Do you suffer from sleep apnea or have a family member or friend who suffers from it? If so, you are encouraged to attend this support group meeting on Monday, February 7 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Parrish Healthcare Center at Port St. John, 5005 Port St. John Parkway, (east of the I-95 Port St. John exit). The meetings are held in the Conference Center by the south entrance (near the sleep lab). This is a free community service. Please call 321-268-6408 to register.
The February 7 meeting will include:
Free Sleep Evaluations by a registered technologist. One of the most common signs of obstructive sleep apnea is loud and chronic (ongoing) snoring. Sleep apnea can result in depression, diabetes and morning headaches. Sleep apnea also contributes to high blood pressure, which an estimated 50 percent of sleep apnea patients have. The greatest risk from this sleep disorder, however, is stroke or heart attack. Anyone who suffers from the sleep apnea warning signs mentioned should take these symptoms seriously. Get a free sleep evaluation by a registered sleep technologist at this meeting.
CPAP Equipment Fair: Take a look at the newest model machines, masks, tubing and humidifiers.
CPAP Tune-ups: Pressure and equipment checks. Do you have an old, noisy machine? Do you feel your pressure has changed or isn’t adequate? Join us for a free “CPAP tune-up” (be sure to bring your machine and supplies).
About Parrish Sleep Disorders Center of Port St. John Parrish Sleep Disorders Center of Port St. John is a four-bed sleep center where studies are done seven days/nights a week. Diagnostic testing is done for sleep apnea, narcolepsy, REM behavior disorder, maintenance of wakefulness, nocturnal seizures, and shift-work sleep studies during the day. Continuous follow-up care for Sleep Apnea is also done for patients with CPAP machines.
In patients with sleep apnea, primary oropharyngeal collapse of the upper airway during sleep is an important predictor of treatment success with an oral appliance. Phrenic nerve stimulation is able to induce upper airway obstruction and was therefore used to mimic the target for an efficient treatment with an oral appliance.
To test if the site(s) of upper airway collapse identified by means of bilateral anterior magnetic stimulation during wakefulness could predict the efficacy of treatment with an oral appliance in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Read the rest of this entry
Graymark Healthcare, the nation’s second largest provider of diagnostic sleep services and an innovator in comprehensive care for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), signed five additional agreements for its comprehensive sleep medicine services in the fourth quarter of 2010.
These new customers bring the aggregate number of signed agreements during the fourth quarter to seven, and a total of 12 for 2010. The locations of the new Graymark sleep centers include:
Kearney County Health Services of Minden, Nebraska
Grady Memorial Hospital of Chickasha, Oklahoma
Carrus Specialty Hospital of Sherman, Texas
Wise Regional Hospital of Decatur, Texas
Glen Rose Medical Center of Glen Rose, Texas
Patients in the geographic regions these hospitals serve can now receive sleep medicine care in familiar surroundings, while Graymark Healthcare ensures comprehensive, state-of-the-art services. Read the rest of this entry
Recently concluded research studies by American researchers, has revealed that problems like sleep apnea, acidity reflux and even obesity contribute to sudden death. Sleep apnea is also responsible for ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) among children. In fact studies from across the world show that about 2 to 3% children are believed to suffer from sleep apnea. This chronic disease that’s believed to affect about 12 million Americans raises the risk of problems like high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and even diabetes.
Patients suffering from sleep apnea are believed to pause from breathing while sleeping. This pause could last anywhere from a few seconds to even a minute and can occur 5 to 30 times in an hour. Every time there’s a pause the brain’s aroused as a result of which the patients sleep is affected. A huge majority of people prefer to silently suffer from this disease, from fear of embarrassment. There are several sleep apnea treatments available today, the most common and effective being CPAP.
“A CPAP is the most commonly used device to help sleep apnea sufferers. The mask is usually worn over the nose and attached to a device that has filters attached to it to remove impurities from the air and distilled water to humidify the air. Continued use of these masks is sure to control sleep apnea problems,” says Mr. Vincent, of Your CPAP mask, an online store that sells a wide range of CPAP masks and accessories.
It’s important to find the right CPAP mask, to avoid discomfort when wearing these masks. Respironics, ResMed, and Fisher Paykel are some well-known manufacturers of CPAP masks. You could either choose from a full face mask, nasal mask, or a nasal pillow. If you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, determine the type of breather you are; a mouth breather, a nose breather or a combination. Also consider the shape of your face, nose and mouth and buy a mask accordingly. It’s best to buy a CPAP mask in consultation with your sleep physician.
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
Sleep Group Solutions, North Miami Beach, Fla, offers its Home Sleep Test and new iPhone/iPad application for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Physicians and dentists can give patients the Home Sleep Test, which can be completed at home and then returned to the doctor. The results of the study are uploaded to a secure server for analysis.
The company’s iPhone/iPad application allows patients to record their sleep patterns. The results, along with a patient’s answers to a few screening questions, can then sent to Sleep Group Solutions for evaluation.
The Sleep Wellness Institute Inc., Wisconsin’s largest independent sleep disorders center, has opened a second location in Mequon at 11725 N. Port Washington Road.
The Institute has 12 sleep study rooms at its headquarters location in West Allis and will begin with a two-bed sleep lab in Mequon, which will likely grow larger over the next year.
