Wives of soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan are more likely to be diagnosed with depression, anxiety, sleep apnea and other sleep disorders along with complex mental health conditions than women whose husbands are not deployed, according to a new study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Read the rest of this entry

Ambulatory BP studies indicate that even small increases in BP, particularly nighttime BP levels, are associated with significant increases in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Accordingly, sleep-related diseases that induce increases in BP would be anticipated to substantially affect cardiovascular risk. Both sleep deprivation and insomnia have been linked to increases in incidence and prevalence of hypertension.

Likewise, sleep disruption attributable to restless legs syndrome increases the likelihood of having hypertension. Read the rest of this entry

Central Washington Sleep Diagnostic Center recently opened it’s second branch in Moses Lake at 2323 W. Broadway Ave., Unit 4.

The sleep center is here to help people experiencing sleeping disorders, as more than 70 million Americans’ sleep is currently affected. The affects of sleep deprivation include depression, brain fog, change in mental status, short-term memory loss, weight gain, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, traffic accidents, workplace accidents and injuries. Read the rest of this entry

The information gap and general lack of understanding of obesity’s unique and disproportionate impact on women contributes to the challenges of the 65 million American women who are considered overweight or obese, said the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance Task Force on Women at a meeting on Capitol Hill today. Through discussions with health experts and an extensive review of obesity prevalence research, the Task Force found women to be hit hardest by obesity – confounding efforts to turn the tide on the nation’s obesity problem, especially in children.

“We rely on women to serve as the ‘Chief Health Officer’ for the family, but with more than a third being obese themselves, we’re unlikely to break the cycle with children without finding ways for moms to overcome their weight problems as well,” said Christine Ferguson, professor at The George Washington University and Director of the STOP Obesity Alliance. “What’s more, achieving healthier weights for women, whether they are mothers or not, will mean a healthier society overall. Unfortunately, significant barriers stand in the way.” Read the rest of this entry

Department of Surgical Gastroenterology at Manipal Hospital, Bangalore inaugurated Bariatric Surgery Services, a comprehensive programme for bariatric surgery. This distinctive programme offers pre-operative education, state of the art surgical facility and post operative support.

The benefits of bariatric surgery have been carefully studied and it is recommended for patients with a body mass index of 37.5 Kg/m2 or those with a BMI above 32.5 Kg/m2 with co-morbidities. Bariatric surgery not only causes a significant and sustained weight loss but a significant improvement of co-morbidities. Almost 70 per cent of patients with morbidity hypertension and Type 2 diabetes can be expected to get off medications in about three months time. Read the rest of this entry

Overweight in children is most commonly described by using BMI. Because BMI does not adequately describe regional (central) adiposity, other indices of body fatness are being explored.

Neck circumference (NC) is positively associated with obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes, and hypertension in adults. NC also has positive correlation with BMI in adults. The possible role of NC in screening for high BMI in children is not well characterized. Read the rest of this entry

Clinic-based observational studies in men have reported that obstructive sleep apnea is associated with an increased incidence of coronary heart disease. The objective of this study was to assess the relation of obstructive sleep apnea to incident coronary heart disease and heart failure in a general community sample of adult men and women.

A total of 1927 men and 2495 women 40 years of age and free of coronary heart disease and heart failure at the time of baseline polysomnography were followed up for a median of 8.7 years in this prospective longitudinal epidemiological study. Read the rest of this entry

[Press Release]- SAN DIEGO – Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the in-licensing, development and commercialization of proprietary branded pharmaceutical products and late-stage product candidates for the treatment of diseases and disorders in the central nervous system therapeutic area, today announced that it has established a commercial team to promote Silenor(R) (doxepin) for the treatment of insomnia characterized by difficulties with sleep maintenance. Read the rest of this entry

Obstructive sleep apnea has been related to increased cardiovascular risk. A recent research study examined the relationships between respiratory parameters and left ventricular abnormalities in obstructive sleep apnea.

One hundred and fifty newly diagnosed OSA patients without any known cardiovascular disease were included (age =49±11 years, BMI =27.1±3.3 kg·m^–2, respiratory disturbance index =41±18/h). Haemodynamic, biological, respiratory, cardiac and arterial parameters were assessed at inclusion. ^{Read the rest of this entry}

Physiologic changes of pregnancy may predispose females to develop sleep disordered breathing (SDB) or protect against it. Studies evaluating outcomes of SDB symptoms in pregnancy are scarce. The goal of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of SDB symptoms in pregnancy and their relationship with pregnancy and neonatal outcomes.

A cross-sectional survey of randomly selected immediate postpartum females was performed using the multivariable apnea prediction index. Record review including demographics and medical history was performed. Main outcome measures included pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. Read the rest of this entry

The researchers in Switzerland measured age-specific prevalence of airflow obstruction (AO) in Switzerland in smokers and never smokers using pulmonary function tests and respiratory symptoms from 6126 subjects participating in the Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults.

The lower limit of normal of FEV₁/FVC ratio was used to define AO. Severity of AO was graded according to the recommendations of the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. Read the rest of this entry

Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Diabetes have a close relationship.

“There is increasing attention to the causes, consequences, and treatment of OSA. OSA is a condition that millions of Americans suffer from, many without knowing it”,says .Dr. Gary D. Foster, a member of the Advisory Board for DiabetesCare.net

According to Dr. Foster obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is closely associated with impaired faster glucose, glucose intolerance, and type 2 diabetes.

“A recent comprehensive literature review, comprised of 83 studies, found among all of the sleep disorders, OSA has the strongest association with type 2 diabetes,. It is possible that the relationship goes in both directions. Poor sleep quality and intermittent hypoxemia from OSA may serve as the catalyst for glucose dysregulation. Over time these abnormalities may accelerate weight gain, which increases the severity of OSA”, explained Dr. Foster

Your eyes tell about overall health. 

A study concluded on people with sleep apnea found an amazing correlation with increased risk for glaucoma and stroke.In all 83 people with sleep apnea participated in this research study. Out of these 83 people in the study — fully one third had glaucoma!  

If you have sleep apnea you should see your eye doctor regularly and mention you have SA. Keep regular visits with your primary care physician to monitor blood pressure, serum cholesterol, and blood sugar.Symptoms of sleep apnea-which usually occur in overweight males, include daytime sleepiness, chronic fatigue, and decreased cognitive function.

Another study found 40 minutes of exercise per day (such as brisk walking), four days per week lowered pressure in the eyes as effectively as some eye drop medications! This means exercise can reduce your risk of glaucoma, or if you already have it, exercise will help your glaucoma medications work better.

A recently concluded  research study established that the patients denied bariatric surgery by their insurer developed a host of new obesity-related diseases and conditions including Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) , within three years. 

Another study on insurers, showed that patients on insurance-mandated diet programs for six months before bariatric surgery did no better than patients with no such insurance requirement. However, patients on these programs had to wait, on average, about four months longer for surgery. 

Findings of this new research study were presented at the 27th annual scientific meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) recently.