Sheiner suspected that he had sleep apnea which ran in his family, despite the fact that he was not overweight, which was the major reason for the disorder. This was confirmed by a sleep study and his doctors stated that his case was one of the worst cases of sleep apnea. Finally, after undergoing various treatments his doctors decided to perform a robotic surgery.

Erica Thaler, an ENT surgeon at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital reveals that Sheiner’s sleep study showed that he woke up over 112 times every hour meaning that Sheiner didn’t breathe for ten seconds i.e. about two times in a minute. Sleep apnea is being treated with a robotic surgery to remove the cancerous tumors found at the back of the throat. Sleep apnea is a common and chronic sleep disorder where patients stop breathing while asleep. They suddenly and repeatedly gasp for breath in the night due to enlarged tonsilar tissue and tonsils, their airways are blocked. Read the rest of this entry

Discover Medical Devices that developed the SomnuSeal mask for OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) patients has started a second clinical trial in Israel with a smaller size SomnuSeal mask that will help non compliant CPAP patients.

There are 350 million obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients in the world that require CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) treatment.

Up until now approximately 20 million patients were diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and require continuous CPAP treatment. Only 7 million of them agree to receive the treatment and 13 million do not. Therefore every increase of 10% of compliance among non compliant patients may help an additional 1.3 million diagnosed patients. (Studies by John Hopkins demonstrate that 46% of untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients die younger and therefore it is very important to find solutions that will help those patients receive treatment!). Read the rest of this entry

Air Liquide Canada today celebrates 100 years of operation across Canada. It opened the first air separation facility in 1911 in Montreal’s east end. Air Liquide Canada now has over 2200 employees working in more than 65 sites from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Through innovative solutions based on continually enhanced technologies, Air Liquide Canada is a key player in the manufacturing of numerous products that people use every day – literally pulling solutions out of thin air to preserve the environment and enhance quality of life. Air Liquide Canada is a subsidiary of the Air Liquide Group, deeply involved in the field of medical gases and home health programs through its subsidiary, VitalAire Canada.

The expertise of VitalAire Canada respiratory healthcare products and services is based on over 40 years of experience. With more than 80 clinics and 150 healthcare professionals, VitalAire is one of Canada’s leaders in home oxygen therapy services, sleep apnea programs and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Its medical gases and hospital services unit meets the needs of the Canadian market and currently supplies over 2000 hospitals and clinics across the country.

Refurbished sleep lab means more people will get a better night's sleep. Dr. Douglas Bradley sits in the control room for the newly refurbished Sleep Lab at Toronto General Hospital. Staff photo/JUSTIN SKINNER

For a growing number of Canadians, getting a good night’s sleep is easier said than done. For some, a lack of sleep can be a deadly proposition.

Doctors and technicians at the newly refurbished Sleep Country Canada Sleep Medicine Labs at Toronto General Hospital are working to help people with sleep disorders ranging from sleep apnea to insomnia to narcolepsy.

The lab recently received new equipment, thanks to a donation from Sleep Country Canada, which will help doctors better monitor those dealing with sleep conditions.

Dr. T. Douglas Bradley, director of the sleep labs, has a long-standing history of researching and treating sleep disorders and specializes in sleep apnea. The condition is one of the most commonly treated – and most dangerous – at the hospital.

When sleeping, muscles around the airway relax, leading to a narrowing of the airway. For sleep apnea sufferers, the airway is narrowed enough to cut off the flow of air, effectively choking the sleeper and causing them to wake.The results are far more hazardous than simple fatigue. Read the rest of this entry

Obstructive sleep apnea may be the underlying cause of awakening and urination in men with enlarged prostates, a new study suggests.

The study included men aged 55 to 75 who were diagnosed with benign prostate enlargement (BPE) and reported nighttime urination (nocturia) at least once nightly. They were compared to a control group of same-age men who had no BPE and one or no nocturia episodes per night.

The Israeli researchers found that 57.8 percent of the men with BPE may have obstructive sleep apnea and that the sleep disorder may be the actual cause of the sleep awakenings the men believe are caused by the need to urinate. Obstructive sleep apnea is characterized by snoring, pauses in a person’s breathing that cause awakenings, and also daytime sleepiness.

The study, by the team at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, is published in the March/April issue of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. Read the rest of this entry

This could be a little odd for you to know but it is very obvious and quite common a problem. Your mouth must be big enough for your tongue to fit properly. The opening of your mouth; the height and the width must be sufficient. When your mouth is too small, it can trigger a cascade of health problems, from breathing problems, including sleep apnea, to headaches.

Any type of breathing problem can set this vicious cycle into motion. Allergies, for example, may cause chronic stuffy nose, and if your child cannot breathe comfortably through his nose, he’ll start breathing through his mouth, causing his mouth to under-develop.

