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

People sleep significantly better and feel more alert during the day  if they get at least 150 minutes of exercise a week, a new study  concludes.

A nationally representative sample of more than 2,600 men and women,  ages 18-85, found that 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a  week, which is the national guideline, provided a 65% improvement in  sleep quality. People also said they felt less sleepy during the day,  compared to those with less physical activity.

The study, out in the December issue of the journal Mental  Health and Physical Activity, lends more evidence to mounting  research showing the importance of exercise to a number of health  factors. Read the rest of this entry

Bay Sleep, the West Coast’s largest and fastest growing independent sleep  center, announced the opening of its newest, state-of-the-art sleep clinic in Oakland, California. 

Located one block from Summit Medical Center, this is Bay Sleep’s 16th clinic open  for business. Services include sleep physician consultations, diagnostic in-lab  and home sleep testing and dispensing CPAP and other therapies for patients  diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and other sleep  disorders.

The growth trend continues as the company plans to open  their next full service sleep care facility in Solano County by mid-December.  Read the rest of this entry

Sleep apnea screening is rare among psychiatric patients at present, but it’s important to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) because it can make mental illness worse, contributing to depression and possibly to the risk of manic episodes.

The symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea can mimic mental illness as well, making patients irritable and tired. If a patient is diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea it will further complicate the use of benzodiazepines and other respiratory depressants in such patients.

The lead investigator Dr. Vanita Jain, a psychiatry department resident at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City says,” “Sleep problems are so integral to psychiatric problems, [and] we wanted to make sure that along with psychiatric disorders, we were treating obstructive sleep apnea, too”. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/ [  Press Release  ]/ Versailles, Ohio /October 17, 2011/ Sleep Apnea: A Growing Health Concern According to the National Institute  of Neurological Disorders and Strokes, an estimated 18 million Americans have  sleep apnea. However, few of them have had the problem diagnosed.

Sleep apnea is the repeated interruption of normal breathing during sleep.  Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of breathing-related sleep disorder. In patients with OSA, the airway collapses, temporarily restricting  airflow to the lungs. This partial airway obstruction causes the upper airway  tissue to vibrate and produce the sound of the classic snore.

As OSA develops, it has a cumulative effect, meaning that the longer the  disease goes untreated, the greater the negative side effects and associated  health risks. According to numerous  research studies, if sleep apnea remains untreated, other health conditions  may emerge or current health problems may worsen, including: Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/ [Press release ]/ DETROIT /– Detroit Medical Center has been selected as the first Detroit area hospital to participate in a pivotal clinical study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a new therapy for patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The STAR trial (Stimulation Therapy for Apnea Reduction) will be conducted at leading medical centers across the United States and Europe, and will evaluate the efficacy of Inspire™ Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS) therapy, an implantable therapy that works with the body’s natural physiology to prevent airway obstruction during sleep. More than 18 million Americans suffer from OSA, which is characterized by repeated episodes of upper airway collapse during sleep. Patients with OSA stop breathing frequently during sleep, often for a minute or longer. Daytime sleepiness, depression, weight gain, increase in industrial accidents and diminished quality of life are all commonly observed in people who suffer from OSA as a result of fragmented sleep patterns.  Furthermore, OSA is associated with the development of systemic hypertension, cardiovascular diseases (heart failure, heart rhythm disorders), stroke, and diabetes. Read the rest of this entry

Sleep disorders, like sleep apnea and insomnia, affect 40 per cent of Canadians, according  to new figures from a Laval University study published in this month’s issue of  the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

Through a survey of 2,000 people across Canada, researchers found 40 per cent  of respondents experienced symptoms of insomnia at least three times a week.  Symptoms include taking longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep, being awake  during the night for more than 30 minutes, or waking up at least 30 minutes  earlier than planned.

Although 20 per cent of respondents said they were unsatisfied with the  quality of their sleep, only 13 per cent of survey respondents say they visited  a doctor or health-care professional about the problem. Read the rest of this entry

The Aviisha Medical Institute, LLC is making headway in the battle against sleep apnea as physician groups continue to join its MD Home Sleep Program at a record pace. The program equips physicians with the knowledge and tools to diagnose and treat sleep apnea without resorting to costly lab testing.

The surge in group signups has helped Aviisha, the national leader in home sleep testing, reach more sleep apnea patients than ever before. “We’re seeing a remarkable number of patients getting treated thanks to the collective effort of our physicians,” said Dr. Avi Ishaaya, the cofounder and Medical Director of Aviisha. “Only 10-20% of sufferers are diagnosed despite the fact that untreated sleep apnea has such devastating health consequences.” Sleep apnea has been linked to increased risk of stroke, diabetes, heart failure, hypertension, obesity, sexual dysfunctional, depression, loss of motivation, and chronic fatigue.”

The groups come from a variety of states and comprise numerous specialties.

Aviisha’s MD Home Sleep Program Read the rest of this entry

The first study to document sleep problems in women with interstitial cystitis (IC), a painful and chronic bladder condition, has revealed the vast majority of sufferers are plagued by restless nights and ongoing sleep problems.

In the May-June 2011 issue of Urologic Nursing, Dr. Alis Kotler Panzera and her Philadelphia associates found 100% of the 407 study participants reported poor sleep, caused mainly by the need to urinate or from pain associated with IC. For the women, the sleepless nights cause daytime fatigue, loss of productivity, depression and an overall drop in quality of life.

