A Currently concluded research study based on the large health insurance database revealed that people who’d suffered sudden deafness were more probable to have a previous diagnosis of sleep apnea than a comparison group without hearing loss.

Taiwanese health insurance data analysis revealed that the absolute difference is actually small: 1.7 percent of those with hearing loss had sleep apnea in comparison to 1.2 percent without hearing trouble.

The health records of nearly one million Taiwanese evaluated by Dr. Jau-Jiuan Sheu, of Taipei Medical University Hospital. His team of researchers found that almost 3,200 had been diagnosed with sudden deafness between 2000 and 2008. Comparison was made with other five people of same age and sex without hearing loss. Out of those 19,000 people in total, 240 had been diagnosed with sleep apnea before the episode of sudden deafness occurred. Read the rest of this entry

Children with sleep disordered breathing (SDB) may have a better  quality of life (QOL) and diminished cardiovascular (CV) disease risk  from the decreased endothelin 1 (ET-1) levels after adenotonsillectomy,  according to new research  published in the journal Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.

SDB is an increasingly common indication for tonsillectomy and  adenoidectomy due to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Cardiovascular  disease frequently has been reported in patients with moderate to severe  OSA. Related abnormalities include: systematic hypertension, pulmonary  hypertension with cor pulmonale, left ventricular hypertrophy or  dysfunction, cardiac arrhythmias, atherosclerosis, and coronary artery  disease. Read the rest of this entry

UT Arlington bioengineering researchers have designed an innovative, ultrasonic sensor system that can accurately detect whether a person suffers from sleep apnea without the inconvenience or cost associated with an overnight stay in a sleep center.

The University of Texas at Arlington has applied for a provisional patent for the concept and technology. Researchers are currently identifying private partners to market the device. UT Arlington has formed an alliance with Sleep Consultants Inc. in Fort Worth to conduct studies related to the research.

Sleep apnea affects an estimated 15 percent of adults nationwide. The chronic interruption of breathing can lead to hypertension, heart failure and even some brain injuries. The new detection system promises a speedier path to diagnosis and eventual relief, said Khosrow Behbehani, professor and chair of the UT Arlington Department of Bioengineering. 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

For patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea, three months of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is associated with reduced blood pressure, and partial reversal of metabolic abnormalities, according to a study published in the Dec. 15 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Surendra K. Sharma, M.D., Ph.D., from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, and colleagues investigated the effects of CPAP treatment on metabolic syndrome in 86 patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Patients were assigned to real or sham CPAP for three months, followed by a washout period of one month, and then a crossover to the other intervention for three months. Anthropometric variables, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose levels and lipid profile, insulin resistance, glycated hemoglobin levels, carotid intima-media thickness, and visceral fat were measured before and after each intervention. Read the rest of this entry

The Doctors Health Press, a publisher of various natural health newsletters books and reports, including the popular online Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin, is lending its support to a new study that has found combining a Mediterranean diet and regular physical activity could help you improve your night time rest.

As reported in the Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin on Thursday, December 8, 2011, the study looked at how the Mediterranean diet could help obese adults with sleep apnea compared to those with a typical diet.

This health condition causes frequent pauses of breathing to occur during sleep. It can be dangerous over the long term, and is one of the most prevalent sleep-related breathing disorders. Two to four out of every 100 adults experience sleep apnea. But that rises 20% to 40% among obese individuals. Read the rest of this entry

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified an intracellular signaling enzyme that regulates the wake-sleep cycle, which could help lead to the development of more effective sleep aid medications. Subimal Datta, PhD, director and principal investigator at the Laboratory of Sleep and Cognitive Neuroscience at BUSM, led the study, which points to a specific enzyme inside neurons in the brain that trigger an important shift in consciousness from sleep to wakefulness and wakefulness to sleep.

The results are published in the November 23 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. Read the rest of this entry

People with obstructive sleep apnea are more likely to stick to prescribed treatment when a partner or parent is involved with their treatment, according to a team of sleep researchers.

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the upper airway collapses during sleep. It is the most common type of sleep-disordered breathing, and chances of it occurring become more elevated in obese people.

