Sleep apnea is a dangerous problem that can lead to heart attacks, strokes, excessive daytime sleepiness, short-term memory loss and increases in motor vehicle accidents. It is essential to diagnose and treat sleep apnea. One study showed a 36% decrease in 8 year survival comparing treated and untreated sleep apnea.

A problem frequently experienced is that the cost of health, life and disability insurance policies can increase exponentially following diagnosis of sleep apnea. This is problematic for owners of small businesses and wealthy individuals who utilize life insurance to protect their estates. Read the rest of this entry

A newly concluded research study findings published online in the European Respiratory Journal, evaluated the impact a Mediterranean diet can have on obese people with sleep apnea, compared to those on a prudent diet.The study revealed that Mediterranean diet combined with physical activity can help to improve some of the symptoms of sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) causes frequent pauses of breathing to occur during sleep, which disrupts a person’s normal sleeping pattern. It is one of the most prevalent sleep-related breathing disorders with approximately 2-4% of the adult population experiencing the condition. This percentage increases up to 20-40% with obesity, and weight loss is often an essential part of the recommended treatment plan.

The researchers, from the University of Crete in Greece, examined 40 obese patients suffering from OSAS. Twenty patients were given a prudent diet to follow, while the other 20 followed a Mediterranean diet. Both groups were also encouraged to increase their physical activity, mainly involving walking for at least 30 minutes each day.

In both groups, the patients also received continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy which involves wearing a mask that generates an air stream, keeping the upper airway open during sleep. Read the rest of this entry

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes,  Sleep Apnea remains a growing health concern with an estimated 18 million  Americans suffering.  Sleep Group Solutions offers home sleep testing (HST)  devices (and interpretation), which have become a popular way to allow the  sufferer to get tested in the privacy of their own home, no over night stay in a  sleep lab needed.  The results are easily uploaded by the physician/practitioner  to InterpStudies.com for a quick diagnosis  of OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea).

Historically, an overnight sleep study in a sleep lab was the only way to  obtain a diagnosis of OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea).  Recent advancements in  technology has made its way directly into the consumers hands, creating an  increase in sleep apnea diagnosis.  Read the rest of this entry

Home sleep testing is becoming increasingly popular as a method of diagnosing sleep apnea.

The home sleep test is a technological breakthrough in sleep apnea testing. It allows patients to get tested for sleep apnea in the comfort of their own home instead of paying a visit to a costly sleep lab.

One of the main advantages of home sleep testing is convenience. An overnight stay at a sleep lab can be uncomfortable and inconvenient. It can also and can influence a person’s sleep behavior. That means that the home sleep test can actually be a better representation of a person’s normal, natural sleep habits, leading to more accurate diagnosis. Read the rest of this entry

Are you sleeping too much or too less during nights? Research concluded in recent past has revealed that inflammation could play a key role in your health condition in such a situation.

Long and short duration sleep has been reported to have an increased risk for several disorders and health problems including coronary heart diseases, diabetes, obesity, and death in many of the previously concluded researches and studies. Inflammation regulating cytokines elevations have been found to have direct linkage with enhanced risk of health problems like heart disease and diabetes.

In this study where 614 participants reported their sleep habits after spending a night in sleep lab the mean self-reported sleep duration was calculated to be only 7.6 hours. The sleep lab reported sleep duration was only 6.2 hours on the contrary. Read the rest of this entry

A multidisciplinary clinical practice guideline, “Polysomnography for  Sleep-Disordered Breathing Prior to Tonsillectomy in Children“, was  published as a supplement to the July issue of Otolaryngology—Head  and Neck Surgery. This guideline provides otolaryngologists with  evidence-based recommendations for using polysomnography in assessing  children, aged 2 to 18 years, with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and  who are candidates for tonsillectomy, with or without adenoidectomy.

Polysomnography (PSG) is presently the gold standard for diagnosing  and quantifying sleep-disordered breathing in children. SDB affects  approximately 12% of children with manifestations ranging from simple  snoring to potentially serious conditions, including sleep apnea. SDB is  also the most common indication for tonsillectomy with or without  adenoidectomy in the United States. Since more than 530,000  tonsillectomies are performed annually on children younger than the age  of 15, primarily for SDB, clear and actionable guidance on optimal use  of PSG is strongly needed. Read the rest of this entry

Jeannine Gingras, M.D., a nationally and internationally recognized expert in sleep disorders, has opened Gingras Sleep Medicine in Charlotte and Concord, North Carolina.

