METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted in CENTRAL, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Google Scholars, World Health Organization Trials Portal, ClinicalTrials.gov, Clinical Trial Registry of India, and AYUSH Research Portal for all appropriate trials. Randomized controlled trials that examined the effect of Ashwagandha extract versus placebo on sleep in human participants 18 years old and above were considered. Two authors independently read all trials and independently extracted all relevant data. The primary outcomes were sleep quantity and sleep quality. The secondary outcomes were mental alertness on rising, anxiety level, and quality of life.
RESULTS: A total of five randomized controlled trials containing 400 participants were analyzed. Ashwagandha extract exhibited a small but significant effect on overall sleep (Standardized Mean Difference -0.59; 95% Confidence Interval -0.75 to -0.42; I2 = 62%). The effects on sleep were more prominent in the subgroup of adults diagnosed with insomnia, treatment dosage ≥600 mg/day, and treatment duration ≥8 weeks. Ashwagandha extract was also found to improve mental alertness on rising and anxiety level, but no significant effect on quality of life. No serious side effects were reported.
CONCLUSION: Ashwagandha extract appears to has a beneficial effect in improving sleep in adults. However, data on the serious adverse effects of Ashwagandha extract are limited, and more safety data would be needed to assess whether it would be safe for long-term use.
Methods: An experimental study was conducted in our Physics Laboratory during September 2015. A series of syringes sized 1 mL, 3 mL, 5 mL, 10 mL and 20 mL were paired with the original needles, 27G, 27G spinal and 30G. Each combination was tested three times using a compression testing Instron 5940 Series to measure initial and maintenance forces. Statistical analysis was performed using One-way ANOVA.
Results: The lowest initial force was shown by the combination of 1 mL syringe and 27G spinal needle. However, the 1 mL syringe showed no significant difference across the needles [F(3, 8) = 3.545; P < 0.068]. The original and 27G needle showed mean difference 0.28 (95%CI: -0.19, 0.75; P = 0.420). The lowest maintenance force was measured in the combination of 1 mL syringe and its original 26G needle. On the contrary, both the highest initial and maintenance forces were shown by the combination of 10 mL syringe and 30G needle.
Conclusion: The 1 mL syringe with original 26G needle shows the best combination.
METHODS: Adults from the general-population (n = 392) completed online measures of Type D personality (DS14) and insomnia severity.
RESULTS: Individuals with the Type D personality trait reported significantly greater symptoms of insomnia relative to Non-Type Ds. Moreover, insomnia-symptoms were independently related to negative affectivity (NA) and social inhibition (SI) and the Type D interaction (i.e. synergistic product of SI and NA). Linear regression analysis determined that NA but not SI significantly predicted insomnia symptoms after controlling for age and sex. However, after accounting for the Type D interaction, negative affectivity remained the only significant predictor of insomnia-symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS: The Type D personality type appears to be related to insomnia-symptoms, both as a categorical and dimensional construct. These outcomes support prior research evidencing that whilst Type D personality is related to poor sleep in adolescents, NA appears to be the main contributor.