Sleep disorders often remain undiagnosed. Untreated sleep disorders among police officers may adversely affect their health and safety and pose a risk to the public.

Researchers examined and evaluated associations between sleep disorder risk and self-reported health, safety, and performance outcomes in police officers.

Cross-sectional and prospective cohort study of North American police officers participating in either an online or an on-site screening (n=4957) and monthly follow-up surveys (n=3545 officers representing 15 735 person-months) between July 2005 and December 2007. A total of 3693 officers in the United States and Canada participated in the online screening survey, and 1264 officers from a municipal police department and a state police department participated in the on-site survey.             Read the rest of this entry

For patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea, three months of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is associated with reduced blood pressure, and partial reversal of metabolic abnormalities, according to a study published in the Dec. 15 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Surendra K. Sharma, M.D., Ph.D., from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, and colleagues investigated the effects of CPAP treatment on metabolic syndrome in 86 patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Patients were assigned to real or sham CPAP for three months, followed by a washout period of one month, and then a crossover to the other intervention for three months. Anthropometric variables, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose levels and lipid profile, insulin resistance, glycated hemoglobin levels, carotid intima-media thickness, and visceral fat were measured before and after each intervention. Read the rest of this entry

The Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee and  the Medical Review Board of the FMCSA held a joint  public meeting in Alexandria, VA, to discuss guidance for medical examiners  to identify commercial drivers with a high pre-test probability of having  Obstructive Sleep Apnea, define conditional certification, and what constitutes  immediate disqualification. “These recommendations are a step in the right  direction,” commented Richard Thiel, Director of Making Sleep Work For You?, a  nationwide sleep disorder program, “both entities recognize how OSA is an issue  in the industry, and are taking steps to not only address it, but also give  clear guidelines to all stakeholders involved.”

Subcommittees of each group working together will meet in January to draft  more detailed recommendations to the FMCSA, and another joint meeting of these  entities will take place in February 2012 to finalize the detailed  recommendations. A public comment period will also be available before the FMCSA  issues these recommendations as final guidance. Read the rest of this entry

Gone are the days of an unaffordable oral appliance used to treat the deadly disorder Sleep Apnea.  With over 18 million Americans affected by Obstructive  Sleep Apnea (OSA), it was only a matter of time the market demanded an  affordable and effective oral appliance to treat sleep apnea.  Respire Medical, a Brooklyn based oral  appliance company teamed up with Gergen’s  Orthodontic Lab to provide a significantly less expensive solution to the  worlds Sleep Apnea sufferers.  Dentists can now attend a dental continuing education course  offered by Sleep Group Solutions to learn more the Respire Blue Series and offer an  affordable option.

“As we continue to grow we would like to welcome all of our new clients and  wish them much success in their treatment of OSA with our Respire devices.”   says David Walton, co-creator of the Respire Blue Series.  “Now that we have  been added to the list of Medicare approved devices by the PDAC board, our  Respire Blue Series device is available to more people.”  With a price point  that’s affordable, Respire Medical offers the best value for money across the  market, hands down. Read the rest of this entry

Roughly 35 to 40 per cent of UAE residents have suffered from a sleep disorder at some point in their life. Many of the cases are related to Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA), which interrupts normal breathing during sleep. The problem seems to get worse with another rising health threat in the UAE; obesity.

“Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is a very common, serious, and unfortunately misdiagnosed condition,” says Dr. Amro Alastal, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Consultant, American Hospital Dubai. “In the UAE and wider GCC, OSA affects around 4 to 5 per cent of the population. This is an estimate based on the number of patients we see in our practice, but the definite number is still debatable as population-based studies are still lacking.” Read the rest of this entry

Henry Schein Inc., the largest provider of health care products and services to office-based practitioners, today announced the launch of its Sleep Complete™ program, a new integrated comprehensive solution that provides all of the information and products necessary for the successful implementation of dental sleep medicine into the dental practice. A key component of this package will be Itamar-Medical’s WatchPAT home test device for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea.The Sleep Complete package will be offered to dentists through a bundled financing package which should significantly lower the financial barrier to entry that often faces dentists interested in incorporating sleep medicine into their practice. Read the rest of this entry

People with obstructive sleep apnea are more likely to stick to prescribed treatment when a partner or parent is involved with their treatment, according to a team of sleep researchers.

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the upper airway collapses during sleep. It is the most common type of sleep-disordered breathing, and chances of it occurring become more elevated in obese people.

The first line of treatment for sleep apnea is a non-invasive in-home treatment called CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure therapy. However, if patients do not use the equipment properly, or at all, it cannot help. Read the rest of this entry

Graymark Healthcare, Inc. the nation’s second largest provider of diagnostic sleep services and an innovator in comprehensive care for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), has partnered with Spencer Hospital of Spencer, Iowa to offer comprehensive sleep medicine services to city residents and the surrounding areas.

