If you are suffering from the deadly sleep disorder called the obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) then you’re not breathing properly while you sleep because your airflow is blocked repeatedly throughout the night.

Almost one in four men and one in ten women suffer from sleep apnea. There are three different types of sleep apnea but obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common. And it goes hand-in-hand with type 2 diabetes.

Among all of the sleep disorders, OSA has the strongest association with type 2 diabetes. That’s even taking into account other risk factors, such as weight, sex and age.

The main risk factor for OSA is obesity. Excess weight deposits extra fat around the thorax, reducing chest compliance and functional capacity, while increasing oxygen demand. Read the rest of this entry

Researchers at Temple’s Center for Obesity Research and Education (CORE) conducted a research study with the treatment and prevention of obesity, and have finalized on five tips to stick to the pledge to lose weight throughout the year.

You should start with a support system. Having a support system can make it easier to achieve weight loss goal – even if that support comes from the computer or your smart phone.

The research led by Melissa Napolitano, an associate professor of kinesiology and a clinical psychologist at CORE, found that college-age women who were invited to a private Facebook page and received daily, personalized text messages with tips and information on nutrition and exercise, lost more weight than their counterparts who had no extra support. Read the rest of this entry

Most people usually find it difficult to get a restful sleep for several hours after sitting under bright lights post sunset. If you are one of those who do not get a restful night’s sleep here is good news for you all. A new LED bio-bulb will soon be allowing you to see at night without hindering body’s natural mechanisms.

A Florida inventor is testing a new LED bio-bulb that could regulate the body’s circadian rhythm by helping control the production of melatonin, the body’s sleep hormone that tells us when it’s night time, Discovery News reported.

Fred Maxik, founder and chief technology officer of Lighting Science Group Corp asserted that this can be achieved by eliminating a small segment of the blue wavelength of light (around 465 to 485 nanometers) produced by the lightbulb. Read the rest of this entry

There are six common sleeping positions, the Fetus, the Log, the Yearner, the Soldier, the Free Faller, and the Starfish. Director of the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service, Professor Chris Idzikowski, has come to find that the position in which we sleep can give us clues about what our personalities may be like.

Curling up into a ball or fetus position is clearly the Fetus sleep position. This is the most common sleeping position. The Log is the position where you’re on your side with both arms down at your side. If you sleep on your side with both arms out in front, you sleep in the Yearner position. The Soldier position is lying on your back with both arms pinned to your sides Sleeping on your stomach with your hands around the pillow and your head turned to one side is called the Free Faller position. The Starfish is where you lay on your back with both arms up around the pillow.

“We are all aware of our body language when we are awake but this is the first time we have been able to see what our subconscious posture says about us,” Idzikowski said. “What’s interesting is that the profile behind the posture is often very different from what we would expect.”[ Read Complete Post  ...   ]

Snoring is a global health problem in adults especially. Sleep experts believe that using an anti-snoring device is a better way to ease breathing and ensure that the body is getting enough rest.

But in addition to the help from a snoring device, there are a variety of ‘self-help’ techniques people can use to keep the air flowing. Here are seven extremely useful tips for people who snore loud;

1. Maintain a healthy weight
2. Establish a regular routine for sleep (i.e., the same bedtime every night)
3. Sleep on your side, rather than on your back
4. Avoid tranquilizers, antihistamines and sleeping pills
5. Do not drink alcohol for at least four hours before bedtime
6. Do not eat heavy meals or high-calorie snacks for at least three hours before bedtime
7. Consider an adjustable belt where you can tilt the head upwards four inches…or use pillows to achieve the same angle

Sleep apnea is a deadly sleep disorder and as soon as you spot out any symptoms of this deadly disorder it is always best to go to a sleep specialist and follow his instructions.

A good sleep specialist will probably recommend CPAP, surgery, or oral appliance therapy. This list is not necessarily an alternative to CPAP, surgery, or oral appliances, but rather supplementary methods that decrease the probability of airway collapse.

Usually these methods are not enough to entirely eliminate sleep apnea disorder however there are effective ways either. Here are six of such probable ways ;

1. Lose Your Extra Weight

Unless you are extremely overweight AND your sleep apnea is mild, usually weight loss is not enough to entirely eliminate it. But it can definitely help. Weight loss is thought to improve apnea by changing the shape of the airway which decreases the probability of airway collapse. Read the rest of this entry

You could be just one among the millions of people all across the globe who are suffering from a sleep disorder. Even more disturbing is the fact that majority of the persons suffering from sleep disorders are undiagnosed.

How can you be so sure that if you have a sleep disorder?

Here are some of the most commonly occurring health conditions and symptoms that you may be experiencing significant as a typical sleep problem that requires urgent professional evaluation.

1.You have trouble going to sleep at night

While this is a common complaint among the normal population, if the problem persists it may signal the presence of a sleep disorder.                        Read the rest of this entry

Children are busy these days with texting, talking on the phone, and video games and this could leave them heavily sleep deprived. Apart from all these gadgets and other activities there is another monster that’s robbing them of a good night’s rest.

