A nightly breathing treatment may do more than help people with obstructive sleep apnea get a good night’s rest — it may also help prevent heart failure.

In a study published in Circulation: Heart Failure, a journal of the American Heart Association, researchers in the U.K. discovered that moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can cause changes in the heart’s shape and function, similar to the effects of hypertension. These changes include increased mass, thickening of the heart wall and reduced pumping ability.

But, six months after continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment, the abnormalities returned to near-normal measurements in sleep apnea patients. Read the rest of this entry

Demanding schedules and high stress levels compel almost 78% of the corporate employees to sleep less than 6 hours every day leading to variety of sleep disorders and other health problems.

The ASSOCHAM survey findings revealed that “Loss of sleep has wide ranging effects including daytime fatigue, physical discomfort, psychological stress, performance deterioration, low-pain threshold and increase absenteeism”.

Women are at more risk as they suffer with more sleep problems than men. More than 50% of women said they frequently experience a sleep problem. Read the rest of this entry

A recently concluded research study findings are important for parents who often think that snoring babies are deeply sleeping ones. This research however revealed that snoring, along with mouth-breathing and sleep apnea, are sure symptoms of disordered sleep and the chances of developing long-term problems in children’s behavior and emotional well-being are quite high.

Findings of this research study have been published in the journal Pediatrics, researchers say that babies who have these sleep problems at 6 months may be anywhere from 20% to 100% more likely to have problem behaviors such as hyperactivity by age 7.

The study was conducted with more  than 11,000 children followed for over six years at the at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and the researchers found that young children with sleep-disordered breathing are prone to developing behavioral difficulties such as hyperactivity and aggressiveness, as well as emotional symptoms and difficulty with peer relationships. Read the rest of this entry

If you are getting older you are more likely to sleep like a baby!

Nearly 100 million Americans are suffering from one or other sleep disorders like sleep apnea, insomnia, sleep deprivation, sleep disturbance and daytime fatigue to name just a few. But those who are getting older have good news that their sleep is getting better as they grow old. A good night’s sleep just like a baby sleep gets possible in older age.

A research study performed on more than 150,000 Americans concluded recently and published in the March edition of the Journal SLEEP revealed that sleep seems to improve over a lifetime, with the fewest sleep complaints coming from people in their 80s. Read the rest of this entry

Building on their highly successful System One humidification, Philips  Respironics has introduced an additional humidification solution that enhances  performance, flexibility and comfort for the sleep apnea sufferer. The System  One Heated Tube provides CPAP users with air temperature control, improved humidification and rainout  protection. The Heated Tube can only be found on the Philips Respironics System  One REMstar Auto A-Flex with Heated Humidification and Heated Tube model  DS560TS.

The System One Heated Tube takes into account the room temperature and  humidity by using a sensor at the end of the Heated Tube to allow the CPAP user to choose what temperature is  right for them and at the same time protects against rainout. The Heated  Tube is a welcome advance in CPAP therapy and is just another reason why Philips  Respironics is a leader in the sleep therapy market. Read the rest of this entry

The ResMed S9 AutoSet CPAP machine is available from Sleep Restfully, Inc. The S9 Autoset is the finest auto-titrating CPAP machine on the market. Manufactured by ResMed, known for excellent quality CPAP machines and CPAP mask throughout the world, count on the S9 Autoset to control your obstructive sleep apnea.

The S9 AutoSet combines an intelligent algorithm with Easy-Breathe expiratory pressure relief (EPR) to dynamically adjust pressure for maximum comfort. Using ResMed’s time-tested APAP technology, AutoSet continually monitors breathing, adapting breath-by-breath to always deliver the lowest therapeutic pressure, improving comfort and sleep. Enhanced AutoSet is now able to differentiate between obstructive and central sleep apneas, so you can be confident that you are always receiving appropriate therapy and pressure. Read the rest of this entry

The Aviisha Medical Institute’s DriveSafe Program is lowering costs associated with the testing and treatment of sleep apnea for commercial drivers. Launched in February, the program is also aimed at raising awareness about this serious disease and helping drivers stay compliant.

The DriveSafe Program is the institute’s latest effort to combat the effects of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea has recently been spotlighted in the commercial driver industry.

In January, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that it had adopted recommendations to have all commercial drivers with a body mass index of 35 or higher tested for sleep apnea. A person with a body mass index of 35 or higher is considered obese and is at high risk of having sleep apnea. Read the rest of this entry

Sleep is sleep, isn’t it?

But have you ever thought about whether your child is getting healthy sleep?

The sleep quality among infants and children generally vary just as the quality of their diets do.

Healthy sleep is as important as good nutrition and exercise for normal growth and development. Sleep also impacts daytime mood and functioning. If your child has poor grades or other difficulties in school, it’s possible that could be traced back to lack of sleep. Read the rest of this entry

Siesta Medical, Inc., a developer of minimally invasive surgical solutions for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), announced the U.S. launch of its Encore™ Tongue Suspension System for the treatment of OSA. The Encore™ System simplifies and improves the control of tongue suspension, a procedure shown to be an effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Dr. Jason van Tassel at Washington Hospital in Fremont, CA performed one of the first patient implants.