The first line of treatment for sleep apnea is a non-invasive in-home treatment called CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure therapy. However, if patients do not use the equipment properly, or at all, it cannot help. Read the rest of this entry

St. Luke’s Sleep Medicine and Research Center is now enrolling participants in a clinical study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Apnex Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation (HGNS) System, an implantable device, to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

“Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which involves a pressurized mask over the nose, is considered the ‘gold standard’ for the treatment of sleep apnea, but many people have difficulty tolerating it,” said Paula Schweitzer, PhD, St. Luke’s Sleep Medicine and Research Center director of research. “This implantable device offers a new approach for those who have not had success with CPAP or other sleep apnea treatments.”

People interested in learning if they qualify for the Apnex Clinical Study may call 888-975-3370 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            888-975-3370     end_of_the_skype_highlighting or visit stlukes-stl.com/sleep. Qualified participants will receive the medical device and care free of charge.

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has received a $3.8 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to study sleep apnea as a possible cause of atrial fibrillation (AF), the most commonly diagnosed type of arrhythmia, or irregular heart rhythm.

AF is characterized by an abnormally rapid heart rate that can inhibit blood flow, and raise the risk of stroke and heart failure. The five-year, NHLBI grant will enable researchers to study how sleep apnea, a treatable disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, produces functional and structural changes in the heart that may well contribute to the development of AF. Read the rest of this entry

Patients with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition in which the airway collapses and blocks breathing for 10 seconds or more, may consider adjustable oral appliances (OAs), devices that fit within the mouth to prevent upper airway collapse, as an effective first-line treatment, according to two studies conducted by sleep medicine specialists from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) in Bethesda, Md. 

The retrospective, peer-reviewed studies, published in the December 2011 issue of CHEST, the official journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, and in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM), the official journal of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, provide findings on OAs from the largest patient populations studied to date. The studies found that adjustable OAs are nearly as effective as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment for patients with a mild form of OSA and are more effective than fixed oral appliances, particularly in patients with moderate to severe OSA. 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

A recent study by the American Psychiatric Association of Psychiatric  Services concludes a direct connection between sleep apnea and certain  psychiatric conditions. It also points out that the solutions for psychiatric  patients are just as simple as those for all individuals suffering from sleep  apnea. Companies like Rematee provide a solution that is both non-evasive and  ensures side sleeping.

Sleep apnea is a relatively common sleep disorder that causes patients to  stop breathing from 20 seconds to 40 seconds, due to a relaxed and thus  partially collapsed airway. Although it will not outright wake its victims, it  will bring them to a lighter stage of sleep, disrupting the rest and relaxation  needed by the brain, as well as other parts of the body.

Because the brain is so affected by this sleep disorder, much research is  being done as to how it relates to psychiatric conditions.  Studies are showing  that the effects of sleep apnea on certain mental conditions, including that of  Alzheimer’s disease, are actually quite prominent. Read the rest of this entry

The safety and effectiveness of sleep apnea equipment will be examined,evaluated, and determined with the help of a research study conducted by Winston-Salem Company.

Winston-Salem announced that  it has received approval to begin a clinical study to evaluate the  safety and effectiveness of the Apnex hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation (HGNS) System. The device is used to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

PMG will be one of the first medical centers in the country to participate in this study. “Many people who suffer from OSA are unable to tolerate existing therapies such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). The HGNS System provides a new approach to the treatment of OSA. This study will help us  further understand what role this device could have in treating the millions of people who suffer from OSA,” said the study’s co-principal investigator. Read the rest of this entry

People with diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea are at greater risk of hypoglycemia, a newly concluded research revealed.

People suffering from a sleep disorder who also had poor autonomic function had significantly more hypoglycemia than those with more normal function (P<0.05), Jennifer Cheng, MD, of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago, and colleagues reported here at the World Congress on Insulin Resistance, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease meeting.

“We expected that the symptomatic obstructive sleep apnea patients would have more hyperglycemia, but they actually had more hypoglycemia,” Cheng told MedPage Today. “Clinicians should take into account autonomic function when recommending tight glucose regulation because of the adverse effects that hypoglycemia can cause.” Read the rest of this entry