The Center at Norwalk Hospital will be hosting its first Sleep Apnea Support Group for Children on Saturday, Nov. 12.  Parents and children are invited to attend the educational event.

Kass will address the group with a talk, “The Significance of Snoring at Any Age.”. In general, symptoms of sleep apnea in toddlers may include tantrums and irritability. As children get older, the lack of sleep may manifest itself as hyperactivity, acting out, poor grades in school, mood swings, and even a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

“In addition to the potential health issues associated with sleep apnea, we see children who suffer from fatigue and attention issues due to interruption in sleep,” said Kass.

The program is being offered as a public service and as part of A.W.A.K.E (Alert, Well, and Keeping Energetic) of the American Sleep Apnea Association.  A.W.A.K.E. is a health awareness program offered to those who suffer from sleep apnea, as well as their family, friends and anyone who is interested in learning more.

The Nov. 12 support group will include face painting and drawing activities for children.  Children are encouraged to bring their CPAP masks for a fitting by experienced sleep technicians.  CPAP users and family are being encouraged to share their tips for successful sleeping with CPAP.

Sleep Apnea Support Group for Children: 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 12, in the fifth floor Patio Room at Norwalk Hospital.  The event is free and seating is limited.  Register by calling (203) 852-2821 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (203) 852-2821     end_of_the_skype_highlighting or (203) 852-2833 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (203) 852-2833     end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Sleep apnea is a deadly sleep disorder.The overall effects of sleep apnea are more cumulative in nature and could kill a person being in association with other several disorders and diseases.

In the case of sleep apnea, which is cessation of breathing while sleeping, it can lead to high blood pressure and heart failure, stroke, diabetes, sexual dysfunction; and because it promotes a dangerous lack of good sleep, it also is being blamed for many traffic fatalities in this country brought about by drowsy drivers.

Former NFL players  like Aaron Taylor, a big former Chargers offensive lineman, and Rolf Benirschke, a thin former Chargers kicker, both have suffered from sleep apnea. Both of these NFL stars are contributing towards awareness of sleep apnea among masses.They are doing it through education, because the way to beat this thing is to go to bed wearing masks attached to positive airway pressure devices. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[ Press Release ]/ Falls Church, Virginia. / Obstructive sleep apnea, caused by narrowing or blockage of the airways when a person is asleep affects about 20% of the population. Typically a person with OSA will begin snoring loudly on falling asleep. If not treated, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can increase a person’s risk of death.  It is not clear whether an enlarged thyroid gland, known as a goiter, can worsen cause or worsen symptoms of OSA by compressing the airway.

Alexandra Reiher, MD, and colleagues from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, evaluated the impact of goiter on OSA by assessing OSA symptoms such as snoring before and after thyroidectomy to remove all or part of and enlarged thyroid gland. Patients who reported symptoms of OSA included snoring were asked to complete a questionnaire before and 8 weeks after undergoing thyroidectomy. Data presented today at the 81st Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association showed significantly fewer patients (51% versus 71%) were considered to be at high risk for OSA following surgical reduction or removal of the thyroid gland. Symptom scores improved substantially after thyroidectomy, including a significant decrease in snoring frequency and lower scores on the question of whether the snoring bothered others.

“Obstructive sleep apnea is obviously a complex problem with numerous causes, but we find it encouraging that thyroidectomy alone can provide significant improvements in nearly a third of patients, regardless of gland size,” said study author Rebecca Sippel, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of General Surgery, and Chief, Section of Endocrine Surgery, at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Read the rest of this entry

Harry Cutler, a sleep apnea patient, has been awarded patent protection in the United Kingdom. The patent protects a medical device created initially to treat Mr. Cutler’s own obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) which afflicts from 12% to 25% of the population. The device also reduces or eliminates snoring, one of the primary side effects of OSA. Unlike other oral appliances, it can be used by people with loose teeth, dentures, or no teeth at all, thereby eliminating costly dental preparation. It is being marketed as the “RespireAide Sleep Apnea Solution”.

