Insomnia, daytime sleepiness, and napping are all highly prevalent among the elderly, reflecting changes in sleep architecture, sleep efficiency, sleep quality, and circadian sleep-wake cycles. Insomnia is sometimes associated with subjective daytime sleepiness, as well as other clinical and socioeconomic consequences. The daytime sleepiness will at times lead to napping. Although napping is vi...

Insomnia, daytime sleepiness, and napping are all highly prevalent among the elderly, reflecting changes in sleep architecture, sleep efficiency, sleep quality, and circadian sleep-wake cycles. Insomnia is sometimes associated with subjective daytime sleepiness, as well as other clinical and socioeconomic consequences. The daytime sleepiness will at times lead to napping. Although napping is vi...

The circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) maintains phase synchrony among circadian oscillators throughout the organism. Environmental light signals entrain the SCN, but timed, limited meal access acts as an overriding time cue for several peripheral tissues. We present data from a peripheral oscillator, the submaxillary salivary gland, in which temporal restriction of meals fail...

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of nocturnal light pulses (NLPs) on the feed intake and metabolic rate in geese. Fourteen adult Chinese geese were penned individually, and randomly assigned to either the C (control) or NLP group. The C group was exposed to a 12L:12D photoperiod (12 h light and 12 h darkness per day), whereas the NLP group was exposed to a 12L:12D photoperiod ...

BACKGROUND Through adaptation, animals can function visually under an extremely broad range of light intensities. Light adaptation starts in the retina, through shifts in photoreceptor sensitivity and kinetics plus modulation of visual processing in retinal circuits. Although considerable research has been conducted on retinal adaptation in nocturnal species with rod-dominated retinas, such as ...

Nurses frequently care for sleepless elderly patients on bed rest in a hospital environment. Our previous study with young adults showed that bright light exposure during the daytime affected the induction of nocturnal deep sleep. The purpose of this study is aimed at finding whether similar research could be observed with hospitalized elderly patients. Seven patients (mean age 67; range 57-77 ...