Sleep apnea generally causes obstructive breathing in the middle of the night for more than 12 million Americans. Fatigue, high blood pressure and weight gain are just a few of its symptoms.
Several researches concluded during recent past have established that sleep apnea can be a drain on intimacy, causing erectile dysfunction in men and loss of libido in women.
Scientists suspect this may have to do with sex hormones like testosterone, which rise with sleep and fall when there is a lack of it. Because it causes intermittent waking and chronic sleep deprivation, apnea may directly drive down levels of these hormones, causing sexual dysfunction. Read the rest of this entry
UK researchers have demonstrated, for the first time, that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) appears to be characterized by endothelial dysfunction and impaired myocardial perfusion and that these abnormalities can be reversed by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment.
Using myocardial contrast echocardiography, Dr Mehmood Butt (University of Birmingham Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, UK) and colleagues assessed the myocardial perfusion of 36 otherwise healthy sleep-apnea patients and compared the findings with those from 36 hypertensive subjects and 36 healthy individuals. They also measured endothelial function using a variety of techniques, they report online July 11, 2011 in Hypertension.
Those with OSA and hypertension had abnormal myocardial perfusion (p<0.001 for both comparisons), attenuated brachial artery reactivity (p<0.001), and cutaneous perfusion responses (p<0.001) compared with the healthy subjects, but they showed significant improvements in all of these parameters after 26 weeks of CPAP therapy.
Because this was an open study and all the sleep-apnea patients received CPAP, proper randomized studies will be needed to confirm the benefit of this intervention on the endothelium, says senior author Dr Gregory Lip (University of Birmingham Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences).
But he hopes the work will bring greater awareness of the relationship between sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease. “The condition can be treated, and it is important that clinicians look out for it,” Lip comments in an AHA statement.
SleepApneaDisorder/ [ Press Release ]/ Minneapolis, MN/ April 04, 2011/- Through April 30, 2011, Somnetics, LLC is partnering with participating medical equipment dealers to offer sleep apnea patients a chance to try the Transcend Sleep Apnea Therapy System through a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Virtually unheard of in the CPAP industry, sleep apnea patients will be able to test-drive Transcend for 30 days before committing to the purchase of the CPAP. If customers are unsatisfied with Transcend for any reason, they may return Transcend to the dealer from which they purchased it within 30 days of the original purchase date for a full refund. Read the rest of this entry
A good night’s sleep has a direct connection to a healthy lifestyle. If you’re tossing and turning, or if you’re like the 37 million American’s who reportedly suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, you could be putting yourself at risk.
“It is a serious problem, because when you stop breathing obviously, your oxygen level in your blood goes down, and it affects basically all the organs in your body,” said Dr. Stephen Seidler with Orange City Dental Care.
If left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to obesity, heart disease and even stroke and that’s why coming to the dentist’s office could be the key to solving your issues.
Dr. Seidler explains how a small device, similar to a retainer, has helped some of his patients. “It snaps in on the bottom and the front (of your teeth),” he says. “It’s keeping the lower jaw forward so it doesn’t allow it to fall back.” FOX 35′s Talitha Vickers spoke with Dr. Stephen who demonstrates the device in the accompanying video.
There are 10 drugs (total 78 reports) most commonly used by sleep apnea patients. Reports reveal that there are many side effects, drug interactions, and effectiveness can not be detected when drugs are approved. They may be found only after drugs have been used by millions of people and for a long time. Patients and health professionals alone are not able to conduct these large, long term studies.
The following drugs are reported to be used in the treatment of Sleep Apnea. Click to see how effective they are overall and in long term (1+ year), and for what kind of people:
In a supporting role with the ever popular NBC’s The Biggest Loser, Nationwide Medical, Inc is announcing a new level of engagement between sleep apnea patients and television show contestants who use CPAP machines.
Tune in as a new social media awareness campaign is launched alongside The Biggest Loser for the first time in an effort to reach out to sleep apnea patients and those who are at risk but left untreated.
The Biggest Loser challenges and encourages overweight contestants to shed pounds in a safe and recommended manner through comprehensive diet and exercise as they compete for a grand prize of $250,000. The show airs on NBC Tuesdays at 8 pm (ET), beginning on Jan 4.
Viewers can follow their favorite contestants behind the scenes who suffer from sleep apnea and gain insight to treatment and use of CPAP machines through a weekly blog that is only available through the Nationwide Medical, Inc. Web site. Read the rest of this entry
SleepApneaDisorder/[ Press Release ] / Saint Paul, MN (Vocus) December 4, 2010/ Ask any sleep apnea patient about traveling with a traditional CPAP machine and you’ll learn that real hurdles exist: they’re bulky and difficult to pack; depend on a reliable power source, preventing most from traveling to remote destinations; and require advance planning when traveling overseas.
