This experimental device from Maple Grove-based Inspire Medical is designed to tame symptoms of sleep apnea. Not approved for general use in the U.S., the device is the subject of a new study involving two medical centers in Minnesota. (Courtesy to Pioneer Press: Inspire Medical)

People who struggle with obstructive sleep apnea often find that the leading treatment for the condition can make it just as tough to sleep.

Patients undergoing continuous positive airway pressure therapy – called CPAP, for short – must try to sleep while wearing a mask hooked to a bedside machine. The device pushes air through the mask to open the user’s airway, but many patients find the treatment itself is difficult to tolerate.

That frustrating trade-off is a key reason why two companies in the Twin Cities and another in California are racing to develop pacemaker-style equipment that could provide an alternative. The devices stimulate a nerve that controls tongue movement in hopes of preventing the tongue from blocking the airway during sleep.

The devices are being tested in research studies and – in a best-case scenario – wouldn’t be widely available in the United States for a few years. Even so, manufacturers will showcase their research this week at a meeting of sleep experts in Minneapolis. Doctors and analysts say the technological dream is not yet reality. [Read Complete Post By By Christopher Snowbeck ...  ] 

Physically active kids tend to be better sleepers. When New Zealand researchers monitored 7-year-olds to measure activity during the day and sleep at night, they found that for each hour of inactivity, kids took three minutes longer to fall asleep. Physical activities and exercise produces brain chemicals that promote sleep and relaxation.

Playing on the computer just before bed can also cause trouble, partly because the screen’s glow can disturb natural sleep/wake cycles. You have a big cause to worry about your kid if you spot that your child spends the first half of the day sitting at school, the second half in front of the TV or computer. Such types of life styles among children and school age kids would certainly lead to various sleep related problems. Read the rest of this entry

Sleep apnea is a common disorder that disrupts the affected person’s sleep patterns. The affected patient oscillates between deep sleep and light sleep, and consequently, experiences shallow and uneven breathing.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a common type of sleep apnea. In obstructive sleep apnea, the airways of the affected person become obstructed or blocked during their sleep, causing their breathing to pause momentarily. This shallow breathing can result in loud snoring. Obstructive sleep apnea is more commonly found in, although not isolated to, obese persons. Another form of sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, is frequently found in people taking certain high-risk medications.

Sleep apnea often goes unnoticed. But, the most common symptoms of sleep apnea experienced by an affected person are dry mouth, sore throat, morning headaches, memory lapses, moodiness, difficulty in concentrating, and frequently disrupted sleep. If a person experiences any of the above symptoms, he or she should contact a sleep specialist. Although medication is not a usual course of treatment for sleep apnea, basic lifestyle changes and the use of breathing devices can help reduce effects of the condition.

CPAP can increase alertness and improve quality of life for sufferers of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), even if their symptoms are minimal, according to a study conducted by researchers in Europe. Patients enrolled in the study reported an improvement in daytime sleepiness within 6 months of beginning CPAP treatment.

“Treatment with CPAP clearly reduces daytime sleepiness and improves quality of life in patients with very limited symptoms, at a rate of about half the improvement seen in patients with more severe symptoms,” said Sonya Craig, research fellow at Churchill Hospital, Oxford, England.

Researchers analyzed data from 341 patients from 10 medical centers, with proven OSA but insufficient current symptoms, as judged by both the patient and the sleep physician, to justify CPAP therapy. Read the rest of this entry

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 ... ]

Umbian has launched a 3-month pilot program for its compliance management solution, U-Sleep. U-Sleep is being launched for the commercial transportation industry and will monitor individual drivers who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and are undergoing treatment for sleep apnea.

U-Sleep monitors PAP device usage, coaches drivers into therapy compliance, and provides detailed reporting to both the driver and their employer. It also allows companies to define specific rules that establish a therapy compliance standard for their organization.

Throughout the pilot program, U-Sleep will monitor drivers who utilize a Philips Respironics PAP device that wirelessly shares usage data on a daily basis. U-Sleep sends real-time notifications via e-mail, text message, or voice call when the company’s specific compliance standard is achieved or violated. Read the rest of this entry

What is the best time in a day to exercise? The morning or the evening?

New research on physical activity and sleep architecture being presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine and the 2nd World Congress on Exercise is Medicine may finally answer that age-old question. For the best sleep, researchers say, work out in the morning.

“Insufficient sleep threatens our country’s health by contributing to chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity,” said Scott Collier, Ph.D., FACSM, lead author of the study. “Exercise is proven to improve the quality of sleep, and our team wanted to see if the timing of exercise could maximize these benefits.”

Researchers with Appalachian State University studied the effects of exercise timing on the sleep patterns of six male and three female subjects. Each subject visited the lab on three separate occasions at pre-determined times – one at 7 a.m., one at 1 p.m. and one at 7 p.m. – for 30 minutes of treadmill exercise. At night, subjects wore a sleep-monitoring headband to measure sleep stage time and quality of sleep. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[Press Release ]/ Boulder, Colorado / June 09, 2011 / Dr. Mark Barnes is pleased to announce his affiliation with Sleep Therapeutics in Boulder, CO. Over the course of his 24 years practicing in Colorado, Dr. Barnes has successfully treated hundreds of patients with oral appliances for sleep-related disorders at his private practice located in Boulder, CO.

