New York Harbor Healthcare System, Brooklyn campus, will officially open its state-of-the-art Sleep Center on Monday, Sept. 27, at 10 a.m.

Veterans of all ages can now be diagnosed and treated at VA for a wide variety of sleep disorders including obstructive sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, central sleep apnea syndromes, narcolepsy, as well as sleep problems associated with traumatic brain injury.

The Sleep Center will conduct home sleep studies for sleep apnea testing. Sleep apnea is one of the leading causes of excessive daytime sleepiness, which often goes undiagnosed. [Read Complete Release...]

A recently concluded Canadian research study has revealed that there could be a possible link between medications used to treat anxiety or insomnia and an increased risk of death.

Findings of this research study have been The study, published in the September issue of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, analyzed Statistics Canada’s National Population Health Survey and tracked the use of sedatives and insomnia medications in more than 14,000 Canadians between the ages of 18 and 102. Read the rest of this entry

As far as the feasible treatment of sleep apnea is concerned there is almost no substitute for CPAP therapy.

In case you find any symptoms of this deadly disorder it is always best to go to a sleep specialist and follow his instructions.

He 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. Read the rest of this entry

Many parents have stories of children’s sleep difficulties, from the babies who wake up every hour to the toddlers who try to delay bedtime with requests for a glass of water, another story, or an answer to just one more question.

But for some, the problems go deeper. Sleep apnea or periodic limb movements keep children from sleeping deeply. Some can’t fall asleep easily or stay asleep. Some are chronic bed-wetters. Others sleepwalk or have night terrors.

And, like adults with sleep issues, they might find help at a sleep center.

Read The Complete Post at Chicago Tribune…

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

The estrogen-like compounds found in soy could help postmenopausal women get a better night’s sleep, according to a small study.

These compounds, isoflavones, have been tested for a number of menopausal symptoms as well as for treating health problems that become more common after menopause, such as high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and increased body fat. But so far, results have been disappointing.

Insomnia is very common in older women, Dr. Helena Hachul of the Universidade Federal de Sao Paolo and her colleagues write in the journal Menopause. Studies of whether hormone therapy helps with sleep problems have had mixed results, they add. Read the rest of this entry

Young people are sleeping less. Short sleep duration has a range of negative consequences including a hypothesized link with psychological distress, which has yet to be studied.

In a prospective cohort study that involved community-based sample from Australia included  twenty thousand (20,822) young adults (aged 17-24) identified through the state vehicle licensing authority.

A random sample (n = 5000) was approached for follow-up 12-18 months later, with 2937 providing full data.

Psychological distress, determined by a Kessler 10 score > 21, at baseline; and as both onset and persistence of distress at follow-up. Read the rest of this entry

It may come as news to new parents but a US study has found that mothers do get enough sleep in their babies’ first few months – it’s just not good quality.

Researchers from West Virginia University in Morgantown followed a group of new mothers and found, on average, the women got just over 7 hours of sleep a night during their babies’ first four months.

That amount is generally what is recommended for adults, and, based on past studies, more than the average American gets. Read the rest of this entry

NorthBay Healthcare will hold an Advanced Medicine Lecture Series this September about sleep issues.

Dr. Donald Doyle, a pulmonologist from NorthBay, will discuss common sleep problems and ways to solve them in a lecture titled “For the Rest of Your Life,” which is scheduled on September 9.

Statistics indicate that sleep conditions affect nearly a quarter of the US population, making it a serious health concern in the country. Sleep problems like sleep apnea and sleep deprivation are common among Americans. These disorders can affect a person’s daily functioning.

Dr. Doyle will discuss sleep problems in detail and present available treatment options

Next time you are traveling on an air flight and are annoyed by the guy sleeping next to you who is snoring, realize that there could be much more behind that than just an irritating sound, this person could have Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Apnea is a Greek word that means ‘not breathing’.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a condition caused by the tongue falling back and blocking the airway for anywhere between 10 and 90 seconds while someone is sleeping. This creates breathing pauses where the person is not getting oxygen. In OSA, these episodes occur from 15 to as many as 100 times each hour. This deprives one of the sleep and oxygen required to function normally and presents a dangerous detriment to a person’s long-term health. Read the rest of this entry

Sleep problems in children can be one of parenting’s biggest challenges. In the U.S., approximately two million children suffer from sleep disorders. Children who suffer from disruptive sleep patterns often fall victim to other problems associated with a lack of sleep such as daytime sleepiness, which affects 10 percent of all school aged children.

According to Sagarika Nallu, M.D., a pediatric neurologist and specialist in pediatric sleep medicine at NYM, sleep problems in children can be divided into behavioral issues and medical issues.

Behavioral issues involve problems like a child awakening and then needing to complete the night’s sleep in the parents’ bed. “Medical issues,” said Dr. Nallu, “can range from sleep apnea to restless leg syndrome, and may also result from medication used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or, occasionally from psychiatric conditions.” Read the rest of this entry

If one does not get sleep or can’t stay asleep or waking up many times in the middle of the night, the person can count him to be suffering from sleep deprivation which has solution.

According to Carolyn Schur, founder of Associated Sleep services in Saskatoon, Sask a fatigue management specialist and a sleep teacher; it all begins with proper diagnosis.

She added that most people suffering from sleep disorders are insomniacs and two thirds of her patients can also be termed that. Read the rest of this entry

Central Washington Sleep Diagnostic Center recently opened it’s second branch in Moses Lake at 2323 W. Broadway Ave., Unit 4.

The sleep center is here to help people experiencing sleeping disorders, as more than 70 million Americans’ sleep is currently affected. The affects of sleep deprivation include depression, brain fog, change in mental status, short-term memory loss, weight gain, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, traffic accidents, workplace accidents and injuries. Read the rest of this entry

Snoring is an occasional occurrence that may happen during all ages and stages of life. Snoring is due to the vibrations that cause particles in the air to form sound waves. Hence snoring is a sound caused from turbulent airflow which causes tissues to vibrate during sleep.

Habitual loud snoring is the most common symptom of breathing disorders that occur during sleep. The person who snores not only sleeps restlessly, but also is at risk for serious disorders of the heart and lungs. Snoring can therefore be lifethreatening because it can lead to high blood pressure, irregular heart beats, heart attacks, and sudden death.

Read the rest of this entry

According to the latest research stud report published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the air pollution could significantly elevate sleep related respiratory disorders.

According to researcher Diane Gold of the Harvard School of Public Health, air pollution can cause a “clinically significant” increase in symptoms such as shallow breathing and sleep apnea.

“You are at a 13% higher risk of having shallow breathing or stopping breathing for at least 10 seconds if pollution goes from the lower range to the higher range of pollution for that city,” Diane Gold stated.

Although this team of researchers has been successful in identifying a link between pollution and poor sleep quality but according to them causes for such links ae yet to be explored and known. “How much of the cardiac risk that can be explained by pollution, we don’t know yet,” she added. Read the rest of this entry