“Our new location in Mequon is a response to requests from physicians to make our services more convenient for patients in greater Milwaukee’s north shore and upper east side areas, as well as further north,” said Ron Baake, owner and chief executive officer of The Sleep Wellness Institute. Read the rest of this entry
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) technologies are a staple at Medgadget , mostly because they make for good pictures to go with the post. However, they also make for good medicine, as many studies have shown they are effective for everything between reducing heart complications associated with sleep apnea and improving quality of sleep. One of the latest studies in the journal Sleep continues to promote the use of CPAP for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) by showing in a randomized study that “3 weeks of therapeutic CPAP significantly reduced fatigue and increased energy in patients with OSA” Read the rest of this entry
DNA testing proves that a person has over 800 species of bacteria in the human mouth, and many of them can wreak havoc on a person’s health. Majority of the people are unaware that the condition of their teeth can affect the health of their entire bodies.More and more research studies are confirming what many physicians and dentists have long suspected: Poor oral health can lead to systemic health problems and diseases. The list of conditions linked to periodontitis (gum disease) reads like a who’s-who of disease, including systemic inflammation, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obesity, chronic kidney disease, lung disease, cancer, osteoporosis, ulcers, arthritis, sleep apnea and snoring, and even serious pregnancy complications. Read the rest of this entry
Finally with the introduction of an anti-snore pillow into the market for the benefit of many couples that have been enduring their partner’s snoring logs.The anti snore pillow is designed ergonomically so that you are able to sleep in a correct and comfortable position that will reduce the symptoms that causes snoring.
The moment you lay your head on the snoreless pillow, you will find that your body is so aligned that your head level stays above your feet level. Whether you sleep on your back or your side, this position of the head above toes level, causes the airway passage in your throat to open up and prevents you from snoring. Even if you are habituated to sleeping on your back, the unique design of the snoreless pillow helps you to sleep comfortably on your side.
The pillow also helps to alleviate another problem that is faced by most people. It has been confirmed by researchers that chronic acid reflux (GERD) causes coughing, snoring and chest pain, thereby a sleep disturbed night. As the pillow elevates your head to be above your feet, the esophagus automatically remains raised and thereby prevents the reflux of acid. It helps even more if the anti snore pillow is placed over the normal pillow, which helps your head to be at a still more raised level.
The snoreless pillow is certain to be a boon to those heavy snorers. Many Wives are certainly going to be thankful to the introduction of this anti snore pillow, for your husbands are not going to snore anymore. You can catch up with your beauty sleep and feel energized again.
A research study was recently performed to evaluate the relations between sleep characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors and napping behavior, and to assess whether daytime napping leads to subsequent better or worse sleep.
The sample consisted of 224 (African American, Caucasian, and Asian) middle-aged men and women. Sleep measures included nine nights of actigraphy and sleep diaries, sleep questionnaires, and one night of polysomnography to measure sleep disordered breathing.
More frequent napping was associated with shorter nighttime sleep duration averaged across the nine nights of actigraphy (especially among African Americans), more daytime sleepiness, more pain and fatigue by diary, and increased body mass index and waist circumference. Shorter nighttime sleep duration was associated with taking a nap during the next day and taking a nap was associated with less efficient sleep the next night.
Napping in middle-aged men and women is associated with overall less nighttime sleep in African Americans and lower sleep efficiency as measured by actigraphy, and increased BMI and central adiposity. These findings point to the importance of measuring of napping in understanding associations of sleep with cardiovascular risk.
Engineering expertise is taking on an ever-more important role in designing for manufacturability in the world of metal stamped parts and springs. Particularly in today’s new medical devices and firearms, engineering expertise is invaluable in driving down manufacturing costs.
Expertise in prototyping parts to test and prove design concepts, suggesting ways to reduce secondary operations which reduces cost, and providing value engineering consulting expertise, are key engineering skills that ensure the success of projects. Each is built on a foundation of communications and two-way dialogue that opens up the lines of communication.
One example is a large medical device company, for whom CSS produces a stamped flat spring located underneath the water tank of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) system used to treat sleep apnea. Working with the company, CSS developed an initial prototype, and worked through several design iterations before settling on a good design that could meet the requirements. A short run of 2500 proved the design, and more than 750,000 of the machines have since been manufactured.
How you sleep at night has a big impact on your quality of life, and veterans may be at higher risk for a certain sleep disorder. Here are the important facts;
Sleep apnea is no small problem. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing, during sleep. Each pause in breathing, called an apnea, can last from a few seconds to minutes, and may occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour.
Similarly, each abnormally low breathing event is called a hypopnea. Sleep apnea is diagnosed with an overnight sleep test called a polysomnogram, or “sleep study”. [Read The Complete Post...]
SleepApneaDisorder/[ Press Release ] Phoenix, AZ /December 17, 2010/ JC Goodwin from Sleep Effect Center for Apnea Management in Prescott, Arizona isn’t your typical Dentist. Although familiar with bridges, cavities and crowns, this Dentist is redefining the Dental Industry, one snoring patient at a time. With over 100 Million people diagnosed with OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) it’s assumed more physicians would implement greater OSA treatments in their practices. Interestingly enough, Dentists like Dr. Goodwin are among the small group of Doctors stepping up, to take on the sleepy killer, OSA.
With the help of technology and continuing education, more Doctors are beginning to treat and diagnose Sleep Apnea patients in house. Companies like Sleep Group Solutions offer advanced acoustic diagnostic imaging, home sleep tests, in office training and seminars to raise awareness of OSA and get Doctor involvement. “PCP’s and Dentists tend to see the most patients, they can boost awareness of the disorder, and successfully treat it.” Says Rani Ben-David, President of Sleep Group Solutions. “We have many Doctors (clients) who have saved lives and cured diseases, all by treating OSA.” Read the rest of this entry
Do you suffer from sleep apnea or have a family member or friend who suffers from it? If so, you are encouraged to attend this support group meeting on Monday, February 7 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Parrish Healthcare Center at Port St. John, 5005 Port St. John Parkway, (east of the I-95 Port St. John exit). The meetings are held in the Conference Center by the south entrance (near the sleep lab). This is a free community service. Please call 321-268-6408 to register.
