Study Reveals Why Asthma Worsens at Night

Asthma severity worsens at night due to sleep environment, air temperature, posture, disturbance in sleep, and physical activities.

The severity of asthma worsens at night due to the disturbance in the internal circadian cycle, finds a study published in the journal The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. the circadian cycle is affected by sleep and physical activities.

The study was conducted using the two circadian protocols, the relationship between the circadian system and the severity of asthma at night was studied. This study would help in better understanding of the treatment for the condition.

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It's a lung condition characterized by inflammation of the bronchi and constriction of the airways that result in coughing, wheezing or breathlessness. Allergy and other airway irritants can trigger it

‘Disturbance in circadian cycle worsens asthma during the night time. ’

Asthma
A condition in which the airways swell and become narrow is known as asthma. The airways produce extra mucus and results in breathing difficulty, chest tightness and triggers coughing.

The scientists say that the asthma worsens in people who suffer from circadian induced drops in pulmonary function at night. The results are clinically important because the symptom driven bronchodilator inhaler was used four times more during the circadian night than during the day.

“This is one of the first studies to carefully isolate the influence of the circadian system from the other factors that are behavioral and environmental, including sleep,” says co-author Frank A.J.L. Scheer

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Adult and childhood asthma are caused due to inflammation of the airways, but differences exist in their intensity and triggers.

Many environmental factors like exercise, air temperature, posture and sleep environment influence the asthma severity at night. The circadian system is made up of a central pacemaker in the brain and clocks throughout the body. This is critical for the coordination of body functions and to meet the daily cycling environment and behavioral demands.

The study was conducted on 17 asthma patients in two complementary laboratory protocols and was continuously assessed. The first protocol was based on constant posture, continuously awake for 38 hours, under dim light conditions and with identical snacks for every two hours.

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In the “forced desynchrony” protocol, participants were placed under a recurring 28 hour sleep/wake cycle for a week under dim light conditions, with all behaviors scheduled evenly across the cycle.

Source-Medindia

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