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

A new study presented in November at the American College of Allergy, Asthma  and Immunology Annual Meeting found that obese adolescents have an increased risk of sleep apnea or abnormal breathing during sleep.

Previous research has shown that obese children and teenagers are at higher  risk of health-related problems, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood  pressure and asthma. Children who are overweight are nearly 2-1/2 times more  likely to have asthma than those who are not overweight. Now, this new study  highlights how obesity may interfere with a child’s ability to have restful  sleep.

“Quality nighttime sleep is a key component for advanced executive function  in children and teenagers,” says Sushmita Mikkilineni, M.D., Director Pediatric  Pulmonology for Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ) at Newark Beth Israel  Medical Center. “Untreated pediatric sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, can  exact a heavy toll on young people. Children suffering from sleep disorders may  be hyperactive, inattentive, and chronically tired.” Read the rest of this entry

Sleep apnea is a condition that can strike in age groupand in either gender. Although the most common group are older men, children and infants are also at risk. Asthma and sleep apnea are strange bedfellows. Several studies have linked the two issues and theorize that there is a group of people with asthma and sleep apnea who are unaware of the second diagnosis.

Sleep apnea is the description of the condition where the sufferer experiences a temporary, often repeated, pause of breathing during sleep. If a person with sleep apnea has a family member that can observe them they will often witness snoring, hyper-extended head position in children, pauses in breathing and startle responses during sleep.

Other symptoms of sleep apnea include loud snoring, obesity, lack of concentration, morning headaches, excessive sleepiness during the day, frequent visits to the bathroom at night, severe mood swings, low sex drive and a general lack of energy. Read the rest of this entry

One-fifth of all patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension suffer with the fatal disease for more than two years before being correctly diagnosed and properly treated, according to a new national study led by researchers at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City.

“For a lot of patients, that means the treatment is more difficult and the damage is irreversible,” said Lynnette Brown, MD, PhD, a pulmonologist and researcher at Intermountain Medical Center and lead author of the study, which is published this week in the July issue of Chest, the journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.

“Finding out which patients are getting a delayed diagnosis is the first step in identifying them earlier, when treatment is easier and hopefully more effective,” she said. Read the rest of this entry

Insomnia, one of the most dreaded – yet highly common – is affecting more than 30% of the world’s population. Not surprisingly, people today have been found to experience 20% less of the good night’s sleep that people from 100 years ago tremendously enjoyed. Often caused by stress and anxiety or involving genetics, insomnia is prompting roughly 10 million Americans to pop prescription medicine to help them fall into a deep slumber.

As the number of “insomniacs” around the world soars, so does the need for trusted, relevant data on how alleviate the condition.

Established in 2005, Help-Me-To-Sleep.com aims to provide a wealth of facts and advice on a range of sleep disorders including insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome and shift work sleep disorder. The website contains insomnia definition to help visitors understand the condition, while tackling in detail what causes insomnia and how to treat it. Read the rest of this entry

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 45 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, a disorder that causes a person to briefly and repeatedly stop breathing during sleep. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a debilitating, often life-threatening sleep disorder an estimated 800 thousand patients are being diagnosed with OSA per year in the USA and approximately 10% being treated.According to Jim Boyle a Registered Respiratory Therapist and Sleep Disorder Specialist with 20 years clinical experience has treated hundreds of OSA suffers and is the genesis behind NuLungs.com. People with untreated sleep apnea are more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure and Type II diabetes. Boyle founded the Company to offer a convenient and cost effective alternative to diagnosing and treating sleep apnea patients. Read the rest of this entry

Middle-of-the-night waking could be a serious health problem in the school age kids.This could be because of several factors and may also lead to further complexities including the sleep related disorders.Researches have established that infants and school age kids are prone to fall victim of these sleep disorders including daytime sleepiness,sleep apnea,fatigue,sleep deprivation,bedwetting,and others.

School age kids may be affected by any physical problem, an upset stomach, a strained muscle , and it can rouse your child. But the most common culprits are allergies, asthma, and (especially among the overweight) reflux. Read the rest of this entry

A study conducted in Las Vegas has found that of the 106 patients on which the CPAP mask was tried since February, 70 percent benefited, with medical officials reporting that the patients did not have to go on a mechanical ventilator.

“CPAP was highly effective in the treatment of dyspnea (difficult or labored breathing) associated with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, and pneumonia,” states a preliminary report written by Bledsoe and Johnson to the Southern Nevada Health District.

Those conditions generally see a fluid buildup in the lungs. CPAP’s continuous positive pressure of air, pushing the fluid back into the soft tissue, allows gas exchange to flow better and simplifies a patient’s ability to take a breath.

If the preliminary results of the Las Vegas study stay about the same for about 300 patients, it’s expected that the health district will require the CPAP on all emergency medical service vehicles in Southern Nevada. Read the rest of this entry

Obese, asthmatic, anxious or depressed children are more likely to experience excessive daytime sleepiness, or EDS, according to Penn State College of Medicine sleep researchers.

“Although excessive daytime sleepiness in children is commonly assumed by physicians and the public to be the result of sleep-disordered breathing or inadequate sleep, our data suggest that EDS in young children is more strongly associated with obesity and mood issues as it is in adults,” said Edward Bixler, professor of psychiatry and vice chair of research at the Sleep Research and Treatment Center.

