With the National Sleep Foundation reporting that six out of ten Americans suffer with insomnia several nights a week and 25% of the U.S. population uses sleeping drugs (known as “hypnotics”), an increasing number people these days are looking for natural sleep remedies. In recent research studies, it was discovered that both walnuts and tart cherries contain significant levels of the natural sleep hormone melatonin, and may therefore be a natural, food-based way to get a better night’s sleep.

Russel Reiter, Ph.D., a professor of cellular biology at the University of Texas Health Science Center says, “Relatively few foods have been examined for their melatonin content.  Our studies demonstrate that walnuts contain melatonin, that it is absorbed when it is eaten, and that it improves our ability to resist oxidative stress caused by toxic molecules called free radicals.  Walnuts also contain large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to inhibit certain types of cancer and to keep the heart healthy.” Read the rest of this entry

The options for oral appliances fall in two main categories: prescription devices you can get from a dentist or orthodontist and do-it-yourself products you can order online. All work by moving the lower jaw forward to create extra space in the airway, but they vary wildly in terms of cost.

Prescription devices such as the TAP 3 (short for Thornton adjustable positioner) are crafted in a lab to fit each individual mouth. They can cost roughly $2,000 to $3,000, including dentist fees. The TAP comes with an adjustment key that enables patients to gradually move the jaw a few millimeters at a time. It generally lasts three to five years.

Many dentists offer plastic “boil-and-bite” devices, such as the TheraSnore, that can be fitted during your visit for $300 to $800.

If that still sounds like a lot of money for a quiet night’s sleep, you might be tempted by an over-the-counter anti-snoring appliance. The VitalSleep appliance from the Stop Snoring Co. sells for about $40. It’s supposed to last about a year.[ Read Complete Post By Chris Woolston, Special At Los Angeles Times...  ]

About 2% of women and at least 4% of men suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which the airway collapses and blocks breathing for 30 seconds or even up to a minute or two. Being overweight more than doubles your risk of having sleep apnea, says Dr. Lawrence Epstein, chief medical officer at Sleep HealthCenters, a network of clinics based in Brighton, Mass.

In children, sleep apnea was traditionally associated with enlarged tonsils and adenoids or skeletal abnormalities, which can constrict the airway. But doctors are finding that more children are being treated for sleep apnea as a result of being overweight. Dr. David Gozal, a pediatric sleep specialist at the University of Chicago, says the percentage of obese children being treated for sleep apnea in his program has increased from 23% in 1995 to more than 57% now.

Sleep specialists are also doing preliminary research on a technique called neuromodulation, which uses a device to emit a tone into a patient’s ears during sleep. This is supposed to stimulate parts of the brain that control the tongue and upper airways, keeping them taut. [ Read Complte Post By Amanda Leigh Mascarelli, Special to the Los Angeles Times...  ]

A new study found that certain oxygen saturation parameters were improved by one dose of sleep apnea treatment CX1739, but findings also showed a reduced sleep time during the night following drug treatment. Moreover, CX1739 did not reduce the mean apnea/hypopnea index (AHI).

Campbell County Memorial Hospital and the American Sleep Apnea Association have teamed up to form AWAKE, a sleep apnea awareness group.

AWAKE or Alert, Well, and Keeping Energetic is a quarterly health awareness group for people with sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition in which people experience periods of time when they stop breathing while sleeping.

The group will meet from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday in Campbell County Public Library’s Wyoming Room.

The group is free and anyone with questions about snoring, daytime sleepiness, restless legs, insomnia, unexplained high blood pleasure or those using C-PAP or B-PAP machines for sleep apnea should attend.

Guest speaker Patty Wilson will tell her experiences with sleep apnea. The hospital’s sleep disorders clinic also will be present to answer any questions.

For more information, call Dessie Hoxie at the Sleep Disorders Clinic at 688-2350 or visit www.ccmh.net.

The Canadian Thoracic Society released new guidelines on sleep disordered breathing, which provide the latest recommendations for sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment. The guidelines are created for health-care professionals by physicians who are experts in sleep disordered breathing. They are designed to keep health-care professionals up to date on the most recent evidence about how to diagnose and manage sleep apnea.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a serious breathing disorder that causes sufferers to have dozens or hundreds of breathing pauses or “apneas” per night. These repeated periods of breathing pauses during sleep and the chronic sleep deprivation they cause have both physical and psychological consequences. People with untreated sleep apnea are more likely to have motor vehicle crashes, hypertension, and heart attacks, irregular heart beat stroke, depression, impotence and diabetes. Read the rest of this entry

A Coon Rapids sleep center  with latest technology to help patients deal with sleep disorders at the Northwind Lung Specialists & Sleep Center has been providing services to patients with sleep disorders since 2004. Now, new technology allows the patient’s sleep study to take place at home.