Getting your kid to sleep like a baby is harder than ever these days. If you have a teen, you know exactly what is this all about.

Edward Grandi with the American Sleep Apnea Association says, “They go to bed and immediately they’re texting their friends, or they’re looking at movies.”

Or they’re on Facebook or Twitter or checking their email, it’s endless. Read the rest of this entry

Sleep apnea is a deadly sleep disorder and it is also greatly underdiagnosed. Up to 7 percent of men and 5 percent of women in the United States have sleep apnea, according to a Mayo Clinic study.

Robotic surgery technology has been used extensively for other surgical procedures but the FDA has approved its application for the throat and pulmonary related issues only last year. A handful of academic institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Alabama, have begun exploring the technology’s uses to treat sleep apnea.

Somerset Medical Center’s two surgeons, Adrianna Hekiert and Amy Lazar, spearheaded the robotic sleep apnea surgery treatment in New Jersey for the patients with the most serious cases of sleep apnea. Read the rest of this entry

Lee A. Surkin, MD is the first medical practice in the state of North Carolina to offer Provent Sleep Apnea Therapy, an innovative, non-invasive treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to patients in Greenville and throughout North Carolina. Cleared by the US FDA in 2008, Provent Therapy is a simple and effective new treatment option for obstructive sleep apnea. Provent Therapy utilizes the patient’s own breathing to provide clinically proven results in the treatment of OSA.

CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) is currently the gold standard for treatment of OSA and is extremely effective at treating OSA when worn as directed. However, up to half of all patients are not compliant with CPAP therapy due to the cumbersome nature of the treatment. Provent Therapy was developed to help patients who cannot tolerate CPAP therapy and may benefit from the small non-invasive and effective technology Provent Therapy provides. Read the rest of this entry

Sleep disorders often remain undiagnosed. Untreated sleep disorders among police officers may adversely affect their health and safety and pose a risk to the public.

Researchers examined and evaluated associations between sleep disorder risk and self-reported health, safety, and performance outcomes in police officers.

Cross-sectional and prospective cohort study of North American police officers participating in either an online or an on-site screening (n=4957) and monthly follow-up surveys (n=3545 officers representing 15 735 person-months) between July 2005 and December 2007. A total of 3693 officers in the United States and Canada participated in the online screening survey, and 1264 officers from a municipal police department and a state police department participated in the on-site survey.             Read the rest of this entry

Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

United States Anesthesia and Respiratory Devices Market Outlook to 2017 – Respiratory Devices, Respiratory Measurement Devices, Airway and Anesthesia Devices, Anesthesia Machines, Sleep Apnea Diagnostic Systems, Pain Management Devices and Others

The report provides key market data on the United States Anesthesia and Respiratory Devices market. The report provides value (USD million), volume (units) and average price (USD) data for each segment and sub-segment within eight market categories – Airway and Anesthesia Devices, Anesthesia Machines, Pain Management Devices, Regional Anesthesia Disposables, Respiratory Devices, Respiratory Disposables, Respiratory Measurement Devices and Sleep Apnea Diagnostic Systems. Read the rest of this entry

People sleep significantly better and feel more alert during the day  if they get at least 150 minutes of exercise a week, a new study  concludes.

A nationally representative sample of more than 2,600 men and women,  ages 18-85, found that 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a  week, which is the national guideline, provided a 65% improvement in  sleep quality. People also said they felt less sleepy during the day,  compared to those with less physical activity.

The study, out in the December issue of the journal Mental  Health and Physical Activity, lends more evidence to mounting  research showing the importance of exercise to a number of health  factors. Read the rest of this entry

In an industry first, Celadon, a major Canadian trucking firm, acknowledged in a recent legal settlement that sleep apnea in one of their drivers most likely led to the death of John Lindsay in a May 2010 trucking collision.  Wanda Lindsay, founder of The John Lindsay Foundation, recently announced the $3,250,000 settlement of a lawsuit she and her 3 children filed against Celadon Trucking Company and its driver. The lawsuit arose out of the death of John Lindsay on May 9, 2010.

The Lindsay family was represented by Jim Cole and the Cole, Cole & Easley law firm in Victoria, Texas.

“This is the first case in which a trucking company has acknowledged a death resulting from a driver with sleep apnea,” Cole said.  “I believe this will have a national impact on the trucking industry.” 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 previously announced agreement to acquire the majority interest in Village Sleep Center in Plano, Texas.

“The acquisition of Village Sleep Center is a great addition to our existing operations in the Dallas Fort Worth area and supports our expansion strategy in existing markets,” said Stanton Nelson, chairman and CEO of Graymark Healthcare. “We look forward to leveraging the professional support staff already established in the region to offer residents of Plano the most comprehensive sleep care available.” Read the rest of this entry