Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a major but not universally present feature of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). The latter has been associated with glucose dysmetabolism and insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to examine the role of EDS by investigating potential differences between somnolent and non-somnolent OSAS patients in glucose metabolism, insulin resistance, and levels of cardiovascular risk factors.

Methods Included were 25 newly diagnosed otherwise healthy OSAS patients, reporting EDS and 25 age- and BMI-matched, non-somnolent OSAS patients, who served as controls. Fasting glucose and insulin levels, as well as homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMAIR) index, levels of hs-CRP, and lipidemic profile were measured. Read the rest of this entry

Graymark Healthcare, Inc., the nation’s second largest  provider of diagnostic sleep services and an innovator in comprehensive care for  obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), has closed the sale of its Nocturna East Sleep  Centers unit for $2.5 million in gross cash proceeds.

The sale comprised a total of eight stand alone sleep centers, seven located  in western New York and one in Florida. Given that the company only performed  diagnostic sleep tests at these locations, the sale of this asset is expected to  have no effect on Graymark’s recurring revenue re-supply business. Read the rest of this entry

Planmeca USA plans to introduce its latest imaging unit–the Promax 3D  Mid–May 13-17, 2011, at the American Association of Orthodontists meeting in Chicago, Ill.

The Planmeca Promax 3D Mid is a true 2-D and 3-D volumetric imaging unit that includes 3-D imaging, panoramic, extraoral bitewing, and cephalometric to meet the clinical needs for today’s specialist.

TheProMax  3D MID has the flexibility to take an image of a single tooth or a complete maxofacial reconstruction, as well as the ear, sinus cavity and a portion of the respiratory tract used for sleep apnea diagnosis. The volume sizes range from 2.4 x 4.2 cm to 16 x 16 cm that captures the entire face.

Key features include: Read the rest of this entry

The Hospital of Central Connecticut’s Sleep Disorders Center is set to host an open house at its satellite location in Southington on Thursday. The sleep disorder center diagnoses, evaluates and treats a plethora of sleep disorders like sleep apnea and narcolepsy.

The new satellite center is a four-bed center with the capacity to expand to six beds.Each of the rooms includes a full-sized bed, TV, recliner and full bathroom. After opening, the sleep center will seek accreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

At Western Psychiatric Institute, one of the top sleep research centers in the country, medical professionals are using sleep deprivation to help people with insomnia, a condition where the brain is hyper-aroused 24 hours a day.

“We shorten their time in bed and make the sleep more consolidated and deeper,” said the center’s Dr. Dan Buysse. “The obvious and deceptive answer is get more sleep, there is not a substitute for sleep.”

At Stat Medevac, where pilots work 12-hour shifts and paramedics and nurses can work up to 24 hours a day, getting enough Zs is part of the job. “It is very important that you sleep well at night. You don’t want to come into this job with three or four hours sleep,” said flight nurse Marion Jones. Read the rest of this entry

Dr. Jin Zhou, DC, is now accepting new patients with sleep apnea who is unable to tolerate CPAP or any device and/or failed to benefit from standard surgeries, with a possible conservative approach by ZHT (Zhou’s Hypoxicology Therapy), a natural therapy with seven year clinical observations. Sleep Apnea is a well-known deadly disease, if without proper clinical management, among increasing population.

CPAP is the Gold Therapy for sleep apnea, in addition to standard surgeries, but a significant number of sleep apnea patients failed to tolerate or benefit from standard CPAP or any device, and/or standard surgeries. ZHT therapy may provide an alternative natural approach for those sleep apnea patients without any available choices or clinical results from standard medical treatment. As an alternative chiropractic care, ZHT is not covered by most health plans. ZHT therapy costs may range from about $200-$350 for the initial visit and $57 – $150 for the subsequent visits. ZHT Appointments are available to patients nationwide without any need for referral. Read the rest of this entry

Dr. Anuj Chandra, Director of the Advanced Center for Sleep Disorders, is now offering an introductory course for those who want to become certified as sleep technicians.

“There is a shortage of well trained sleep technicians in the area. If we can have more good sleep techs, that makes it easier for people with sleep disorders to go though diagnostic sleep testing and begin getting the treatment they need to get better.” — Anuj Chandra, M.D., D.ABSM Beginning May 17, the Advanced Academy of Sleep Medicine will present an 80-hour A-STEP training course, which is the first step to becoming certified to perform sleep diagnostic tests.

Tuition is $1,000. The course will be held at the Advanced Center for Sleep Disorders, located at 6073 East Brainerd Road in Chattanooga. For more information, call 423-648-8008 or send an email to advancedacademysleep@gmail.com. Read the rest of this entry

People are affected by all kinds of sleep disorders – some genetically based and some because of our jobs — and those disorders can affect not only your health, but also safety.

