(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

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

Sleep disorders, like sleep apnea and insomnia, affect 40 per cent of Canadians, according  to new figures from a Laval University study published in this month’s issue of  the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

Through a survey of 2,000 people across Canada, researchers found 40 per cent  of respondents experienced symptoms of insomnia at least three times a week.  Symptoms include taking longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep, being awake  during the night for more than 30 minutes, or waking up at least 30 minutes  earlier than planned.

Although 20 per cent of respondents said they were unsatisfied with the  quality of their sleep, only 13 per cent of survey respondents say they visited  a doctor or health-care professional about the problem. Read the rest of this entry

Majority of pediatricians are not properly trained to advise parents or guardians on sleep hygiene for their children, according to new research published online August 28 and in the September print issue of Pediatrics.

As many as 33% of preadolescents and 40% of adolescents report experiencing some form of sleep problems, including sleep apnea, snoring, and sleep difficulty, according to lead author Firoza Faruqui, DO, from the Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Ohio, and colleagues. Sleep issues as seemingly benign as snoring have been linked in studies to lower academic performance and higher body mass index in early childhood, and sleep apnea has been linked to issues ranging from difficulties in social and emotional development to cardiac problems. Read the rest of this entry

Treatment with pregabalin significantly improved sleep and pain in patients with fibromyalgia, according to research presented at the 63rd annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, in Honolulu (S27.003).

There are many factors that may cause trouble sleeping at night and even lead to chronic insomnia.  You’ve probably heard about the basic principles of good sleep hygiene, like not drinking too much caffeine during the day, not exercising late at night and not reading or watching TV in bed if you have trouble sleeping.  But good sleep hygiene alone may not solve your sleep problem, especially if there is an underlying issue that hasn’t yet been discovered.  If you aren’t sure what’s keeping you up at night, it’s a good idea to rule out some of these common sources for sleep problems. [  Read complete post By Stephanie Silberman At HuffingtonPost ...   ]

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

Two Cookeville sleep centers have announced merger this week. Sleep Solutions of Cookeville has consolidated with the Sleep  Lab of Cookeville Regional, a move that will allow the CRMC facility to expand  its services, double the number of beds for studies and increase its staff  two-fold. The hospital’s board of trustees approved a $250,000  purchase price for Sleep Solutions, its assets and equipment.

With the merger, Sleep Solutions’ rented  facility on North Washington Avenue will close. The Sleep Lab at CRMC,  meanwhile, located on West Fourth Street, will double in capacity.

“We  were both two busy four-bed labs, and we decided it would be best if we joined  efforts,” said Scott Clayton, former CEO of Sleep Solutions and the new director  of the Sleep Lab of Cookeville Regional. “We will increase to six beds on  Tuesday and we’ll be moving to eight beds here as soon as possible.” Read the rest of this entry

The use of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia to treat sleep  problems can reduce suicidal ideation, according to research presented  last week at SLEEP 2011,  the 25th Anniversary Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep  Societies LLC, held in Minneapolis.

The findings show that about 21% of participants with insomnia—65 of  303 participants—reported having suicidal thoughts or wishes during the  past 2 weeks. Group cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia produced a  statistically significant post-treatment reduction in suicidal  ideation. Treatment sessions were conducted weekly until the final two  sessions, which were conducted bi-weekly.

According to the researchers, a growing body of evidence suggests  that self-reported insomnia and poor sleep quality constitute modifiable  risk factors for suicide. Sleep complaints are listed among the top  suicide warning signs by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service  Administration. No previous studies, however, had evaluated the impact  of a sleep intervention on suicidal ideation.

The study included 303 community outpatients between 18 and 88 years  of age who completed group cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia.  The Beck Depression Inventory, which includes a question about suicidal  thoughts or wishes, was administered at both baseline and  post-treatment.

Sleeping disorders reported by troops returning from the war zone may be a normal result of time in combat rather than a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury, according to a study to be published this summer in the peer-reviewed journal Military Medicine.

“Sleep Disruption Among Returning Combat Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan,” presented during last month’s American Psychiatric Association annual meeting, examines the sleep patterns of 69 servicemembers who returned from Iraq and Afghanistan between 2006 and 2008.

According to an Army news release, 8 percent of soldiers in Afghanistan were taking mental health-related medications to treat sleep problems in 2008, while soldiers in Iraq averaged 5.6 hours of sleep per night, significantly less than the 6.4 hours individuals indicated they required to feel rested. Previous studies have shown that troops returning from war are likely to sleep poorly in the months after they come home.[ Read Complete Post By Seth Robson At Stars and Stripes ... ]

The first study to document sleep problems in women with interstitial cystitis (IC), a painful and chronic bladder condition, has revealed the vast majority of sufferers are plagued by restless nights and ongoing sleep problems.

