| Emotional Adjustment and Scleroderma |
 Hello, I am Janey Willis, ISN Guide to Emotional Adjustment. I know from experience that scleroderma can place unique demands on patients and caregivers alike. I have systemic scleroderma (SSc). It is common to suffer reactive depression with scleroderma. If you or someone you care about is having a difficult or suicidal time right now, call your nearest suicide hotline, or a doctor, or hospital. This is a medical emergency and it is okay to go to the emergency room or to call for help from your local police or fire department. The important thing is to make a call—any call—until you find help. | |
| Emotional Adjustment and Scleroderma (MAIN MENU) |
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| Sleep Disorders and Scleroderma |
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| Overview of Sleep Disorders and Scleroderma |
| Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) is associated with sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome. Poor sleep has been found to trigger inflammation and worsen pain. It can lead to depression and make it more difficult to cope with chronic illness. If you are not getting 8 hours of sound sleep each night, if you do not wake up feeling refreshed, or if you sleep more than 10 hours a day, and if any of these conditions have existed for more than 2 weeks, it is time to see your doctor. Be sure to ask for a sleep clinic evaluation if you have any symptoms of sleep apnea, such as snoring or interrupted breathing. |
| Sleep and Illness |
| Immune system can alter body's clock. The sudden sleepiness that accompanies the onset of many illnesses occurs when the immune system interferes with the body's circadian clocks, Swiss researchers report on Monday. ChinaDaily. 07/17/07. (Also see: Antibodies ) |
| Afternoon nap 'is good for heart'. A six-year Greek study found that those who took a 30-minute siesta at least three times a week had a 37% lower risk of heart-related death. Experts said napping might help people to relax, reducing their stress levels. BBC News. 02/13/07. |
| Sleepless Night Triggers Immune System’s Inflammatory Response; Findings Reveal New Avenue for Fighting Autoimmune Disorders. This study shows that even a modest loss of sleep for a single night increases inflammation, which is a key factor in the onset of cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis. UCLA News. 09/22/06. (Also see: Rheumatoid Arthritis ) |
| Shift of Monocyte Function Toward Cellular Immunity During Sleep . Improving sleep could represent a therapeutic option to enhance the success of vaccinations and success in the treatment of diseases that are characterized by type 2 cytokine overactivity. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:1695-1700. (Also see: Causes of Scleroderma: Cytokines ) |
| Scientists Finding Out What Losing Sleep Does to a Body. Beyond leaving people bleary-eyed, clutching a Starbucks cup and dozing off at afternoon meetings, failing to get enough sleep or sleeping at odd hours heightens the risk for a variety of major illnesses, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Washington Post. 10/09/05. |
| Systemic Sclerosis Associated with Sleep Disturbances. Two common complications of systemic sclerosis, esophageal dyskinesia and dyspnea, are related to indices of sleep disruption, according to investigators. Also, restless legs syndrome appears to be more prevalent in patients with systemic sclerosis. Sleep Med 2002; 3(4): 341-345 Doctor's Guide 8/13/02 |
| Sleep and Medications |
| Viagra may aggravate severe apnea. Viagra (sildenafil) taken at bedtime may worsen breathing problems in patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea. WebMD. 09/22/06. (Also see: Sleep Disorders and Raynaud's ) |
| Sleep and Smoking |
| Power Spectral Analysis of EEG Activity During Sleep in Cigarette Smokers. Subjective complaints of lack of restful sleep were also more prevalent in smokers than in nonsmokers (22.5% vs 5.0%, respectively) and were explained, in part, by the differences in EEG spectral power. Chest. 2008; 133:427-432. |
| Sleep Apnea |
| Sleep Apnea People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer. American Sleep Apnea Association |
| People With Obstructive Sleep Apnea(OSA) At Risk For Cardiac Stress On Airline Flights. We found that patients with OSA do have a lower blood oxygen level before and during aircraft cabin condition stimulation. We also found that their breathing intensity increases at about the same rate as it does in healthy people. ScienceDaily. 05/19/08. |
| Variations in Physician Interpretation of Overnight Pulse Oximetry Monitoring. The variation in physician interpretation, use, and opinions regarding overnight pulse oximetry calls into question its clinical utility and underscores a need for standardization of presentation, training, and interpretation. Chest, doi:10.1378/chest.07-0312. (Also see: Pulmonary Involvement ) |
| Sleep-Disordered Breathing (SDB) and Uric Acid (UA) in Overweight and Obese Children and Adolescents. This study in overweight children and adolescents demonstrated a relationship between the severity of sleep apnea and increased levels of serum UA, independent of abdominal adiposity. In view of the known associations between UA and cardiovascular risk, this finding may contribute to the mechanisms linking SDB with cardiovascular morbidity. Chest. 2007; 132:76-80. |
| Long-term sleep apnea as a pathogenic factor for cell-mediated autoimmune disease. This hypothesis strengthens the evidence pointing to the danger of unresolved sleep apnea by a mechanism previously unrecognized, namely the risk of developing an autoimmune disease. PubMed. Med Hypotheses. 2005 Aug 3. (Also see: Causes of Scleroderma) |
| Sleep disruption in systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) patients: clinical and polysomnographic findings. Patients with SSc have significant disturbance of their sleep. Esophageal dyskinesia and dyspnea, which are common complications of SSc, were commonly associated with indices of sleep disruption. RLS (restless legs syndrome) but not sleep apnea appears to have an increased prevalence in SSc. PubMed. Sleep Med. 2002 Jul;3(4):341-345. |
| Personal Stories |
| Aileen: CREST Scleroderma Oh, the wonderful feeling to have a doctor sit there and tell you that you are not imagining things... |
| Ang: Morphea and Fibromyalgia I was diagnosed with morphea in February 2002, but had this for a year prior to that without knowing exactly what the diagnosis was... |
| Brenda: Limited Scleroderma, CREST, Raynaud's I was sick for five or six years, telling doctors how much pain I was in... |
| Faith Rumph: Eosinophilia-Myalgia Syndrome (EMS) I am one of several thousand Americans who became ill from ingesting contaminated over-the-counter L-tryptophan, an amino acid dietary supplement... |
| Jerri: CREST Syndrome I was twenty-one years of age when I first noticed that my fingers, toes and lips were turning colors... |
| Lindsey: Eosinophilic Fasciitis (EF) My skin remains very thick and constricted... |
| Marilyn: Diffuse Scleroderma Being that I was a nurse you would think that I should have picked up on this myself... |
| Missy S: Lupus, Scleroderma, CREST and Depression They say I am not eligible for a medical card or disability. I have been fighting for four years... |
| Moomary: Diffuse Scleroderma The endoscopy showed that my esophagus does not close at all when I swallow. The surgeon suggested that he could do a Nissen Fundoplication... |
| Nina: Fibromyalgia, Raynaud's, Limited Scleroderma/CREST That is when I found ISN! The volume of reliable, informative, trusted information that I found on this site completely overwhelmed me... |
| Sherry: Fibromyalgia, Hypothyroidism and Raynaud's He said Fibromyalgia is just pain, and if I could not handle my job, I should quit... |
| William M: Scleroderma or Lupus I had to give up my career of being a registered nurse (RN) over two years ago due to total disability... |
