Two Cookeville sleep centers have announced merger this week. Sleep Solutions of Cookeville has consolidated with the Sleep  Lab of Cookeville Regional, a move that will allow the CRMC facility to expand  its services, double the number of beds for studies and increase its staff  two-fold. The hospital’s board of trustees approved a $250,000  purchase price for Sleep Solutions, its assets and equipment.

With the merger, Sleep Solutions’ rented  facility on North Washington Avenue will close. The Sleep Lab at CRMC,  meanwhile, located on West Fourth Street, will double in capacity.

“We  were both two busy four-bed labs, and we decided it would be best if we joined  efforts,” said Scott Clayton, former CEO of Sleep Solutions and the new director  of the Sleep Lab of Cookeville Regional. “We will increase to six beds on  Tuesday and we’ll be moving to eight beds here as soon as possible.” Read the rest of this entry

The use of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia to treat sleep  problems can reduce suicidal ideation, according to research presented  last week at SLEEP 2011,  the 25th Anniversary Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep  Societies LLC, held in Minneapolis.

The findings show that about 21% of participants with insomnia—65 of  303 participants—reported having suicidal thoughts or wishes during the  past 2 weeks. Group cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia produced a  statistically significant post-treatment reduction in suicidal  ideation. Treatment sessions were conducted weekly until the final two  sessions, which were conducted bi-weekly.

According to the researchers, a growing body of evidence suggests  that self-reported insomnia and poor sleep quality constitute modifiable  risk factors for suicide. Sleep complaints are listed among the top  suicide warning signs by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service  Administration. No previous studies, however, had evaluated the impact  of a sleep intervention on suicidal ideation.

The study included 303 community outpatients between 18 and 88 years  of age who completed group cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia.  The Beck Depression Inventory, which includes a question about suicidal  thoughts or wishes, was administered at both baseline and  post-treatment.

Sleeping disorders reported by troops returning from the war zone may be a normal result of time in combat rather than a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury, according to a study to be published this summer in the peer-reviewed journal Military Medicine.

“Sleep Disruption Among Returning Combat Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan,” presented during last month’s American Psychiatric Association annual meeting, examines the sleep patterns of 69 servicemembers who returned from Iraq and Afghanistan between 2006 and 2008.

According to an Army news release, 8 percent of soldiers in Afghanistan were taking mental health-related medications to treat sleep problems in 2008, while soldiers in Iraq averaged 5.6 hours of sleep per night, significantly less than the 6.4 hours individuals indicated they required to feel rested. Previous studies have shown that troops returning from war are likely to sleep poorly in the months after they come home.[ Read Complete Post By Seth Robson At Stars and Stripes ... ]

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)

Combat troops in Afghanistan suffer from high rates of sleep deprivation. Only about 10 percent of soldiers and 15 percent of Marines reported sleep problems over a 30-day period because of combat stress. And another potential culprit – video gaming and movie watching – accounted for less than 5 percent of reported sleep problems.

Respondents overwhelmingly said night patrols coupled with hot, loud daytime sleeping environments were the biggest sources of trouble. Nearly half of Marines surveyed cited those factors, and about 30 percent of soldiers.

Overall, the report based on a survey of more than 1,200 soldiers and Marines in 2010 showed morale plummeting while exposure to combat violence surged to new heights.Previous mental health surveys show soldiers and Marines are chronically sleep deprived and get far less than the recommended seven hours a night, said Army Medical Command psychologist Col. Paul Bliese.

The Army, meanwhile, has begun a study to determine just how much soldiers really are sleeping because.[  Read Complete Post By Chris Carroll at Stars and Stripes ... ]

A study presented today at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting suggests that sleep disturbances like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), excessive awakening and insomnia, may be a normal result of combat experience, rather than a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), major depression or other psychiatric conditions.

The retrospective study, which will be published this summer as “Sleep Disruption Among Returning Combat Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan” in the peer-reviewed journal Military Medicine, examined the electronic medical records of recently redeployed soldiers complaining of sleep disturbances. The purpose of the study was to uncover the relationship between common combat-related conditions among active duty military personnel and the frequency of a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA ) and other sleep problems. Read the rest of this entry

A new analysis has found that childhood cancer survivors often suffer  from sleep problems and fatigue, which negatively impact their  attention and memory. Published early online in Cancer, a  peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that addressing sleep hygiene among  survivors of childhood cancer may help to improve their cognitive  health.

Cognitive problems, such as trouble with attention and memory, often  arise in survivors of childhood cancer. These problems, which are either  a direct or indirect result of treatment, negatively impact future  education, employment, and the ability to live independently.

To assess the effects of fatigue and sleep disruption on cognitive  function in long-term survivors of childhood cancer, Kevin Krull, PhD,  of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and his team  evaluated a questionnaire filled out by 1,426 individuals from the  Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. (The Childhood Cancer Survivor Study  was designed to investigate the long-term medical, psychosocial, and  functional health of survivors of eight different childhood cancers who  were treated between 1970 and 1986.) Read the rest of this entry

Sleep is very essential for everyone because it is a process which would recharge our body for the next day’s adventure. So, it’s very important to get a deep and comfortable sleep. Nowadays many people are suffering from sleep problems. They are in search of a better cure for sleep related problems. CPAP is a system completely designed to provide a complete solution for people suffering from sleep apnea. It has a simple mechanism which provides positive pressure in the airways and prevents it from collapsing at the end of the respiration and thus enabling you to enjoy your sleep without any struggles.

