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Disturbed sleep in individuals with idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI‐EMF): Melatonin assessment as a biological marker
Author(s) -
Andrianome Soafara,
Hugueville Laurent,
de Seze René,
HanotRoy Maïté,
Blazy Kelly,
Gamez Christelle,
Selmaoui Brahim
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
bioelectromagnetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.435
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1521-186X
pISSN - 0197-8462
DOI - 10.1002/bem.21965
Subject(s) - melatonin , circadian rhythm , epworth sleepiness scale , pittsburgh sleep quality index , urine , medicine , saliva , physiology , sleep (system call) , endocrinology , sleep quality , insomnia , polysomnography , psychiatry , apnea , operating system , computer science
Individuals who suffer from idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI‐EMF) complain of a variety of adverse health effects. Troubled sleep remains a recurrent and common symptom in IEI‐EMF individuals. Melatonin, a circadian hormone, plays a major role in the sleep process. In this study, we compared levels of melatonin between a sensitive group (IEI‐EMF, n = 30) and a non‐sensitive control group (non IEI‐EMF, n = 25) without exposure to electromagnetic sources. Three questionnaires were used to evaluate the subjective quality and sleep quantity: the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Spiegel Sleep Inventory. Melatonin was quantified in saliva and its major metabolite 6‐sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) in urine. Melatonin levels were compared by a two‐way analysis of variance at various times between the control and IEI‐EMF group. Despite significantly different sleep scores between the two groups, with a lower score in the IEI‐EMF group ( P < 0.001), no statistical difference was found between the two groups for saliva melatonin ( P > 0.05) and urine aMT6s ( P > 0.05). Bioelectromagnetics. 37:175–182, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.