Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common yet underdiagnosed condition. The aim of our study is to test whether prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in extremely obese (BMI [greater than or equal to] 40 kg/m2) subjects.

One hundred and thirty seven consecutive extremely obese patients (99 females) from a controlled clinical trial [MOBIL-study (Morbid Obesity treatment, Bariatric surgery versus Intensive Lifestyle intervention Study) (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00273104)] underwent somnography with Embletta(R) and a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Read the rest of this entry

With its 2011 Sleep Apnea & Multi-Modal Transportation Conference (SAMTC) on November 8 – 9, 2011, the American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA) continues its efforts to address a major cause of fatigue in US transportation.  Co-sponsored by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), this second in a series of health and safety conferences focuses on the role of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) management within the major modes of transportation, including air, rail, ground and maritime. Read the rest of this entry

Harry Cutler, a sleep apnea patient, was under-employed and had no insurance when his obstructive sleep apnea became acute. “I was falling asleep at the wheel in the middle of the day” said Cutler. “I would wake up when my car bounced off of the opposite curb. After the fourth of fifth time, I decided that I needed to do something before I hurt myself, or someone else.”

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the soft palate at the back of the oral cavity relaxes during sleep, drapes down, closes against the rear of the tongue and causes a blockage of the airway. The patient often kicks and struggles for a breath and the wakes up gasping for air, only to fall back to sleep again and have the cycle continue. The draping of the soft palate into the airway also causes snoring as it vibrates when air rushes past it. It is estimated that 12%-25% of the population suffer from obstructive sleep apnea and the vast majority are untreated. This condition can lead to a host of health problems including hypertension, heart attack, stroke, depression, diabetes, and impotency, among others. Read the rest of this entry

Sleep Group Solutions (SGS) a leader in dental continuing education takes  pride in offering dentists top level courses on dental sleep medicine.  With an increase in sleep apnea research and  studies, Sleep Group Solutions plans to double courses offered to dentists  interested in screening and treating sleep apnea in 2012.

Recent  studies from the Journal of the American Medical Association prove sleep apnea  linking to dementia in women.  Breathing disorders, such as sleep apnea are  getting more attention and research in the medical field, and now the dental  field has perked an interest.  Dentists are filling class rooms across the  US to gain dental  continuing education on how to screen and treat sleep apnea in house,  through oral appliance therapy.   Sleep Group Solutions continues to  provide dentists with the education needed to treat OSA.  ” In 2011 we  offered the dental community 50 courses to choose from.  With such an  increased demand from the dental community, we are planning to offer around 70  for 2012,”  John Nadeau, VP Sleep Group Solutions. Read the rest of this entry

Advocate Condell Medical Center, along with the Alert, Well, And Keeping Energetic support group (A.W.A.K.E.), is hosting a CPAP vendor fair on Tuesday, Oct. 4, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., in the conference center at 801 South Milwaukee Ave. in Libertyville. The event is free and open to the public.

Sleep apnea patients, family members and physicians are invited to learn about new continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) equipment, masks, and other items for clients. Vendors include; DeVilbiss, Phillips Respironics, ResMed, Candance, Fisher & Paykel along with Dr. Debbie Kline, an oral appliance specialist. Additionally, Advocate Home Health Care will offer free CPAP equipment pressure checks.  Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/ [Press release ]/ DETROIT /– Detroit Medical Center has been selected as the first Detroit area hospital to participate in a pivotal clinical study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a new therapy for patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The STAR trial (Stimulation Therapy for Apnea Reduction) will be conducted at leading medical centers across the United States and Europe, and will evaluate the efficacy of Inspire™ Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS) therapy, an implantable therapy that works with the body’s natural physiology to prevent airway obstruction during sleep. More than 18 million Americans suffer from OSA, which is characterized by repeated episodes of upper airway collapse during sleep. Patients with OSA stop breathing frequently during sleep, often for a minute or longer. Daytime sleepiness, depression, weight gain, increase in industrial accidents and diminished quality of life are all commonly observed in people who suffer from OSA as a result of fragmented sleep patterns.  Furthermore, OSA is associated with the development of systemic hypertension, cardiovascular diseases (heart failure, heart rhythm disorders), stroke, and diabetes. Read the rest of this entry