Dr. Gingras treats infants, children, teens and adults and practices sleep medicine exclusively. She sees patients for all sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, insomnia, snoring, sleepwalking, restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, narcolepsy, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Read the rest of this entry

What is polysomnography and why is it important?

• Polysomnography (PSG), also called a sleep study, is the best test for diagnosing sleep-disordered breathing, which can include snoring, gasping, choking episodes, and breath-holding (apnea).
• PSG is like getting an EKG but while asleep: children stay overnight, with their parent, in a special sleep lab with stick-on electrodes that record oxygen levels, respiratory effort, heart rate, and other factors.
• PSG is important because it helps doctors and families make evidence-based decisions about tonsillectomy and whether the surgery can be ambulatory (out-patient) or requires an overnight hospital stay.

The Importance of Polysomnography Guideline

• First – and only – national, evidence-based guideline on PSG prior to tonsillectomy in children. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[ Press Release ]/ Minneapolis, USA/  – SLEEP 2011 will bring current research and clinical practices to the forefront for sleep specialists from around the world this week at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC annual meeting. And Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) will demonstrate the latest advances in sleep with the premiere of “Pathway to Compliance.” The interactive showcase features the latest breakthroughs for diagnosing, treating and managing the entire spectrum of sleep-disordered breathing patients and guides them on their journey to better sleep. “Tremendous strides have been made to deepen our understanding of sleep,” says John Frank, Sr. Vice President, General Manager, Sleep and Respiratory Care, Philips Home Healthcare Solutions. “There is growing evidence of co-morbidities such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. As allies in better sleep and breathing, we are committed to meeting these challenges with intelligent solutions. With “Pathway to Compliance,” we will show how new advances are making the future of sleep and therapy compliance a reality for patients and clinicians.” Read the rest of this entry

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes. They often occur five to 30 times or more an hour. Typically, normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound.

Sleep apnea often goes undiagnosed. Doctors usually cannot detect the condition during routine office visits. Also, there are no blood tests for the condition. Most people who have sleep apnea do not know they have it because it only occurs during sleep. A family member or bed partner may first notice the signs of sleep apnea.

The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. This most often means that the airway has collapsed or is blocked during sleep. The blockage may cause shallow breathing or breathing pauses.

When you try to breathe, any air that squeezes past the blockage can cause loud snoring. Obstructive sleep apnea is more common in people who are overweight, but it can affect anyone. Read the rest of this entry

If you are suffering from sleep apnea disorder then you’re not breathing properly while you sleep because your airflow is blocked repeatedly throughout the night.

Nearly one in four men and one in ten women suffer from the sleep apnea disorder . There are three specific types of sleep apnea disorder but Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common among them. Among all of the sleep disorders, OSA goes hand-in-hand with type 2 diabetes.

In a survey on the subject it was revealed that the obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has the strongest association with type 2 diabetes.” That’s even taking into account other risk factors, such as weight, sex and age. 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.

At Western Psychiatric Institute, one of the top sleep research centers in the country, medical professionals are using sleep deprivation to help people with insomnia, a condition where the brain is hyper-aroused 24 hours a day.

“We shorten their time in bed and make the sleep more consolidated and deeper,” said the center’s Dr. Dan Buysse. “The obvious and deceptive answer is get more sleep, there is not a substitute for sleep.”

At Stat Medevac, where pilots work 12-hour shifts and paramedics and nurses can work up to 24 hours a day, getting enough Zs is part of the job. “It is very important that you sleep well at night. You don’t want to come into this job with three or four hours sleep,” said flight nurse Marion Jones. Read the rest of this entry

“Complex sleep apnea is, in some respects, a mix of obstructive and central sleep apnea, and is probably the least common of the sleep breathing disorders”, says Dr. Dennis Auckley, director, MetroHealth’s Center for Sleep Medicine, associate professor, Case Western Reserve University.

According to Dr. Dennis Auckley, this condition is defined based on certain characteristics of a person’s sleep during a sleep study. In complex sleep apnea, there is a diagnosis of OSA during monitored sleep, but then the patient develops a central sleep apnea pattern. In other words, the CPAP is effective at keeping the airway open, but the brain fails to send the signal to breathe.

“The significance of having complex sleep apnea is not entirely clear. It is not known if this represents a different type of sleep apnea or something we see on a single night sleep study that resolves over time” says Dr. Dennis Auckley. Some patients with this condition can be controlled with CPAP, others with bi-level pressure support, and some need the newer type of device called adaptive servo ventilation. Oxygen is not considered a treatment for this condition as it is generally not a treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, he adds.