Excessive daytime sleepiness is the inability to stay awake during the day, while sleep-disordered breathing is a group of disorders that includes sleep apnea, characterized by pauses in breathing. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/ [ Press release ]/ LYMAN, S.C., April  19, 2011 /- Southern Home Medical Equipment,  Inc. a Holding Company providing healthcare services,  healthcare professionals and equipment to medical institutions, announced today  that in response to the growing demand for specialized solutions for respiratory  therapy illnesses, Southern Home has launched its Respi-Care Respiratory Therapy  Program.  The program provides specialized treatment for Sleep Apnea,  bronchodilator therapy, tracheostomy care and other respiratory illnesses.

Respi-Care combines the expertise of certified respiratory therapists with  the latest in respiratory therapy equipment, patient assessment and education to  both the patient and health care staff.  The Respi-Care treatment program is provided to patients through  home health, skilled nursing and other facilities. Read the rest of this entry

Most common sleep problems can be successfully treated, and there are a variety of treatment options.“I think most people agree that sleep is important to overall health, but they fail to tell their doctors when they’re having problems — this is probably due to a variety of reasons, but a common one includes uncertainty about the treatments,” says Dennis Auckley, M.D., director of the MetroHealth Center for Sleep Medicine.

Dr. Auckley leads a team of six Valerie Ross, CNP, and Jan Steinel RRT, CNP, are also specially trained members of the team that provides clinical diagnosis and treatment of the full spectrum of sleep disorders in adults and children at three specially equipped Sleep Center facilities: at MetroHealth’s main campus just south of downtown Cleveland, in Independence, and — new this year — in Westlake. Patients are also seen at The Senior Health & Wellness Center in Cleveland and at the MetroHealth Strongsville Community Health Center.

According to Dr. Auckley, insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome and parasomnias, such as sleep walking and night terrors, are the main types of sleep disorders diagnosed and treated at the Center for Sleep Medicine. Insomnia is the most common, with 25% of Americans experiencing it intermittently and 10% chronically. It is especially common in women and the elderly, and the causes vary — from environmental conditions to poor sleep habits to medical or psychological conditions and sometimes even medications. Read the rest of this entry

The PC-60D2 Pediatric Pulse Oximeter measures SpO2 (percentage of oxygen saturation in the blood) and pulse rate of children with accuracy and ease. The PC-60D2 offers a special design and chipset technology specifically manufactured for a kid’s finger. It uses a customized pediatric oximetry sensor adjusted for children’s skin to ensure accurate readings. Small and compact, it provides complete oximetry solutions while still able to fit in your pocket.

“It is of the greatest importance to parents to be able to monitor their children’s health conditions including asthma ,sleep apnea, or heart arrhythmia wherever they go,” said Dr. Khanna of the Lavale Clinic based in Cumberland, MD. “The PC-60D2 Pulse Oximeter is the perfect tool for parents to monitor their children on the go as they simply measure the child’s SpO2 and pulse rate and subsequently share the results with for professional diagnosis and treatement.”

The PC-60D2 Oximeter is a widely used medical device in health-care facilities, including hospitals, outpatient surgery centers, physician offices, dentist offices, emergency and ambulatory situations, as well as home diagnostics for monitoring of children’s health.

By Dhong Hun-jong, M.D.

Allergic rhinitis, or AR, is a common disease that is often considered a trivial and temporary illness less severe than asthma. 

However, the disease can bring dramatic changes in the quality of life of the patients, affecting their daily activities. It also results in relatively high medical expenses and financial burden.

According to the National Health Insurance Corporation, 4.1 million people suffer from AR in Korea (2007) and the economic burden is estimated to reach almost $272.92 million.

Allergic symptoms can vary with the season and type of allergen. They include sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, plus itchy eyes and nose. Young patients may also have mouth breathing, snoring and sleep-disordered breathing such as obstructive sleep apnea.

In these patients, upper respiratory infections such as common colds and ear infections are more frequent and last longer. Read the rest of this entry

Increasing evidence supports the hypothesis that sleep disturbances in patients with well-controlled asthma could be caused by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

 According to Dr. Braido, it is likely that asthma complicates the treatment of OSA, or vice versa.”Rhinitis is a worsening factor for asthma and inflammation, and nasal congestion a risk factor for snoring. We know that snoring is strongly related to sleep apnea.”

In addition, Dr. Braido pointed out that,”Obesity is a predisposition for OSA development. The crucial question is how many of these patients suffered from sleep apnea. Anticholinergic treatments could be useful for patients with asthma and sleep apnea.”A diagnosis of OSA might be possible by monitoring levels of oral nitric oxide (NO), Dr. Braido advised. [Read Complee Post....  ]

Summer thunderstorms are great theater-sky-spanning fireworks followed by crackling, crashing booms. But thunderstorms are also linked to some negative effects on health, from breathing disturbances to heart problems.

Summer thunderstorms are great theater—sky-spanning fireworks followed by crackling, crashing booms. But thunderstorms are also linked to some negative effects on health, from breathing disturbances to heart problems, reports the August 2010 issue of the Harvard Health Letter. Read the rest of this entry