In this case, necessity was indeed the mother of invention. Underemployed at the time and without insurance, Cutler’s sleep apnea became severe. “I was falling asleep while driving to work, in the middle of the day! I had to do something,” said Cutler.

He researched the condition and began to fashion a solution mostly from items found around the house or purchased from the local hardware and sporting goods stores. “The initial device was somewhat crude, but it did help. Over the following six years, using myself as a test subject, I refined and improved the device with the goal of creating an acceptable combination of comfort and effectiveness. The resultant device bears little resemblance to the original,” he added. Read the rest of this entry

Ventus Medical  revealed the results of a large, long-term study of its proprietary Provent® Sleep Apnea Therapy, an innovative, non-invasive treatment for  obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), were published in the November 2011 issue of the  Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, an official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

About one quarter of adults snore regularly. Almost half of normal adults snore occasionally. Men snore more than women. And snoring usually gets worse as we get older.As you fall asleep, your tongue, throat and the roof of your mouth relax. If they relax too much, they may partially block the flow of air to your lungs. Then the tissue at the back of your mouth vibrates, creating the sound of logs being sawed. As the airway narrows, the vibration intensifies and the snoring gets louder.

Common Causes Of Snoring

1. A soft palate that is long and low restricts the opening from the nose into the throat. That triangular thingy hanging in the back of the palate is called a “uvula.” If your uvula is long, that creates wood-sawing, too.
2. Overweight people have bulky neck tissue. Extra bulk in the throat narrows your airway.  Read the rest of this entry

Snoring is among the common sleep problems in adults, especially in middle-aged men. And children and kids are equally prone to this most uncomfortable sleep disorder.The effects of snoring upon the overall health of children is established to be detrimental up to great extent.

Association of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA among kids and children has now become a more common occurrence. Across the globe occurrence of persistent snoring on most nights has been reported in 8-12 percent of children.

The incidence of OSA (with significant upper airway obstruction leading to   oxygen desaturation and/or sleep fragmentation) is 2-3 percent in children under the age of 10. Read the rest of this entry

Dr. Brock Rondeau of Dr. Rondeau and Associates, a general dentist with a focus on orthodontics in London, is offering patients ways to sleep better at night time with sleep apnea treatments. Sleep apnea is a type of breathing disorder which is a serious, and potentially life-threatening condition characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep.

“People who snore loudly are often the target of bad jokes and middle of the night elbow thrusts, but snoring is no laughing matter. While loud, disruptive snoring may strain relationships, it may signal a potentially life threatening disorder: obstructive sleep apnea. I am pleased to offer my patients a safe alternative for treating sleep apnea and allowing them to rest easy at night,” said Dr. Brock Rondeau, general dentist with a focus on London orthodontics.

The signs and symptoms of OSA include snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, gasping or choking during the night, non-refreshed sleep, fragmented sleep, clouded memory, irritability, personality changes and morning headaches. Read the rest of this entry

The clinical syndrome of obstructive sleep apnea (OSAS) in children is a distinct, yet somewhat overlapping disorder with the condition that occurs in adults, such that the clinical manifestations, polysomnographic findings, diagnostic criteria and treatment approaches need to be considered in an age-specific manner. Childhood OSAS has now become widely recognized as a frequent disorder and as a major public health problem. Pediatric OSAS, particularly when obesity is concurrently present, is associated with substantial end-organ morbidities and increased healthcare utilization. Although adenotonsillectomy (T&A) remains the first line of treatment, evidence in recent years suggests that the outcomes of this surgical procedure may not be as favorable as expected, such that post-T&A polysomnographic evaluation may be needed, especially in high-risk patient groups. In addition, incorporation of nonsurgical approaches for milder forms of the disorder and for residual OSAS after T&A is now being investigated. Read the rest of this entry

Good night’s sleep is important for numerous health benefits. The best position is to sleep on your back, according to a new study.

It prevents neck and back pain, reduces acid reflux and minimizes wrinkles. Sleeping on your back makes it easy for your head, neck and spine to maintain a neutral position.

However, people with severe snoring or sleep apnea should avoid sleeping on their back. This position is recommended for people with neck pain along with a cervical roll or pillow.