“I am thrilled to be affiliated with Sleep Therapeutics in Boulder because it allows me to work with other medical professionals toward a common goal of helping those who suffer from sleep apnea. I really enjoy working with the experienced team of experts at Sleep Therapeutics, and look forward to serving patients there,” said Dr. Mark Barnes, Boulder dentist. Read the rest of this entry

Sleep apnea is a disorder that results from interrupted breathing during sleep. Indicators of this condition are snoring and tiredness despite getting a full night’s rest.

Sleep apnea does not immediately present itself as a serious problem, but it may cause heart problems and other health complications. Because of this, it is important to seek treatment for sleep apnea.

The term “sleep apnea” is an umbrella term that can refer to different versions of the disorder. As a result, treatment for sleep apnea can vary from patient to patient. Treatment methods include continuous positive airway pressure, adjustable airway pressure devices, oral appliances, supplemental oxygen bi-level positive airway pressure, and adaptive servo-ventilation—to name a few. In severe cases, surgery may be necessary.

When diagnosing or treating sleep apnea, your doctor may first recommend some lifestyle changes before prescribing medication. Some helpful lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking and losing weight, are effective treatments.

Information on other at-home treatments, such as changing sleeping positions, are also helpful. However, be sure to consult your doctor first.

Many people think that combat is the most life threatening event for Soldiers, when actually more Soldiers may die off the battlefield fighting a common enemy.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. About every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event, and about one every minute will die from one, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Between 70 and 89 percent of sudden cardiac events occur in men, and as part of Men’s Health Awareness Week June 13 through 17, 2011, the medical professionals at the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center want to make sure male beneficiaries know the best way to help reduce their risk.

There are several risk factors affecting heart disease. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is the leading cause of stroke, according to the American Heart Association. Read the rest of this entry

SeptRx,an emerging medical device company that is developing the SeptRx® Intrapocket PFO Occluder (IPO)—a platform for the percutaneous transcatheter closure of a heart defect known as patent foramen ovale (PFO)—announced today that the company has received $2.7 million in a ‘Series A’ financing led by NDC (Nitinol Devices & Components) Inc. The cash infusion is intended to “carry us through CE mark registration,” said Scott Russell, President and CEO of SeptRx.

The SeptRx® Intrapocket PFO Occluder has already completed a successful 11-patient first-in-human (FIH) clinical trial. SeptRx’s FIH trial was the first and only PFO device trial to demonstrate 100% closure and 100% safety (out to 3 years). A larger European clinical trial is nearly underway: InterSEPT (In-tunnel SeptRx European PFO Trial), from which data will be used to apply for CE marking. The trial will be conducted at two investigation sites: Frankfurt, Germany, and Massy,France. Read the rest of this entry

A North Bay startup that’s developing diagnostic equipment for sleep apnea plans to move to Sonoma County after winning a competition giving it free office space and professional support for a year.

The contest was organized by North Bay iHub, an economic development group connected with the Sonoma Mountain Business Cluster, which is providing the office space. A pool of 36 contestants competed for a prize package worth $40,000 which also included cash and legal, marketing and accounting services.

K-diagnostics, based partly in San Rafael, is developing touchless technology to diagnose and monitor sleep apnea. The technology, called “Sleep ID,” can be used in a home or a medical setting and uses low-power radar to measure respiratory and heart rates.

The prevalence of sleep apnea is actually quite strong now. There are more than 40 million Americans affected.The company is planning to move into the Rohnert Park business cluster and employ a staff of 30 by the end of 2012.

Due to the increase in awareness about the importance of quality sleep to  each individual’s health along with the well-documented negative impact that  untreated sleep disorders can have in the general population, Premier is now contracting for a sleep services option that will help hospitals initiate  new services or expand and improve services already being offered.“SleepMed is extremely excited about  this new relationship” said David Lewis, Chief Executive Officer of SleepMed. “We know that Premier is dedicated to providing its membership with  priority access to well-vetted, high quality products and services.  With almost  20 years of experience in the rapidly expanding field of sleep medicine,  SleepMed brings to Premier a superior resume and an unmatched track record with  its hospital clients over those years. The expertise that SleepMed has developed  will provide Premier members with access to both excellent on-site testing  services as well as unique insights into the business of sleep medicine that  will help each hospital properly position their total sleep program as the  healthcare landscape continues to evolve.” Read the rest of this entry

“Dealing with Sleep Apnea” will be the focus of a community health seminar from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Monday, June 6, in Room 2117 of the Medical Education Research Facility on the University of Iowa health sciences campus. The event is free and open to the public; pre-registration is encouraged.

Mark Eric Dyken, M.D., professor of neurology and director of the Sleep Disorders Center with UI Health Care, will present information for a better understanding of sleep apnea and how to deal with it.

For more information or to register, go to http://www.uihealthcare.org/communityseminars or call 319-335-8886 or 877-MED-IOWA.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you require an accommodation in order to participate in this program, call Tom Walljasper in advance at 319-384-1745.

School kids who experience sleep-disordered breathing or daytime sleepiness are twice as likely to become bullies, according to a study.

‘What this study does is raise the possibility that poor sleep, from whatever cause, can indeed play into bullying or other aggressive behaviours,’ says Louise O’Brien, who led the study at the University of Michigan Medical School.

University of Michigan Medical School researchers looked at  school students who were bullies and found that they faced a two-fold higher risk for symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing, particularly daytime sleepiness.

‘Our schools do push the importance of healthy eating and exercise,’ says O’Brien, assistant professor in neurology and oral and maxillofacial surgery at Michigan, the journal Sleep Medicine reports.

‘But this study highlights that good sleep is just as essential to a healthy lifestyle,’ he adds. Read the rest of this entry