Several studies in recent years have linked a lack of sleep to depression, intestinal disorders and heart disease. While there is no proof that getting more sleep prevents these diseases, it is clear that a lack of sleep, and shift work, affect how some people do their jobs.

A recent string of high-profile stories involving air traffic controllers missing planes while asleep on the job highlighted the issue and served as a wake-up call for the airline industry.

In one case, an air ambulance trying to land in Nevada had to wait after getting no response from the dozing controller. The air ambulance eventually landed on its own.

One US Airways pilot who spoke to Wiggin — but asked not to be identified — said it happens more often than some people might realize. Read the rest of this entry

One of the most common health disorders among people around the world is “sleep apnea”. In its simplest sense ‘sleep apnea’ can be understood as one or more pauses in normal breathing. In many cases the shallow breathing during sleep is also termed as ‘sleep apnea’. 

A pause in normal breathing during sleep may have an undefined duration. Meaning thereby, the pause could be for a few seconds only or it can even stretch up to few minutes. Similarly, the rate of occurrence of such pauses during sleep may also vary up to great ranges. It could be five times per hour or even up to 30 times an hour. Normal breathing generally starts immediately after such a pause but this re-start could generate a snoring or choking sound as well. 

Once a person is a victim of ‘sleep apnea’ this disorder converts in to a chronic disorder slowly over the years. In majority of the cases people never realize that the ‘sleep apnea disorder’ has crept in their lives.  Read the rest of this entry

The danger of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) had doctors urging parents to place their babies on their backs when sleeping, but it had unintended consequences.

Babies’ heads are becoming misshapen and experts say that can lead to other health issues.  It’s called Flat Head Syndrome and it now affects’ nearly one in ten infants.

The medical term for such a condition is Plagiocephaly.  Doctors say the number of babies with this condition has gone up because parents are placing babies on their back when they sleep to reduce the risk of SIDS.

If the problem gets worse and goes untreated, it could lead to other problems.In addition to a concern of the airway passage potentially being shortened, causing sleep apnea or swallowing issues…[Read Complete Post At NBC...   ]

ImThera Medical, Inc. today announced that it has concluded its Phase I and Phase II protocols for the European Pilot study of the aura6000, a neurostimulation device for treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).Clinical trial results from the study will be announced at the American Thoracic Society’s International Conference on May 16, 2011 in Denver, CO.

Principal investigator Dr. Daniel Rodenstein, who helmed the clinical trials, will deliver the results, including significant improvements to   patient’s Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI), Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI), as well as improvements in sleep quality.

“ImThera’s Therapy is safe and shows substantial OSA reduction and sleep improvement in a majority of patients,” said Dr. Rodenstein. “I am  looking forward to the American Thoracic Society’s International Conference and the opportunity to share the substantial patient improvements that resulted from the clinical trial.” Read the rest of this entry

As more is being learned about the benefits of obesity surgery, it is becoming clear that obesity compromises every organ system. Patients who have bariatric surgery have a 23 percent overall reduced mortality compared to those who try to lose weight by diet and exercise alone. (Diabetes related mortality reduced by 92 percent; cancer related mortality decreased by ?60 percent).

(1) A patient who undergoes weight loss surgery can be assured that sleep apnea, diabetes, hypertension and coronary artery disease will improve significantly or resolve completely. One of the newest interesting findings is that cancer incidence also decreases in those who have weight loss surgery.

(2)Although initially thought to be high risk, weight loss surgery procedures can now be done with extremely low morbidity and mortality (<1 percent).

(3) With over 100,000 weight loss surgeries now being performed annually in the US, physicians have become extremely skilled in the care of the obese patient. Over 60 percent of the US remains overweight and over ?30 percent are obese. The trends are not decreasing. Physicians in every field face challenges with their obese patients. [ Read Complete Post By Leena Khaitan, MD, MPH, FACS At MD News ... ]

1. Sleep apnea affects up to 18 million Americans
2. The condition was first described in 1965
3. “Apnea” comes from a Greek word meaning “want of breath.”
4. People with sleep apnea can stop breathing as many as 30 times or more each night.
5. Often a spouse or other family member is the first to notice signs of sleep apnea in someone with the condition.
6. Officials estimate 10 million Americans have the condition but have not been diagnosed. Read the rest of this entry

In a recently concluded research study the researchers from Germany and Switzerland evidenced that hypoxia in the context of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) might be a trigger for migraine and can be improved by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).

Ulf Kallweit, MD, of University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland, and colleagues assessed 11 patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS ) and migraine headache before and 1 year after conventional CPAP therapy. Six patients had migraine, 4 had migraine with aura, and 1 had chronic migraine. Their mean BMI was 29.7 kg/m². Read the rest of this entry