Asleep at the Wheel: Could Mandating Sleep Apnea Tests for Transportation Operators Reduce Accidents?
Jun 27, 2014, 7:16 PM ET By GIO BENITEZ, GEOFF MARTZ, GERRY WAGSCHAL, STEPHANIE WASH and CONOR FERGUSON GIO BENITEZMore From Gio » GIO BENITEZMore From Gio » Correspondent STEPHANIE WASHMore From Stephanie » Associate Producer via NIGHTLINE Cars from a Metro-North passenger train are scattered after the train derailed in the Bronx neighborhood of New York, Dec. 1, 2013. Edwin Valero/AP Photo http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/sleep-apnea-testing-reduce-major-transportation-accidents-24346235 Every day millions of passengers put their lives in the hands of train conductors, bus drivers and the truck drivers who share the road with them. All of these jobs require long, monotonous hours with few breaks in between, which …
In Large Study, Sleep Quality and Duration Improve Cognition in Aging Populations
Notes from Dr. Norman BlumenstockBetter sleep has a positive connection to better memory. Published on June 17, 2014 A new University of Oregon-led study of middle-aged or older people who get 6 to 9 hours of sleep a night shows that they think better than those sleeping fewer or more hours. The study, published in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, reaffirms numerous small-scale studies in the United States, Western Europe, and Japan, but it does so using data compiled across six middle-income nations and involving more than 30,000 subjects for a long-term project that began …
![[Micro]sensing the Future](https://sleep-apnea-dentist-nj.info/dev/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/AirAidSleepSensor-300x137.png)
[Micro]sensing the Future
Notes from Dr. Norman BlumenstockThe tiny recorder that improves compliance monitoring can be a game changer for oral appliance therapy. Published on May 28, 2014, By Sree Roy Tiny microrecorders are designed to fit comfortably on an oral appliance. Air Aid Sleep’s microsensor (shown) measures a mere 8 mm x 12 mm x 4 mm. Could the key to mass acceptance of oral appliances for mild to moderate OSA be a recorder that’s smaller than a fingernail? Good things come in small packages, so the saying goes. In the field of dental sleep medicine, many oral appliance manufacturers and dentists say …
FAA CONTROLLERS WORKING EXHAUSTING SCHEDULES
Notes from Dr. Norman BlumenstockAre fatigued air traffic controllers putting air travelers at risk? What are your thoughts? BY JOAN LOWY ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — Air traffic controllers are at greater risk for fatigue, errors and accidents because they work schedules known as “rattlers” that make it likely they’ll get little or no sleep before overnight shifts, according to a government-sponsored report. Three years after a series of incidents in which controllers were found to be sleeping on the job, a National Research Council report released Friday expressed astonishment that the Federal Aviation Administration still permits controllers to work schedules that …
New Study Reveals Possible Link Between Sleep Apnea & Hearing Loss
Notes from Dr. Norman BlumenstockCould hearing loss be linked to obstructive sleep apnea? June 12, 2014 5:45 PM (Photo Credit: KDKA) PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Sleep apnea is becoming so common that it may soon be considered a chronic disease. Approximately one-in-fifteen Americans have it and some don’t even know it. http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/video/10261279-new-study-reveals-possible-link-between-sleep-apnea-hearing-loss/ Sleep apnea has been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and obesity. Now, add hearing loss to the list. In research presented at a chest surgeons’ meeting, 14,000 people in an Hispanic community study were evaluated for their backgrounds, lifestyles, health conditions, and noise exposure. They …
Why Being Sleep Deprived Is NOT a Sign of Productivity
Notes from Dr. Norman BlumenstockObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a form of sleep deprivation. Please read about the neurological affects of OSA. May 29, 2014 By Dr. Mercola Sleep deprivation is a serious health concern that many simply choose to ignore. The price for doing so can be steep. Research tells us that lack of sleep can contribute to everything from diabetes, obesity, and heart disease to physical aches and pains and irreversible brain damage. In one recent animal study,1 sleep deprived mice lost 25 percent of the neurons located in their locus coeruleus, a nucleus in the brainstem associated with …
Train Derailment Fuels Sleep Apnea Screening Talks
Notes from Dr. Norman BlumenstockScreening of truck drivers is another area of concern. WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) — A deadly Metro-North train derailment last year in which the “dazed” engineer was found to have sleep apnea has pushed the commuter railroad to look into establishing screening for the condition, which could include measuring operators’ necks and asking them and their spouses about snoring habits. Metro-North spokesman Aaron Donovan confirmed that the railroad that serves New York City’s northern suburbs is working with unions on sleep apnea screening, but he cautioned nothing has been decided. Any program, he said, “would be …
Is it ADHD, or does your child have sleep apnea?
Notes from Dr. Norman BlumenstockOlder research from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) confirm that there seems to a ADHD connection with obstructive sleep apnea. Not much is understood by parents about snoring or sleep apnea, especially in their children. (istockphoto.com)iStockphoto Lana B. Patitucci, D.O., Doctor of Osteopathy, Pennsylvania Snoring & Sleep InstitutePOSTED: Wednesday, May 7, 2014, 2:23 PM Not much is understood by parents about snoring or sleep apnea, especially in their children. The Stanford School of Medicine states that about 10% of children 10 years of age and younger snore and, of those children who snore, about 20% will …
Crystalline Obstructive Sleep Apnea and the Eye
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock A recent study by the University of North Carolina, adds ocular diseases to the long list of obstructive sleep apnea associations. By Matheson A. Harris, MD, Syndee J. Givre, MD, PHD, and Amy M. Fowler, MDEdited by Ingrid U. Scott, MD, MPH, and Sharon Fekrat, MD Sleep is something we all need and, especially as physicians, often cherish. While eyelids that are tired and droopy may be one of the first signs to herald sleepiness, sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) actually have many ocular sequelae, some of which are vision-threatening. It is …
How Snoring Can Cause Weight Gain
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock This is true especially if the snoring is related to obstructive sleep apnea. Dr. Donald M. Sesso, For Philly.com/Health Posted: Tuesday, April 22, 2014, 4:14 AM As a sleep specialist, my patients often ask about the relationship between snoring and weight gain. The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) has demonstrated that obesity is a risk factor for snoring and sleep apnea and that snoring may cause weight gain or the inability to lose weight. The relationship between snoring and weight gain is linked to alterations in our metabolism, increased appetite and decreased energy expenditure. In other …
Patient Reviews