The next best position is the side position. This position is great for your overall health. It prevents neck and back pain, reduces acid reflux and reduces snoring. This position is ideal for women who are pregnant. Women in late pregnancy should sleep on their left side to increase blood flow to the baby. Side sleeping keeps your spine elongated preventing back soreness. Read the rest of this entry

There are other ways to prevent sleep apnea without having to wear anything while you sleep. By maintaining a healthy body weight you can help reduce some of the constriction on your throat. You can help to prevent sleep apnea from developing in the first place by doing your best to maintain a healthy weight. If you consume alcohol or take certain medications before you go to bed, this could be triggering sleep apnea or make it worse. Your sleep position is also important with sleep apnea – try to sleep on your side. Sleeping on your back can increase snoring. Also, lifestyle changes come into play; if you smoke, stopping can help prevent this disorder. Staying fit and exercising can also help preventing.

Former USC football star Petro Papadakis, who currently hosts the KLAC AM 570 afternoon radio show, announced that he had received successful treatment for sleep apnea and snoring from Dr. Jonathan Greenburg.  Dr. Greenburg fitted Papadakis with a patent-pending appliance that is customized to each person’s mouth and tongue.   Papadakis commented, “It’s been a great alternative to the CPAP for me.  Dr. Greenburg is an innovator and visionary and his Snore No More Device enables me to sleep on planes and at my house without disturbing the peace.  The dental device opens your airway just like the CPAP and is much less cumbersome.“

Dr.Greenburg commented, “Petros is one of many sleep apnea or snoring sufferers who find the CPAP machine uncomfortable and too difficult to use.  Our custom fitted oral appliance treatment program gently repositions the tongue away from the airway at night and is ideal for patients like him who are either CPAP intolerant or travel often and wish to not have to take a CPAP machine with them.” Read the rest of this entry

A recently concluded research study was attempted with the objective of determining direct and indirect costs of sleep-disordered breathing (snoring, sleep apnea (SA) and obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS)) and the treatment are incompletely described.

Using data from the Danish National Patient Registry (1998–2006), 12 045, 19 438 and 755 patients were identified with a diagnosis of snoring, SA and OHS, respectively. For every patient, four age-, sex- and socioeconomic-matched citizens were randomly selected (48 180, 77 752 and 3020, respectively) from the Danish Civil Registration System Statistics Direct costs were extracted from the Danish Ministry of Health, Danish Medicines Agency and National Health Security and indirect costs were based on data derived from the Coherent Social Statistics.  Read the rest of this entry

Many mothers and wives often say one of the things they miss since motherhood  began is a good night’s sleep. There are many culprits that steal Mom’s restful  time, but one of the biggest can be a snoring partner. But there’s a solution  called VitalSleep Stop Snoring  Mouthpiece that’s affordable for husbands who snore,and their wives who are  kept awake.

“Restful sleep never happens for a snorer… or the people who love them,” says entrepreneur David Hernandez, “And it’s usually the woman who’s kept awake  because, scientifically, men are twice as likely to be snorers than women. When  every night consists of a nudge here, and a poke there, VitalSleep can end the  war some wives face to get a good night’s rest.”

Upon a visit to the dentist to uncover a solution to his snoring, he was  prescribed a mouthpiece that allows more air to flow freely to alleviate  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 conferred with Dr. Richard Koffler M.D. Read the rest of this entry

The diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders have come a long way in recent years. In the past, people who snored might be advised to sew a tennis ball onto the back of their pajama top. The “snore ball” would discourage them from sleeping on their back and might quiet their droning. Or a doctor might use the “dog index” to measure poor sleep: If your dog generally sleeps with you but by morning has left the bed more than half the time, it may be because you’re such a loud, restless sleeper that the dog has gone elsewhere for some peace and quiet.

How things have changed. Now, doctors with special training diagnose and treat more than 80 sleep disorders – from obstructive sleep apnea to narcolepsy – at special centers with labs where a patient’s every sleeping moment may be recorded and measured. Read the rest of this entry