Siesta Medical, Inc. , a developer of minimally invasive surgical  solutions for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), announced today that it has  received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Encore™ Tongue Suspension System for the  treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.  Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a major heath problem in the United States.  As many as 17 million people in the United States have moderate to severe OSA,  which is characterized by frequent awakening during sleep, heavy snoring and  daytime sleepiness. If left untreated, OSA has been implicated in the increased  risk for cardiovascular disease, including hypertension and heart failure.  Despite its prevalence and role as a cardiovascular risk factor, OSA remains  largely under diagnosed. Read the rest of this entry

Are you sleeping too much or too less during nights? Research concluded in recent past has revealed that inflammation could play a key role in your health condition in such a situation.

Long and short duration sleep has been reported to have an increased risk for several disorders and health problems including coronary heart diseases, diabetes, obesity, and death in many of the previously concluded researches and studies. Inflammation regulating cytokines elevations have been found to have direct linkage with enhanced risk of health problems like heart disease and diabetes.

In this study where 614 participants reported their sleep habits after spending a night in sleep lab the mean self-reported sleep duration was calculated to be only 7.6 hours. The sleep lab reported sleep duration was only 6.2 hours on the contrary. Read the rest of this entry

Sleep disorders, like sleep apnea and insomnia, affect 40 per cent of Canadians, according  to new figures from a Laval University study published in this month’s issue of  the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

Through a survey of 2,000 people across Canada, researchers found 40 per cent  of respondents experienced symptoms of insomnia at least three times a week.  Symptoms include taking longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep, being awake  during the night for more than 30 minutes, or waking up at least 30 minutes  earlier than planned.

Although 20 per cent of respondents said they were unsatisfied with the  quality of their sleep, only 13 per cent of survey respondents say they visited  a doctor or health-care professional about the problem. Read the rest of this entry

In advance of a sleep apnea testing requirement by U.S. regulators, Harvard researchers are investigating a new type of screening tool to identify drivers at a higher risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

The psychomotor vigilance test is a 10-minute test of attention, alertness, and reaction time (RT). It can be accomplished within a short office visit, requires only brief instruction, is performed on portable, hand-held computers, and its output can be easily and quickly read and interpreted.

“Our goal is to develop objective screening methods beyond obesity for obstructive sleep apnea to be used in occupational health settings,” said the study’s senior author, Stefanos N. Kales, MD, MPH, Division Chief & Medical Director of Employee and Industrial Medicine at Cambridge Health Alliance. “Subjective reports of excessive daytime sleepiness are notoriously unreliable especially during fitness-for-work examinations, and obesity in isolation as a screen has generated resistance from many drivers.” Read the rest of this entry

Majority of pediatricians are not properly trained to advise parents or guardians on sleep hygiene for their children, according to new research published online August 28 and in the September print issue of Pediatrics.

As many as 33% of preadolescents and 40% of adolescents report experiencing some form of sleep problems, including sleep apnea, snoring, and sleep difficulty, according to lead author Firoza Faruqui, DO, from the Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Ohio, and colleagues. Sleep issues as seemingly benign as snoring have been linked in studies to lower academic performance and higher body mass index in early childhood, and sleep apnea has been linked to issues ranging from difficulties in social and emotional development to cardiac problems. Read the rest of this entry

The clinical syndrome of obstructive sleep apnea (OSAS) in children is a distinct, yet somewhat overlapping disorder with the condition that occurs in adults, such that the clinical manifestations, polysomnographic findings, diagnostic criteria and treatment approaches need to be considered in an age-specific manner. Childhood OSAS has now become widely recognized as a frequent disorder and as a major public health problem. Pediatric OSAS, particularly when obesity is concurrently present, is associated with substantial end-organ morbidities and increased healthcare utilization. Although adenotonsillectomy (T&A) remains the first line of treatment, evidence in recent years suggests that the outcomes of this surgical procedure may not be as favorable as expected, such that post-T&A polysomnographic evaluation may be needed, especially in high-risk patient groups. In addition, incorporation of nonsurgical approaches for milder forms of the disorder and for residual OSAS after T&A is now being investigated. Read the rest of this entry