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

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

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

In the latest step of their national expansion campaign, The Snoring Center is pleased to announce the opening of a Chicago location on January 9. The company is the nation’s leading provider of minimally invasive, office-based treatment for snoring and sleep apnea, including the Pillar Procedure from Medtronic.

Dr. Victoria Brkovich, a Board Certified Otolaryngologist with years of clinical experience, has been appointed Medical Director of the Chicago office, located at Water Tower Place.

“I couldn’t be more honored to join The Snoring Center team,” said Dr. Brkovich. “The Snoring Center’s innovative approach and progressive treatment options have helped people from around the world to find healthy, restorative sleep, which is essential to physical and emotional well-being. The opening of our center gives more people access to convenient, effective snoring and sleep apnea treatment options.” Read the rest of this entry

The prevalence of obesity in children has tripled in last 30 years, leading to children developing adult medical problems, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and sleep apnea.

While the childhood obesity epidemic is severe, we are seeing a decline in certain populations. In the United States alone, more than 12 million children and adolescents are considered obese.

Children who are obese are also more likely to continue on to be obese as an adult. Read the rest of this entry

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

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  ...   ]

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