The agreement represents Graymark’s 100th sleep laboratory nationwide, consisting of 24 standalone or IDTF facilities in large communities and 76 hospital or rural outreach locations. Spencer Hospital increases the total number of new hospital partnership contracts for Graymark to 14 so far in 2011, compared to 11 total partnerships signed in all of 2010. Read the rest of this entry

Two sleep disorders centers focussing on the children have opened up with dedicated sleep disorders programs  for the suburban Philadelphia residents. These two Philadelhia hospitals intend to help people who have trouble sleeping.

Crozer-Keystone Sleep Centers recently opened the Pediatric Sleep Center at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. Mercy Suburban Hospital in East Norriton also recently opened a sleep disorders center for adults on the third floor of its Medical Arts Pavilion.

Crozer-Keystone Sleep Centers has been opened by Crozer-Keystone Health System to serve children ages six months to 16 years with problems such as sleep apnea, sleep walking, insomnia and night terrors. Read the rest of this entry

NovaSom, Inc., the leader  in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) home testing and cost-containment solutions, announces the launch of its next generation MediTrack(R) cloud-based CRM  application. The MediTrack OSA management platform is designed to enable custom  processing of payer-specific medical policy, billing, utilization management and  therapy coordination requirements to efficiently manage home sleep testing, OSA  diagnosis and recommended therapy.

NovaSom’s proprietary MediTrack system allows physicians to order a NovaSom  home sleep test online or by fax. The platform provides customizable information fields for easier physician entry of payer required data, leverages payer  communication preferences, and incorporates payer-specific messaging into patient shipping and handling and device return logistics. The system also manages rapid upload of patient sleep data for interpretation by a Board Certified physician, and then promptly publishes the OSA study results for secure online and fax delivery to the ordering physician. Upon positive diagnosis, the MediTrack technology integrates assignment of payer-preferred therapy providers. Read the rest of this entry

The Snoring Centera”, the nation’s leading provider of minimally invasive, office-based treatment for snoring and sleep apnea, including the Pillar Procedure from Medtronic, has opened an office in Los Angeles.

Dr. Marc Kayem, a Board Certified Otolaryngologist with years of experience treating snoring and sleep apnea, will serve as Medical Director of the Snoring Center’s Beverly Hills location.

“I am honored to join The Snoring Center. Their progressive and innovative approach to treating sleep disordered breathing has improved the lives of thousands of patients from around the world,” said Dr. Kayem. “In the past, patients would have to travel to Texas to visit The Snoring Center. It is exciting to watch our team expand into new markets in order to provide minimally invasive, office-based snoring and sleep apnea treatment to more men and women in need.” Read the rest of this entry

Bay Sleep, the West Coast’s largest and fastest growing independent sleep  center, announced the opening of its newest, state-of-the-art sleep clinic in Oakland, California. 

Located one block from Summit Medical Center, this is Bay Sleep’s 16th clinic open  for business. Services include sleep physician consultations, diagnostic in-lab  and home sleep testing and dispensing CPAP and other therapies for patients  diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and other sleep  disorders.

The growth trend continues as the company plans to open  their next full service sleep care facility in Solano County by mid-December.  Read the rest of this entry

St. Luke’s Sleep Medicine and Research Center is now enrolling participants in a clinical study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Apnex Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation (HGNS) System, an implantable device, to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

“Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which involves a pressurized mask over the nose, is considered the ‘gold standard’ for the treatment of sleep apnea, but many people have difficulty tolerating it,” said Paula Schweitzer, PhD, St. Luke’s Sleep Medicine and Research Center director of research. “This implantable device offers a new approach for those who have not had success with CPAP or other sleep apnea treatments.”

People interested in learning if they qualify for the Apnex Clinical Study may call 888-975-3370 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            888-975-3370     end_of_the_skype_highlighting or visit stlukes-stl.com/sleep. Qualified participants will receive the medical device and care free of charge.

Patients with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition in which the airway collapses and blocks breathing for 10 seconds or more, may consider adjustable oral appliances (OAs), devices that fit within the mouth to prevent upper airway collapse, as an effective first-line treatment, according to two studies conducted by sleep medicine specialists from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) in Bethesda, Md. 

The retrospective, peer-reviewed studies, published in the December 2011 issue of CHEST, the official journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, and in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM), the official journal of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, provide findings on OAs from the largest patient populations studied to date. The studies found that adjustable OAs are nearly as effective as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment for patients with a mild form of OSA and are more effective than fixed oral appliances, particularly in patients with moderate to severe OSA. Read the rest of this entry

Snoring can have a major impact on those around you. Half of Americans snore, and the problem becomes more prevalent with an increase in weight and age, but it can occur in all populations—even in children. Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea or another sleeping disorder; however, it is one of the warning signs.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing during sleep. Each pause in breathing, or apnea, can last from a few seconds to minutes.

There are three forms of sleep apnea: central sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea and mixed sleep apnea, meaning a combination of the first two. In central, breathing is interrupted by a lack of respiratory effort; in obstructive, breathing is interrupted by a physical block to airflow despite respiratory effort, and snoring is common. Read the rest of this entry