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

SleepApneaDisorder/ DEARBORN, MI/ January 28, 2012 /PressRelease/ — Patients suffering from sleep apnea and snoring can now seek treatment from Dr. Bruce Luria, Dearborn dentist. Dr. Bruce Luria is currently a member of the Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and is pleased to share his expertise with other members of Luria & Birnholtz Family Dentistry and his patients to improve their quality of life.

The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) is dedicated to the treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders through use of oral appliance therapy. As part of the AADSM’s stated mission, Dr. Bruce Luria, Dearborn, MI dentist, works with his patients to create a positive public awareness of sleep disorders such as snoring and obstructive sleep apnea in Dearborn.  Read the rest of this entry

Home sleep testing devices have become popular among medical providers to  determine whether or not patients may have obstructive sleep apnea.  Left  untreated, sleep apnea can account for higher risks of accidents, obesity, heart  disease, diabetes, and even colon cancer.

Medical professionals upload raw data  off the machine through the pm-Assist?  service that is scored by Registered Polysomnographic Technicians (RPSGT),  interpreted by Board Certified Sleep Physicians, and in as little as 24 hours  receive a diagnostic report.

“The growth of our pm-Assist program parallels the growth of home sleep  testing in the industry,” commented Dr. Benjamin Gerson, Chief Medical Director  of University Services, the parent  company of pm-Assist. Read the rest of this entry

Nemours/Alfred I. du Pont Hospital for Children (AIDHC) and Delaware Sleep Disorder Centers are pleased to announce a collaboration to provide sleep studies for children ages six to 18.

Adequate, restorative sleep is essential to maintaining good health. If a child has difficulty sleeping, a sleep test and subsequent evaluation can help identify the problem. Under this collaboration, tests are done at the Smyrna, Delaware Sleep Disorder Center in a child friendly atmosphere with state-of-the-art equipment for a full range of sleep disorders. Following the testing, Nemours sleep specialists will interpret all studies and are available for consultations. Read the rest of this entry

A good night’s sleep may seem like a distant memory for many women. Whether the source of these nighttime battles is hormonal changes, a crazy schedule, a snoring spouse, less-than-stellar sleep habits, anxiety, or a multitude of other possibilities — some women not only have a hard time falling asleep — they have a hard time staying asleep and experiencing the level of restorative rest they need.

Ashley Sleep offers easy-to-follow tips for women who want to “do it all” so they can seize their day — every day:

1. Get moving. It’s no secret that exercise has many benefits. Not only can it improve health and physical appearance, some studies suggest that the time it takes to fall asleep may be closely linked with your level of physical activity during the day. That means taking part in more healthy physical activities could lead to a better night’s rest. Read the rest of this entry

Sleep affects a person’s waking hours more than a person realizes. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, about 60 million Americans suffer from insomnia or other sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, restless limb syndrome, narcolepsy, delayed or advanced sleep phase syndrome and parasomnias. 

The Alert, Well and Keeping Energy (AWAKE) sleep support group is part of the Piedmont Newnan Sleep Center’s efforts to help patients get the rest they need to lead normal, productive lives.

“People don’t realize the affect and power a good night’s sleep has on people,” says Jennifer Morrow, the Piedmont Newnan Hospital Sleep Center and AWAKE support group coordinator.

Some common symptoms of not getting enough rest include excessive sleepiness during daytime hours, loud snoring, pauses during breathing while asleep, morning headaches, restless legs during sleep and exhaustion despite having enough sleep hours. Read the rest of this entry

As the number of patients diagnosed with sleep apnea is increasing the costs related to the health insurance is also increasing exponentially. This skyrocketing of the insurer’s sleep apnea related costs has now compelled the insurance companies to change their health coverage policies for the disorder.

A sleep apnea diagnosis usually requires patients undergo tests overnight in a sleep lab; some patients spend two nights in the lab to separately test for sleep apnea and to try a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. Insurers often spend $1,900 for one overnight stay.

As a result of this increased spending, some experts are concerned that overnight tests to diagnose apnea are over-prescribed. Medicare payments for sleep testing increased from $62 million in 2001 to $235 million in 2009.

This contrasts effective home sleep tests that cost less than a fifth of the lab version. Although Medicare began paying for home sleep tests in 2008, the tests have had only modest growth. Read the rest of this entry

Snoring was once considered a simple annoyance for bed partners, but there is a growing awareness in the medical community that the grunts and snorts of noisy sleepers can also be a sign of sleep apnea.

