Fending off AIDS with deep sleep?Fending off AIDS with deep sleep? People infected with the AIDS virus AIDS virus n. See HIV. (HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. ) experience abnormal sleep patterns long before clinical symtoms of the disease erupt, according to preliminary research results. Scientists say such findings eventually may help them unravel the complicated relationship between sleep and a rebust immune system immune system Cells, cell products, organs, and structures of the body involved in the detection and destruction of foreign invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Immunity is based on the system's ability to launch a defense against such invaders. . Suzan E. Norman of the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach and her colleagues studied the sleeppatterns of 10 homosexual men aged 20 to 46 who felt healthy and showed no signs of early AIDS but tested positive for HIV infection. Researchers have demonstrated that HIV can remain in the body for years before causing overt AIDS symptoms. Norman's team questioned the men about their sleeping history and had them sleep in a laboratory for two nights. They found that the men spent 21.4 percent of the night in the very deep sleep stages called slow-wave sleep -- an amount significantly longer than average. Most healthy people in that age group spend about 16 percent of the night in slow-wave sleep, Norman says. The scientists don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what to make of their finding, but the speculate that increased slow-wave sleep reflects the body's early attempt to fight off HIV before the virus devastates the immune system. Animal studies show that certain lymphokines lymphokines (lim´f  kīnz´),n.pl the soluble substances, released by sensitized lymphocytes on contact with specific antigens, that help effect cellular -- powerful chemicals regulating the body's immune response immune response n. An integrated bodily response to an antigen, especially one mediated by lymphocytes and involving recognition of antigens by specific antibodies or previously sensitized lymphocytes. -- promote slow-wave sleep. The longer periods of slow-wave sleep seen in apparently healthy people testing positive for HIV may be connected with a marshaling of the immune system in response to the viral threat, norman says. She plans to take the research one step farther by drawing blood samples during the night to see if healthy HIV-positives have elevated levels of these lymphokines. Researchers don't yet understand the connection between the immune system and sleep, but Norman says she hopes these early studies will provide some clues. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , the researchers are well on their way to proving the adage linking robust health to a good night's sleep. |
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