Transcend, a new sleep apnea therapy system soon to be released for sale direct to consumers, overcomes the burdens faced by travelers with sleep apnea. In fact, its unique design—which is lightweight, compact and durable—was conceived to meet the needs of the sleep apnea patient who is on the go and enjoys traveling.
By putting the lifestyle and comfort of sleep apnea patients first, Transcend is emerging as the missing link in the evolution of sleep apnea therapy to truly open new vistas for patients. Soon the freedom to sleep anywhere—in a tent, on a sailboat, or in a truck sleeper and wake up refreshed from a full night of therapeutic, restorative sleep—will be a reality. Read the rest of this entry
The health of an individual is very important as it helps them to live a long and comfortable life. It is unfortunate that there are some disorders that affect people and they do not know what they are dealing with. This can lead to misdiagnosis or the condition can go untreated which can bring problems later in life. One of the disorders that affect the sleep of a person is known as Sleep Apnea. This is where one experiences repeated pauses when they are breathing as they sleep. These usually last anywhere between 5 seconds to minutes and can go on for an hour or so. Sleep Apnea, Help! Explains all the details that one wants to know on the disorder so that people can be well equipped with the information that is needed. Read the rest of this entry
SleepApneaDisorder/[Press Release]/- A new cpap battery pack has hit the cpap market today, starting at $219.99. The newest cpap battery pack from Cpap Battery Inc can be used with most Philips Respironics and ResMed cpap machines.
The new cpap battery pack can be used for camping, traveling, hurricane season (power outages), or anytime a cpap user is without power. Cpap Battery Inc specializes in cpap battery packs and has produced a light weight, small, yet powerful portable battery to use with most cpap machines.
The battery itself is a lithium ion battery, 12 volt 7.8 Amp Hours, weighing in at less than 2 lbs. The wall charger will allow a cpap user to charge the cpap battery between 110-220 volt, making it easy to charge on international trips. It only takes 5-6 hours to recharge at full depletion. Read the rest of this entry
SleepApneaDisorder/[Press Release]/-Airdrie, AB, Canada (Vocus) September 6, 2010/Dr. Thayne Blunston, of Blunston Dental Group announces the launch of his new website this year, designed and hosted by Roadside Multimedia.
The new site reflects the doctor’s passion for advancing his skills and offering the latest in dental science for patients in Airdrie and Calgary, AB.
Features of Blunston Dental Group’s new site include detailed descriptions of Dr. Blunston’s many areas of expertise, ranging from periodontal therapy, to teeth whitening, to treatments for snoring and sleep apnea, and everything in-between. Read the rest of this entry
The Department of Veterans Affairs has recently observed that there is a sharp rise in reported cases of the breathing disorder sleep apnea. USA Today reported that over the last two years, the number of sleep apnea patients receiving disability benefits from the VA has risen 61 percent, at a cost of close to a half-billion dollars a year.
USA Today reported on the risk factors:
“More than 63,000 veterans receive benefits for sleep apnea, a disorder that causes a sleeping person to gasp for breath and awaken frequently. It is linked to problems ranging from daytime drowsiness to heart disease. The top risk factor for contracting the disorder appears to be obesity, though a sleep expert at the VA and a veteran’s advocacy organization cite troops’ exposure to dust and smoke in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq as contributing factors.
“More claims are likely to be made in the future as Baby Boomers age and get heavier, says Max Hirshkowitz, director of the Sleep Disorder Center at the Houston Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
“Veterans are four times more likely than other Americans to suffer from sleep apnea, Hirshkowitz said. About 5% of Americans have the disorder, he said, compared with 20% of veterans.”
Sleep apnea, a serious and potentially life-threatening disorder if left untreated, affects approximately 18 million Americans. During sleep apnea episodes, a person stops breathing for at least 10 seconds. Depending on the severity of the disorder, a person can have between 10 and 60 episodes a night. Sleep apnea treatment often involves a team of healthcare providers, including dentists, general physicians, surgeons and sleep specialists.
If you think you suffer from sleep apnea, the Pennsylvania Dental Association (PDA) recommends consulting with your dentist. Early detection is key because sleep apnea has been linked with irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes.
There are three types of sleep apnea, including obstructive apnea (OSA), central apnea and a combination of the two. The most common type of sleep apnea, OSA, is caused when the muscles in the walls of your throat relax too much, causing the airway to collapse. Central sleep apnea is caused when the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe. Read the rest of this entry
Sleep apnea generally causes obstructive breathing in the middle of the night for more than 12 million Americans. Fatigue, high blood pressure and weight gain are just a few of its symptoms.