The National Institute of Health statistics states that “about 18 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea and specifically the obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and almost 80% of those suffering aren’t aware about their problem”. Read the rest of this entry

As parents, we consider nothing more important than the health and well-being of our children. We make sure they eat well, get their checkups, are immunized to prevent serious illnesses, and see a doctor when they are sick. Yet many parents are unaware that problems may occur at a time they least expect — while their children are asleep.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition in which the airway becomes partially or completely blocked during sleep, occurs in 1 to 3 percent of otherwise healthy children.

While long recognized in adults, Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has only recently been recognized as a significant problem for children.

Children with Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) frequently snore and may have difficulty breathing while asleep. They may have pauses in their breathing (called apneas), which can be followed by a sudden gasping for air. Their sleep can be restless, with tossing and turning, and they may sleep in unusual or contorted positions in an attempt to open up their blocked airway.

If left untreated, children are at risk for many physical as well as behavioral problems.

A study by scientists at the University of Birmingham has found that people that have type 2 diabetes and do not sleep well are at a higher risk of complaints such as eye disease, foot problems and amputation .
The research involved monitoring 231 type 2 diabetes patients, 149 of which had obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder resulting from disturbed breathing. They showed there were 48 per cent of those with eye damage in the obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) group, as compared with only 20 per cent in the group without obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Read the rest of this entry

Victoria Wofford, 54, admitted stealing a stunning $17 million from American Express through fraudulent charges on  defunct business travel accounts.

And she  swiped another $8 million from a defense contractor by systematically over billing them for travel booked through her company.

“I’m not sure what I was thinking at the time, it may have had something to do with the undiagnosed sleep apnea that I apparently suffered from for many, many years,” Wofford told Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus before he sent her to prison.

It was not clear if the self-described “workaholic” has since been diagnosed or is being treated for the disorder that causes a person to periodically stop breathing while they sleep and can leave them drowsy and confused during waking hours. Read the rest of this entry

“Snorers never get restful sleep,” says entrepreneur David Hernandez, “but neither do the people who love them. In fact, men are twice as likely to be snorers than women. That means it’s a constant ‘battle of the sexes’ every night – a nudge here, a poke there – but VitalSleep ends the war some wives get a good night’s rest.”

Hernandez went about creating the VitalSleep stop snoring device when his dentist prescribed a mouthpiece that allows more air to flow freely to stop snoring. The problem is the device came with a huge price tag of $3,000. He asked his doctor for a more economical solution, but there wasn’t one, so that’s when Hernandez went to work. Read the rest of this entry

Sleep deprivation can do more than just make you unproductive and slow during  the day – it may also lead you to eat more than you should, according to a feature on CNN.

The results of a study led by Marie-Pierre St. Onge,  Ph.D., a research associate at the New York Obesity Research Center in Columbia  University, indicated that people who did not get a good night’s sleep tend to  eat more the following day. This fact, according to the study, was especially  true in women, who consumed 329 more calories on average when they are sleep-deprived, as opposed to when they are well-rested.  Men, on the other hand, consumed 263 calories more.

The findings lend more credence to the association between lack of sleep and  being overweight. Most people who are overweight also suffer from sleep  problems, the most notable of which is sleep apnea, a breathing disorder that  cause people to be awakened frequently. It is not clear, however, whether these  people are overweight because of their sleep problems, or whether they have  sleep problems because they are overweight. Read the rest of this entry

The health of children and adults is at risk because we’re not getting enough sleep, says the international group of doctors behind the 4th annual World Sleep Day on March 18th.

The World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) says sleepiness and sleeplessness are threatening health and quality of life in countries around the globe, and that sleep problems can be prevented or treated. Improving sleep will improve the quality of life of millions of people.

“Not only are adults struggling to cope with an epidemic of sleep disorders, but doctors are also observing alarming rates of sleepiness and sleeplessness in children,” says Dr. Reut Gruber. “As many as 40 per cent of our children aren’t getting enough sleep, which is not only impairing their ability to function properly, it’s hurting their ability to learn.” Read the rest of this entry

Sleep is a basic human need — a crucial component of survival, much like breathing, eating a healthy diet or getting enough exercise. World Sleep Day is designed to raise awareness of sleep as a human privilege that is often compromised by the habits of modern life.A good night’s sleep is vital for the health and well-being of people of all ages. This is the message the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) will be promoting during the fourth-annual World Sleep Day on Friday, March 18, 2011. Organized by the World Sleep Day Committee (co-chaired by Antonio Culebras and Liboro Parrino), this worldwide event is a platform for medical professionals to deliver the message of the importance of healthy sleep to the public. Read the rest of this entry