly dominated media attention and reshaped American public life.As Todd Gitlin suggests, it was perhaps more moment than movement, but of course moments can be very important to movements. Movements are relatively long-term collective engagements in producing or guiding social change. Indeed, in the nineteenth century, the term social movement...

The cortisol awakening response (CAR) is a frequently used measure in psychoneuroendocrinological research, however, some of its more fundamental aspects still require attention. An important question in this respect concerns the ontogeny of the CAR. Data from two recent reports suggest that the CAR may only emerge relatively late during child development (≥16 months of age). However, as both e...

OBJECTIVE The end-tidal concentration of inhalation anesthetics is a clinical indicator for predicting the emergence from anesthesia. This study was conducted to assess the relationship between arterial blood and end-tidal sevoflurane concentrations during emergence. METHODS Thirty-two female American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I-II patients receiving general anesthesia for ...

Objective. To test the feasibility of measuring salivary cortisol in an inpatient clinic for occupational rehabilitation, and cortisol as a biological parameter. Methods. In 17 patients in vocational rehabilitation, cortisol in saliva was measured at awakening, 30 min after and before bedtime. The cortisol measures were taken on day 2 and day 22 of the rehabilitation period. Cortisol awakening ...

BACKGROUND The evidence for an association between insomnia symptoms and blood hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) level has been limited and inconclusive. The aim of this study was to assess whether each symptom of initial, middle, and terminal insomnia influences HbA(1c) level in Japanese men. METHODS This cross-sectional study examined 1,022 male workers aged 22-69 years with no history of diabetes...

Sleep disturbance induced by night-time noise is a serious environmental problem that can cause adverse health effects, such as hypertension and ischemic heart disease. Night-time noise indices are used to facilitate the enforcement of permitted noise levels during night-time. However, existing night-time noise indices, such as sound exposure level (SEL), maximum sound level (LA max) and night ...

BACKGROUND Altered hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function and reduced hippocampal volume (HV) are established correlates of stress vulnerability. We have previously shown an attenuated cortisol awakening response (CAR) and associations with HV specifically in male first-episode psychosis patients. Findings in individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis regarding these neurobi...