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

(Reuters Health) – New research shows high rates of sleep disorders among veterans of America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or head injuries.

The study conducted at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, found that among some 300 soldiers with PTSD, head injuries or both, more than half had sleep apnea — a serious interruption of breathing during sleep — and nearly half had insomnia.

“Sleep complaints were universal,” wrote Dr. Jacob Collen and his colleagues in their research summary. Collen’s team presented their findings this week at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians in Honolulu.

The researchers studied 135 soldiers with PTSD, 116 with traumatic brain injury and 66 with both conditions.

Sleep testing performed on most of the patients found obstructive sleep apnea in 56 percent of them and insomnia in 49 percent. 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

1. Sleep apnea affects up to 18 million Americans
2. The condition was first described in 1965
3. “Apnea” comes from a Greek word meaning “want of breath.”
4. People with sleep apnea can stop breathing as many as 30 times or more each night.
5. Often a spouse or other family member is the first to notice signs of sleep apnea in someone with the condition.
6. Officials estimate 10 million Americans have the condition but have not been diagnosed. Read the rest of this entry

A potentially life-threatening challenge characterized by pauses in breathing that can last for more than 20 seconds, apnea of prematurity (AOP) affects more than 50% of premature infants and is almost universal in the smallest preemies. Caused in part by an underdeveloped central nervous system that can’t adequately regulate breathing outside of the womb, especially during sleep, AOP is not yet fully understood by scientists and remains a grave concern among neonatologists and parents alike.

New research published in the October issue of Pediatrics by clinical scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School suggests that heredity may play a strong role in determining an infant’s susceptibility to AOP and could lead to the development of more effective treatments and screening methods. Read the rest of this entry

According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the average sleep apnea sufferer stops breathing and loses oxygen between five and 30 times a night. This lack of oxygen leads to a host of complications, including high blood pressure, vascular disease, an abnormal heart rhythm, or even a fatal cardiac event. Now, a team of University of Missouri researchers is exploring the changes in distinct brain regions that contribute to these symptoms in hopes of combating this common health issue.

Sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat relax during sleep, leading the airway to narrow or close. It’s estimated that 12 million Americans are affected by sleep apnea, but it’s widely believed that the issue is under reported. There are no blatant signs or blood tests to diagnose the disrupted sleep. Most cases of sleep apnea are discovered when a partner notices an increase in snoring, or when the sufferer indicates daytime fatigue and sleepiness. Read the rest of this entry

A new study, derived from novel sleep research conducted by University of California, San Diego researchers 14 years earlier, suggests that the secret to a long life may come with just enough sleep. Less than five hours a night is probably not enough; eight hours is probably too much.

A team of scientists, headed by Daniel F. Kripke, MD, professor emeritus of psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine, revisited original research conducted between 1995 and 1999. In that earlier study, part of the Women’s Health Initiative, Kripke and colleagues had monitored 459 women living in San Diego ( ranging in age from 50 to 81 ) to determine if sleep duration could be associated with mortality. Fourteen years later, they returned to see who was still alive and well. Read the rest of this entry

A team of researchers at the Sleep Disorders Unit, Loewenstein Hospital-Rehabilitation Center, Raanana, Israel attempted to evaluate the effect of body position on REM-related obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. 

In the specifically conducted retrospective analysis for 100 consecutive adult OSA patients (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] ? 5) who had ? 10 min of REM sleep in both supine and lateral postures. Read the rest of this entry

Summer thunderstorms are great theater-sky-spanning fireworks followed by crackling, crashing booms. But thunderstorms are also linked to some negative effects on health, from breathing disturbances to heart problems.

Summer thunderstorms are great theater—sky-spanning fireworks followed by crackling, crashing booms. But thunderstorms are also linked to some negative effects on health, from breathing disturbances to heart problems, reports the August 2010 issue of the Harvard Health Letter. Read the rest of this entry

Lake City Community Hospital recently installed the Carolina Sleep Lab, a two-bed sleep lab used to perform tests for sleep disorders.

A health-care specialist can order an overnight sleep study known as a polysomnogram if he or she suspects a patient has a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea, in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. Read the rest of this entry

A research study was concluded recently to estimate the population prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in an urban community of German third graders and the diagnostic test accuracy of two OSA screening methods.

Using a cross-sectional study design with a multi-stage sampling strategy, 27 out of 59 primary schools within the city limits of Hannover, Germany, were selected. One-thousand and forty-four (1044)  third graders were screened for symptoms of Sleep Apnea along with Symptoms and signs of OSA using questionnaires and nocturnal home pulse oximetry. Read the rest of this entry