The majority of the participants were from the United States, post-menopausal and between 55 and 60 years of age. The cause of IC, which
affects 1.2 million American women, is unknown, and there is no known cure. The main symptoms are urinary frequency, urgency and pain.

In analyzing the results of the study, Panzera encourages nurses to use cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia and to educate patients about ways to improve sleep.

“Nurses should be aware that the cause of the poor sleep quality may be multi-factoral,” she writes. “Therefore, appropriate screening of
all conditions that may interfere with sleep in this population, such as chronic insomnia, depression and obstructive sleep apnea, should be performed.”

As this was the first study to describe sleep quality in women with IC, Panzera says there are many issues remaining for future investigation, including better tests and treatments.

(Research: Sleep Disruption and Interstitial Cystitis Symptoms in Women; Alis Kotler Panzera, DrNP, APN-C, RN; Judith Reishtein, PhD, RN; & Patricia Shewokis, PhD, Urologic Nursing, May-June 2011.)

Source: Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates (SUNA)

Between 1960 and 2010, the average night’s sleep for adults in the United States dropped to six and a half hours from more than eight. Age can have a detrimental effect on sleep. In a 2005 national telephone survey of 1,003 adults ages 50 and older, the Gallup Organization found that a mere third of older adults got a good night’s sleep every day, fewer than half slept more than seven hours, and one-fifth slept less than six hours a night.

With advancing age, natural changes in sleep quality occur. Habits that ruin sleep often accompany aging: less physical activity, less time spent outdoors ,poorer attention to diet, taking medications that can disrupt sleep, caring for a chronically ill spouse, having a snoring partner who snores. Add to this list a host of sleep-robbing health issues, like painful arthritis, diabetes, depression, anxiety, sleep apnea, hot flashes in women and prostate enlargement in men. [  Read Complete Post By JANE E. BRODY At NewYork Times ...   ]

Sleep disturbances occur with increased frequency in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) compared with the general population. These encompass sleep apnea syndromes, post-traumatic hypersomnia, insomnia, and related conditions. Poor sleep can have adverse impacts on cognition, attention, and judgment. In those with TBI, disrupted sleep has been shown to impair rehabilitation efforts and progression, and is associated with diminished quality of life measures. The current military conflicts in the Middle East have focused renewed attention on this topic, because many military veterans are affected by TBI. Given the youth of this demographic, management of TBI will be an ongoing challenge for the healthcare community for years to come. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[ Press Release ]/ SAN DIEGO, May 24, 2011 /- ResMed today released the ResMed Sleep Assessment app, a novel new app for iPhone that lets users record themselves during sleep. The app also includes a clinically validated questionnaire that assesses their risk and other helpful features to empower users to discuss their sleep health with their physician.

Excessive tiredness may be due to sleep apnea

Feeling excessively tired or fatigued is often the result of disrupted, unhealthy sleep. Numerous factors can lead to poor quality sleep, some of which have significant negative health effects. One possible cause of fatigue is sleep apnea, a common sleep disorder. People with sleep apnea report feeling like they’re living in a fog, and that no matter how much they sleep they still feel exhausted.

Sleep apnea is a serious health condition in which a person stops breathing temporarily during sleep. After several seconds, the brain triggers a wake-up response, causing the person to awaken gasping. These events may happen hundreds of times per night, though the sleeper usually won’t remember waking up. Often a spouse or partner will notice that the person snores loudly during sleep.

Sleep apnea affects approximately one in five U.S. adults, although it is estimated that as many as 80% of sleep apnea sufferers are undiagnosed and untreated. A known cause of hypertension, untreated sleep apnea has also been linked with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and stroke. Read the rest of this entry

May is the month known as “better sleep month”.  Undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea is causing needless suffering, according to Brian Marks, who is director of cardiopulmonary services and the Hillside Hospital Sleep Medicine Center.  The Sleep Medicine Center has two sleep labs available for sleep studies and each clones a regular bedroom atmosphere.   One of the goals of the staff is to educate the community about sleep apnea and other sleep disorders.

“Serious sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, impact significant numbers of people,” he said.  “And, even more importantly, many people are unaware of the symptoms, risk factors for, or serious complications that can result from untreated sleep disorders.”

According to Marks, many patients are misdiagnosed with depression who are actually suffering from the long-term effects of untreated sleep apnea.  As many as twenty-five percent of people who have high blood pressure have sleep apnea and patients with untreated sleep apnea are at increased risk for initial and recurrent heart attacks.

“Physicians have a high clinical suspicion about sleep apnea if they are treating a patient who is overweight, has high blood pressure, is fatigued, and is experiencing a decreasing ability to concentrate.  Ordering a sleep evaluation should be considered.  And, most certainly, anyone with an underlying history of heart disease should be evaluated for sleep apnea as it significantly increases the risk of a recurrent heart attack.”

“Sleep apnea is a very treatable disease, and patients see such tremendous benefits in their quality of life.  The clinical benefits include reduction of the risk of heart attack and relief in symptoms.”

For more information, or a brochure regarding the Hillside Hospital Sleep Medicine Center, call Brian Marks at 424-4580.

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