Elias Maurice Malek

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the combined effects of sleep deprivation and simulated wildland firefighting on systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. Methods: Ten participants performed two exercise trials while exposed to woodsmoke following one night of normal sleep or sleep deprivation (4 hours) in a crossover design. Blood biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation were quantified through ELISAs. Results: Interleukin-6 significantly increased after simulated wildland firefighting ( P < 0.001, ηp ² = 0.74), with no effect of sleep deprivation. Oxidative stress markers (8-isoprostanes, 3-nitrotyrosine, myeloperoxidase) showed no significant changes or interactions. Conclusions: Simulated wildland firefighting elicits an inflammatory response but does not alter oxidative stress markers. Acute sleep deprivation did not to modulate these responses. Future research should explore the cumulative effects of prolonged sleep restriction and repeated woodsmoke exposure to better understand their impact on inflammation and oxidative stress.

State mindfulness is a dynamic construct reflecting current mindfulness, or purposeful attention to the present moment with openness, non-judgment, non-reactivity, and acceptance. Despite its popularity and research in psychology and medicine, measuring state mindfulness remains a challenge. Validity and reliability of the State Mindfulness Scale (SMS) and State Mindfulness Scale for Physical Activity (SMS-PA) in applied settings like nature require more data to be established. This pilot study aimed to evaluate these scales and introduce a new, one-item scale, the Visual Analog Scale-Mindfulness (VAS-M), for quicker mindfulness assessment. Participants completed the SMS, SMS-PA, and VAS-M upon arrival at a desert trail, after 10 minutes of sitting, and after 10 minutes of walking. A subset repeated the intervention 24 hours later. The study found that the SMS and SMS-PA could be given before, during, and after nature immersion. The SMS-PA showed evidence of concurrent validity with the SMS (ρ = .89, p < .001). However, the VAS-M did not meet the criteria for concurrent validity with the other scales. None of the scales met the criteria for test-retest reliability. This study underscores the need to validate state mindfulness scales, especially in non-laboratory settings. While the SMS-PA shows promise, further validation and refinement of the VAS-M are needed. The findings enhance our understanding of measuring state mindfulness, particularly in natural environments. While the scales are already in use, our study helps address gaps in evidence and informs future decisions about their application.

Objective: To evaluate sleep deprivation effects on the acute physiological response to a combined stressor of woodsmoke and exercise. Methods: Ten participants completed two exercise trials (8 hours of sleep vs 4 hours) with woodsmoke. Trials were conducted in a crossover design. Key measures examined before and after each trial included heart rate variability, pulse wave velocity, blood pressure, pulmonary function testing, and oxidative stress. Results: Acute sleep deprivation experienced before exercise and woodsmoke exposure did not impact metrics of heart rate variability, pulse wave velocity, pulmonary function testing, blood pressure, or oxidative stress. Conclusions: Acute sleep deprivation did not amplify physiologic metrics in response to moderate-intensity aerobic exercise with inhaled woodsmoke. Although findings do not eliminate the negative impacts of inhaling woodsmoke, more research is needed to understand the acute effects of woodsmoke exposure on the cardiovascular system. ¹

Migraines are the most common cause of chronic pain. Effective, non-pharmacological strategies to reduce migraine load, like exercise, are needed, but it is unclear how exercise timing and chronotype modulate the effects. We sought to determine the effects of time-of-day of exercise, and synchrony with one’s chronotype, on migraine load. We performed a pilot cross-over randomized trial where participants with chronic migraine completed two one-month exercise interventions, consisting of either morning exercise (before 09:00 a.m.) or evening exercise (after 7:00 p.m.) in a randomized repeated measures cross-over design (Clinical Trial #NCT04553445). Synchrony was determined by exercise time and chronotype (i.e., a morning type participant exercising in the morning is ‘in-sync,’ while an evening type participant exercising in the morning is ‘out-of-sync’). Migraine burden, and anthropometric assessment occurred before and after each month of exercise. Data was analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA with significance accepted at p < 0.05. When comparing morning and evening exercise, there was no significant improvements in any migraine-related parameters. However, when comparing in-sync and out-of-sync exercise, we found that migraine burden was only improved following in-sync exercise, while no benefits were seen in out-of-sync exercise. Our data suggests that exercise timing has limited impact, but synchrony with chronotype may be essential to decrease migraine load in chronic migraineurs.