In the May-June 2011 issue of Urologic Nursing, Dr. Alis Kotler Panzera and her Philadelphia associates found 100% of the 407 study participants reported poor sleep, caused mainly by the need to urinate or from pain associated with IC. For the women, the sleepless nights cause daytime fatigue, loss of productivity, depression and an overall drop in quality of life.

The majority of the participants were from the United States, post-menopausal and between 55 and 60 years of age. The cause of IC, which
affects 1.2 million American women, is unknown, and there is no known cure. The main symptoms are urinary frequency, urgency and pain.

In analyzing the results of the study, Panzera encourages nurses to use cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia and to educate patients about ways to improve sleep.

“Nurses should be aware that the cause of the poor sleep quality may be multi-factoral,” she writes. “Therefore, appropriate screening of
all conditions that may interfere with sleep in this population, such as chronic insomnia, depression and obstructive sleep apnea, should be performed.”

As this was the first study to describe sleep quality in women with IC, Panzera says there are many issues remaining for future investigation, including better tests and treatments.

(Research: Sleep Disruption and Interstitial Cystitis Symptoms in Women; Alis Kotler Panzera, DrNP, APN-C, RN; Judith Reishtein, PhD, RN; & Patricia Shewokis, PhD, Urologic Nursing, May-June 2011.)

Source: Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates (SUNA)

Combat troops in Afghanistan suffer from high rates of sleep deprivation. Only about 10 percent of soldiers and 15 percent of Marines reported sleep problems over a 30-day period because of combat stress. And another potential culprit – video gaming and movie watching – accounted for less than 5 percent of reported sleep problems.

Respondents overwhelmingly said night patrols coupled with hot, loud daytime sleeping environments were the biggest sources of trouble. Nearly half of Marines surveyed cited those factors, and about 30 percent of soldiers.

Overall, the report based on a survey of more than 1,200 soldiers and Marines in 2010 showed morale plummeting while exposure to combat violence surged to new heights.Previous mental health surveys show soldiers and Marines are chronically sleep deprived and get far less than the recommended seven hours a night, said Army Medical Command psychologist Col. Paul Bliese.

The Army, meanwhile, has begun a study to determine just how much soldiers really are sleeping because.[  Read Complete Post By Chris Carroll at Stars and Stripes ... ]

A study presented today at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting suggests that sleep disturbances like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), excessive awakening and insomnia, may be a normal result of combat experience, rather than a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), major depression or other psychiatric conditions.

The retrospective study, which will be published this summer as “Sleep Disruption Among Returning Combat Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan” in the peer-reviewed journal Military Medicine, examined the electronic medical records of recently redeployed soldiers complaining of sleep disturbances. The purpose of the study was to uncover the relationship between common combat-related conditions among active duty military personnel and the frequency of a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA ) and other sleep problems. Read the rest of this entry

A new analysis has found that childhood cancer survivors often suffer  from sleep problems and fatigue, which negatively impact their  attention and memory. Published early online in Cancer, a  peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that addressing sleep hygiene among  survivors of childhood cancer may help to improve their cognitive  health.

Cognitive problems, such as trouble with attention and memory, often  arise in survivors of childhood cancer. These problems, which are either  a direct or indirect result of treatment, negatively impact future  education, employment, and the ability to live independently.

To assess the effects of fatigue and sleep disruption on cognitive  function in long-term survivors of childhood cancer, Kevin Krull, PhD,  of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and his team  evaluated a questionnaire filled out by 1,426 individuals from the  Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. (The Childhood Cancer Survivor Study  was designed to investigate the long-term medical, psychosocial, and  functional health of survivors of eight different childhood cancers who  were treated between 1970 and 1986.) Read the rest of this entry

Sleep is very essential for everyone because it is a process which would recharge our body for the next day’s adventure. So, it’s very important to get a deep and comfortable sleep. Nowadays many people are suffering from sleep problems. They are in search of a better cure for sleep related problems. CPAP is a system completely designed to provide a complete solution for people suffering from sleep apnea. It has a simple mechanism which provides positive pressure in the airways and prevents it from collapsing at the end of the respiration and thus enabling you to enjoy your sleep without any struggles.

The National Institute of Health statistics states that “about 18 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea and specifically the obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and almost 80% of those suffering aren’t aware about their problem”. Read the rest of this entry