For some people, the overnight sleep study, which is monitored by a technician in another room at the center, is both inconvenient and intimidating, Dahl said. For the overnight sleep study, they are hooked up to a variety of diagnostic equipment to monitor heart rate, brain waves and leg movements while they sleep, all of which is captured on a video camera.

 For sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy and restless leg syndrome , the ARES home sleeping test is ideal for most obstructive sleep apnea patients, which make up the majority of cases seen at Northwind. Obstructive sleep apnea is a physical condition caused by the airway collapsing and resulting in an interruption in breathing that lasts for at least 10 seconds. According to the National Sleep Foundation, about one in four men and one in 10 women suffer from sleep apnea. Read the rest of this entry

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a risk factor for a number of cardiovascular conditions. Although homocysteine (Hcy) and cysteine (Cys) are regarded as cardiovascular risk factors, few studies have analyzed Hcy and Cys plasma concentrations in patients with Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of Hcy and Cys in Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in comparison with subjects without Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)and to determine the possible influence of obesity on these variables.

Instant Diagnostic Systems (IDS), an Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility (IDTF) that specializes in home-based diagnostic testing, has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for accreditation. The accreditation award recognizes IDS’s dedication to continuous compliance with The Joint Commission’s standards in ambulatory health, telehealth, and sleep studies.

Mark Sorrells, president and CEO of IDS, said, ”Although accreditation is not a requirement for our type of health care facility in most jurisdictions, IDS felt it was important to pursue accreditation through The Joint Commission to demonstrate our commitment to providing high-quality health care to patients nationwide.”

Since 1975, The Joint Commission has developed standards for outpatient ambulatory care organizations. These standards address important functions relating to the care of patients and the management of an ambulatory care organization; and are developed in consultation with health care experts, providers, measurement experts, and patients.

“As the largest provider of overnight oximetry and home sleep testing in the United States, we hold ourselves accountable to a higher standard to provide high-quality, cost-effective diagnostic tests that patients can self-administer in their own homes,” Sorrells said. “With as many as 20 million Americans currently undiagnosed with sleep apnea, the number of home sleep tests performed by IDS is growing rapidly. Primary care physicians realize they can order a home sleep test and provide treatment to many of their patients without the patient going to an in-lab facility for the test at a significantly greater cost.“

Sleep Apnea Disorder/ [ Press Relese ] / The Healthy Trucking Association of America (HTAA) Summit will be the first venue to exhibit the new Transcend Sleep Apnea Therapy System. To be held at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta on March 1-3 this year, the HTAA Summit is the trucking industry’s premiere health and wellness event focused on improving the health of the nation’s professional driver population. Attracting trucking fleet safety directors, HR directors, recruitment and retention managers, and other fleet executives and industry leaders, this year’s Summit will feature sessions on sleep disorders, obesity and weight loss, hypertension and heart health, respiratory health, diabetes, and more.

Transcend is a new wearable obstructive sleep apnea ( OSA) therapy device designed to overcome hurdles associated with using a bulky, hassle-ridden traditional CPAP. Weighing about 1 lb, the FDA-approved Transcend is the smallest CPAP on the market. It is easy to operate, uses low power, replaces the messy humidification chamber with heat moisture exchange technology, and has optional battery back-up. Transcend will be on display at the Summit on March 2 and 3. Read the rest of this entry

A good night’s sleep has a direct connection to a healthy lifestyle. If you’re tossing and turning, or if you’re like the 37 million American’s who reportedly suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, you could be putting yourself at risk.

“It is a serious problem, because when you stop breathing obviously, your oxygen level in your blood goes down, and it affects basically all the organs in your body,” said Dr. Stephen Seidler with Orange City Dental Care.

If left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to obesity, heart disease and even stroke and that’s why coming to the dentist’s office could be the key to solving your issues.

Dr. Seidler explains how a small device, similar to a retainer, has helped some of his patients. “It snaps in on the bottom and the front (of your teeth),” he says. “It’s keeping the lower jaw forward so it doesn’t allow it to fall back.” FOX 35′s Talitha Vickers spoke with Dr. Stephen who demonstrates the device in the accompanying video. 

Dental device helps with sleep apnea: MyFoxORLANDO.com

Research and Markets  has announced the addition of the “Japan Patient Monitoring and Diagnostic Systems Market Opportunity and Growth Trend Forecast till 2016” report to their offering.

The Market Intelligence report provides critical market data for Japan patient monitoring and diagnostics market and its product categories. The data includes market size in terms of value and volume; average selling price for each product type, growth trends and market shares of companies at sector and category level.

Its vital cross category comparison and cross sub-category comparison section makes analysis very handy for company professionals. The report helps professionals in mapping market size, competition, understanding historic and future growth trends.

It covers important categories such as blood pressure monitors, cardiovascular monitoring systems, blood glucose monitoring devices, hearing diagnostics, micro-electromechanical systems multiparameter patient monitors, remote monitoring systems, sleep apnea diagnostic systems and wireless hospital ambulatory monitors.