Newsbriefs: Switching Blood Thinners; Sleep Colder; Hobby Means Happy; Poor Sleep After Menopause
A Switch to New Blood Thinners May Not Suit Frail Elders
New blood thinners developed over the last decade have made blood clot prevention less onerous, but a study published in Circulation, Aug. 27, 2023, suggests that switching from stable warfarin (Coumadin®) may not be the best option for frail elders. The new drugs, called direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), include apixaban (Eliquis®), dabigatran (Pradaxa®), edoxaban (Savaysa®), and rivaroxaban (Xarelto®). Many doctors now prescribe DOACs as initial therapy because warfarin, while effective, has numerous food and drug interactions that raise the risk of bleeding. The study, from researchers at University Medical Center Utrecht, in the Netherlands, randomized 1,323 frail adults, mean age 83, who had been receiving their warfarin at a special thrombosis service, to switch from warfarin to a DOAC or remain on warfarin. The results showed that those who switched to a DOAC had an elevated risk for a major or clinically relevant non-major bleeding complication over the next 12 months (15.3 percent vs. 9.4 percent among people who did not switch), with no beneficial reduction in blood-clot related events (2.4 percent vs. 2 percent). Part of the reason for this is that they had been taking the warfarin for a while without having a serious bleed. These data suggest that physicians shouldn’t consider switching frail older adults who are stable on warfarin to a DOAC without a specific reason.
Sleep Cooler, Sleep Better
Lowering the overnight temperature in your bedroom may help you sleep better, according to a new Harvard study (Science of the Total Environment, November 2023). For the study, monitors were used to check how well 50 older adults slept and record the nightly temperature in their bedrooms. The analysis showed that the participants slept better when the temperature in the bedroom was between 68 and 77°F. The results likely are linked to the fact that your body signals your brain that it’s time to go to sleep by lowering your core temperature, and sleeping in a hot bedroom interferes with this.
Hobby Means Happy
Older adults who have a hobby are happier, less likely to experience depression, and more likely to report better health and life satisfaction, according to a recent University College of London study. For the study (Nature Medicine, Sept. 11, 2023), researchers looked at data from 93,263 people, ages 65 and older, who reported hobbies that included volunteering, being part of a club, reading, gardening, playing games, and arts and crafts. Of the four outcomes, life satisfaction was most strongly linked to having a hobby. Hobbies may contribute to life satisfaction in our later years through many mechanisms, including finding a purpose in life. Keep in mind, though, that the association also may work in reverse—that is, people with better mental health may be more likely to take up a hobby.
Poor Sleep After Menopause Linked to Atrial Fibrillation
Many women sleep badly and feel more stressed during and after menopause. A study from Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in California suggests that these symptoms could make postmenopausal women more likely to develop the irregular heart rhythm atrial fibrillation (A-fib), which increases the risk of blood clots, stroke, and heart attack. The study (Journal of the American Heart Association, Sept. 5, 2023) reviewed data from more than 83,000 questionnaires completed by women ages 50 to 79 who took part in the long-running Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). During about a decade of follow-up, 25 percent of the women developed A-fib. For each additional point they scored on the WHI Insomnia Rating Scale, there was a 4 percent greater likelihood of developing A-fib. For each additional point scored on the WHI Stressful Life Event Scale, there was a 2 percent greater likelihood of A-fib. The researchers say that hormonal changes that accompany menopause may underpin the associations between stress, insomnia, and A-fib.
The post Newsbriefs: Switching Blood Thinners; Sleep Colder; Hobby Means Happy; Poor Sleep After Menopause appeared first on University Health News.