“Through a small incision, the Encore System allowed me to navigate the tongue base and easily place suspension loops. Controlling the final tension and advancement of the tongue base was easy and much simpler than with previous tongue suspension devices. This was a quick and minimally invasive surgery and is a potentially attractive surgical option for OSA patients with tongue base obstructions” said Dr. van Tassel. Read the rest of this entry

St. Luke’s Cornwall Center for Sleep Medicine has launched a new, free, support group, for patients with sleep apnea or other sleep disorders.

The first quarterly meeting for the A.W.A.K.E. (Alert, Well And Keeping Energetic) support group will be held Wednesday, March 21 from 6:15 – 8:15 p.m. at the 2nd Floor Conference Room at the Cornwall campus located on 19 Laurel Avenue in Cornwall. Refreshments will be served.

“We’re excited to launch the Mid-Hudson Valley chapter of this new support group through our Sleep Medicine program,” said Dr. Anita Bhola, Medical Director, St. Luke’s Cornwall Center for Sleep Medicine. Patients will be put in touch with doctors, manufacturing reps, DME and other experts in the field to have their questions answered in an informal patient friendly setting.

St. Luke’s Cornwall Center for Sleep Medicine is committed to enhancing quality of life for those experiencing disruptive sleep. Using advanced diagnostics and the latest research in the field highly qualified staff evaluates patient’s sleep patterns and devise a custom treatment plan to improve their ability to sleep.

A recently concluded research study established that the children who experience sleep-disordered breathing are significantly more probably exhibiting maladaptive behaviors subsequent to surgery compared to those children who do not have any respiratory problem.

Researchers from the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor were intrigued by the postoperative behavioral problems—like fussiness, disobedience and introversion, and daytime sleepiness.

“All of us have taken care of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)patients at one time or another,” said Robert E. Christensen, MD, clinical lecturer in anesthesiology at the institution. Read the rest of this entry

JaMarcus Russell earned a reputation as one of the worst disappointments in draft history and argued that sleep apnea was to blame for much of the behavior that earned him widespread criticism and put an end to his NFL career at the tender age of 26.

JaMarcus Russell’s diagnosis and subsequent discussion of sleep apnea may not be enough to restore his much-maligned performance or defunct career; but at a time when nearly 12% of the American public suffers from this serious and potentially life-threatening condition, it may help raise popular awareness of sleep apnea – and encourage patients to thoroughly research their treatment options to find solutions that are both effective and sustainable for the long haul. Read the rest of this entry

NovaSom, Inc., the leader in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) home testing and cost-containment solutions, has announced UnitedHealthcare plan  participants now have access to NovaSom home sleep testing services for sleep apnea diagnosis. Home sleep testing is a clinically equivalent alternative to in-facility sleep testing that can be performed from the comfort and privacy of a patient’s home, at a fraction of the cost.

NovaSom will utilize its field-based provider relations team to educate physicians on appropriate screening parameters that will help identify clinically appropriate patients for home sleep testing. NovaSom will also make available a customized, provider-friendly workflow process aligned with prior authorization requirements to assure cost-effective diagnosis and initiation of treatment through its proprietary       cloud-based MediTrack^®System.    Read the rest of this entry

The health condition of children and adolescents with obstructive sleep apnea becomes much better in terms of attention, anxiety and quality of life after treatment with positive airway pressure (PAP).

It delivers a stream of air through a mask into the nose. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a condition of interrupted breathing caused by a narrowing in the throat or upper airway, related to large tonsils, obesity or other medical problems.

Using PAP commonly relieves OSAS in adults, among whom it has been studied extensively. However, there have been few studies of PAP in children with OSAS, the American Journal of Respiratory and Clinical Care Medicine reports.

“The benefits occurred even when children didn’t fully adhere to the treatment,” said study leader Carole L. Marcus, sleep specialist and director of the Sleep Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The Sleep Center follows thousands of children and adolescents with sleep problems, according to a Children’s Hospital statement. Read the rest of this entry

A Currently concluded research study based on the large health insurance database revealed that people who’d suffered sudden deafness were more probable to have a previous diagnosis of sleep apnea than a comparison group without hearing loss.

Taiwanese health insurance data analysis revealed that the absolute difference is actually small: 1.7 percent of those with hearing loss had sleep apnea in comparison to 1.2 percent without hearing trouble.

The health records of nearly one million Taiwanese evaluated by Dr. Jau-Jiuan Sheu, of Taipei Medical University Hospital. His team of researchers found that almost 3,200 had been diagnosed with sudden deafness between 2000 and 2008. Comparison was made with other five people of same age and sex without hearing loss. Out of those 19,000 people in total, 240 had been diagnosed with sleep apnea before the episode of sudden deafness occurred. Read the rest of this entry