PURPOSE:
The aim of this research was to assess the prevalence of Night Eating Syndrome (NES) in a university student population and to clear up the relationship between NES, depression and chronotype. The relation between NES and seasonality was also investigated.
Introduction
The environment and the treatments during hospitalization change circadian rhythms. The administration of continuous enteral nutrition disables the physiological alternation of hunger-thirst stimuli and their satisfaction. At nighttime, our body takes a series of modifications to facilitate rest. The purpose of the study was to improve the synchronism between nutrition administration and circadian response.
Materials and methods
The recently renewed focus on the human exploration of outer space has boosted the
interest toward a variety of questions regarding health of astronauts and cosmonauts.
Among the others, sleep has traditionally been considered a central issue. To extend
the research chances, human sleep alterations have been investigated in several
analog environments, called ICEs (Isolated, Confined, and Extreme). ICEs share different
features with the spaceflight itself and have been implemented in natural facilities and
The circadian rhythm derives from the integration of many signals that shape the expression of clock-related genes in a 24-hour cycle. Biological tasks, including cell proliferation, differentiation, energy storage and immune regulation, are preferentially confined to specific periods. A gating system, supervised by the central and peripheral clocks, coordinates the endogenous and exogenous signals and prepares for transition to activities confined to periods of light or darkness. The fluctuations of cortisol and its receptor are crucial in modulating these signals.
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