Testing can be a lucrative business, and labs have popped up in free-standing clinics and hospitals across the country. Over the past decade, the number of accredited sleep labs that test for the disorder has quadrupled, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

At the same time, insurer spending on the procedure has skyrocketed. Medicare payments for sleep testing increased from $62 million in 2001 to $235 million in 2009, according to the Office of the Inspector General.

Dr. David Gross, medical director of the sleep lab at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., says more than three-quarters of the patients who come to his lab are diagnosed with sleep apnea. “We are spending more and more money on sleep testing and treatment,” he says.

It’s no secret that the sleep business can be lucrative for physicians. While many sleep centers offer comprehensive care for sleep disorders, others are largely focused on overnight sleep testing, according to Dr. Nancy Collop, president of the academy. “A lot of people have gotten into the sleep business specifically to do that procedure,” she says.

Another option is a home sleep test, which costs less than a fifth as much as a lab test, and is considered effective for most patients. Medicare began paying for home sleep tests in 2008, but the tests have had only modest growth.

Some insurers, including WellPoint, are changing the way they pay for sleep testing to curb the costs.  Those changes are now widespread among Massachusetts insurers and are having an effect on the sleep industry in the state. [ Read Complete Post ... ]

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes,  Sleep Apnea remains a growing health concern with an estimated 18 million  Americans suffering.  Sleep Group Solutions offers dental continuing education  courses, with an emphasis in Dental Sleep Medicine.  With a growing demand for  treatment, SGS is now offering an Advanced course to the dental community,  taught by Dr.  Daniel Tache, Diplomat of the Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, the current  president of the Wisconsin Sleep Society and an instructor for Sleep Group  Solutions.

Now more than ever, dentists are seeking higher education to learn new skills  and protocols on proper treatment methods for snoring and sleep apnea.  Sleep  Group Solutions is currently the leader in dental continuing education for  Dental Sleep Medicine, offering over 60 courses in 2012.

Dentists such as Dr. Larry  Grillo in Aventura, Fl attended a course from SGS and currently is one of  the few dentists in the area screening and treating sleep apnea.  “Treating  obstructive sleep apnea impacts the systemic health of our patients more  significantly than almost any other service we provide. Read the rest of this entry

Experts advise against allowing infants to sleep in the same bed as parents but offer these recommendations for safe sleeping:

1. Babies should sleep alone on their backs, in cribs, bassinets or portable playpens that meet the most current safety standards.
2. Do not use a drop-side crib.
3. Do not use bumper pads, pillows, stuffed animals or heavy blankets in cribs. Dress babies in wearable blankets for sleep.
4. Do not allow babies to sleep on couches, adult beds or waterbeds.
5. Do not allow smoking near babies.
6. Babies under 1 should not sleep with other children in the same bed. Read the rest of this entry

In a recently concluded research study the researchers revealed that the babies with sleep problems are several times more likely to still have difficulties when they are toddlers compared to babies who sleep well.

Findings of this research study are published in the journal Pediatrics.

Researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio found that one in 10 children under age three has a sleep problem like nightmares, wakings, trouble falling asleep or an inability to sleep in the child’s own bed – results within the range of other studies.

“Oftentimes the message is, ‘Don’t worry about Susie, this is typical and it will get better,”‘ said lead author Kelly Byars, a pediatric psychologist.But her team found, and other experts agreed, that frequently it doesn’t. Read the rest of this entry

Verizon Wireless and NovaSom, Inc., the leader in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) home testing, will be showcasing the NovaSom’s AccuSom  Home Sleep Test at 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), [the Verizon booth ,Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall, Booth #30259].

The AccuSom Home Sleep Test is used in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea(OSA), one of the most serious and under-diagnosed medical conditions in the United States, affecting nearly 18 million Americans.  AccuSom is the only FDA-cleared wireless home sleep test on the market, utilizing Verizon’s network to wirelessly collect and transfer sleep data from the patient’s home to a proprietary cloud-based sleep apnea management platform for physician interpretation and diagnosis. Read the rest of this entry

A change in the structuring of work time, using a natural experiment to test whether participation in a corporate initiative predicts corresponding changes in health-related outcomes.

Drawing on job strain and stress process models, we theorize greater schedule control and reduced work-family conflict as  key mechanisms linking this initiative with health outcomes.

Longitudinal survey data from 659 employees at a corporate headquarters shows that ROWE predicts changes in health-related behaviors, including almost an extra hour of sleep on work nights. 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