The tongue is that force on the inside that’s going to develop the mouth. If you can get the child to be able to breathe through their nose comfortably, then their mouth will develop properly.” 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

Royal Philips Electronics announced today a global partnership with the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM), as official sponsor of World Sleep Day 2011, being held across the globe on Friday, March 18. This partnership illustrates Philips’ expanding efforts to increase awareness of how sleep impacts people’s health and well-being all around the world, on a daily basis.

“Philips is honored to be working with the World Association of Sleep Medicine,” commented Dr. David White, Chief Medical Officer for Philips Home Healthcare Solutions and a Professor of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Through the sponsorship of the World Sleep Day we aim to increase people’s understanding of the seriousness of sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) which, if not properly managed, can have a significant impact on a person’s health and well-being.” Read the rest of this entry

Singapore has been celebrating World Sleep Day, which is March 18, by deploying self-assessment kiosks throughout hospitals to help its citizens find out if they are at risk for obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA.

The first of such self assessment kiosk was installed on March 1.

obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)  sufferers stop breathing repeatedly during sleep, which happens when the upper airway is blocked by a large tongue or extra tissue in the throat.

Symptoms include loud snoring, choking during sleep, poor memory, feeling irritable and excessive daytime sleepiness.

An estimated 15 percent of the country’s population suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but the number of patients is expected to rise with increased awareness of this condition.

Source:TVOnline.Com

Sleep ApneaDisorder/[ Press Release ]/ KIRYAT TIVON, Israel, March 18, 2011 /– Snoring U and Sleeping U are two smartphone applications that record and display information about the sleep environment, and snoring. Snoring U and Sleeping U can be used as an alert to the possibility of a potential problem, as well as for monitoring the existence or absence of snoring. Snoring U and Sleeping U are available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch and are now better than ever! 

Snoring U and Sleeping U can allow for the monitoring of how loud and how often he/she snores during sleep, as well as listen to a recording of sleep sounds, and compare a history of multiple sleep sessions (a benefit for those who sleep alone and/or for anyone who wishes to prove the existence of snoring to an unbelieving bed partner. Besides the sleep monitoring, Snoring U can also attempt to help the user stop snoring by performing a sophisticated “nudge,” which is triggered by a set of complex rules that are applied to the noise level, noise pattern and desired user behavior. Read the rest of this entry

Snoring is not only a health problem but also an economic issue and  has come up in people’s attention across the globe recent days.Taking frequent walks can lead to reduced snoring, according to Douglas Bradley, director of the Toronto Research Institute’s Sleep Research Laboratory. Research conducted by Bradley and his staff has tied excessive sitting to a condition called sleep apnea. This causes a constricted throat, stopped breathing, and interrupted sleep.

Prolonged sittings are equally dangerous as such a habit also causes increased snoring. Fluid collects in the legs and eventually moves to the neck when a person lies down in bed at night. As soon as the the muscles come to relax, a person’s airway can shut fairly tight.

Researchers have two solutions to this problem – fitting sleep apnea sufferers with compression stockings and getting out of a chair every hour to take a short walk.

At the same time the researchers in Denmark have established that people who are affected by chronic snoring tend to have lower earnings compared to people with normal sleep habits.

People with snoring conditions compell people to shell out more money for healthcare, say researchers. At the same time, they often don’t have the income to pay for all of it.

Another Danish study revealed that those with sleep disorders had an unemployment rate 30 percent higher than those without a disorder. Danish researchers also found that those with snoring problems who are working had significantly lower salaries than workers without sleep disorders.This may be related to drowsiness on the job that translates into lower productivity.

Most common sleep problems can be successfully treated, and there are a variety of treatment options.“I think most people agree that sleep is important to overall health, but they fail to tell their doctors when they’re having problems — this is probably due to a variety of reasons, but a common one includes uncertainty about the treatments,” says Dennis Auckley, M.D., director of the MetroHealth Center for Sleep Medicine.

Dr. Auckley leads a team of six Valerie Ross, CNP, and Jan Steinel RRT, CNP, are also specially trained members of the team that provides clinical diagnosis and treatment of the full spectrum of sleep disorders in adults and children at three specially equipped Sleep Center facilities: at MetroHealth’s main campus just south of downtown Cleveland, in Independence, and — new this year — in Westlake. Patients are also seen at The Senior Health & Wellness Center in Cleveland and at the MetroHealth Strongsville Community Health Center.

According to Dr. Auckley, insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome and parasomnias, such as sleep walking and night terrors, are the main types of sleep disorders diagnosed and treated at the Center for Sleep Medicine. Insomnia is the most common, with 25% of Americans experiencing it intermittently and 10% chronically. It is especially common in women and the elderly, and the causes vary — from environmental conditions to poor sleep habits to medical or psychological conditions and sometimes even medications. Read the rest of this entry