Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock SomnoMed provides us four different oral appliances to choose from that can be used for patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Medicare and medical insurance companies generally provide benefits for oral appliance therapy. September 24, 2014 02:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time FRISCO, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SomnoMed (ASX:SOM) announced this week that it has received Medicare approval for its new SomnoDent® Herbst Advance Classic and Flex oral devices. The devices, which effectively treat obstructive sleep apnea, have received full CMS/PDAC approval and were allocated the HCPCS Code of E0486 for DME billing, allowing for Medicare reimbursement in the United …
5 Things You Can Do After Lunch to Improve Sleep Quality
Notes from Dr. Norman BlumenstockAfter-lunch strategies can improve sleep quality. If you incorporate these things during the day, it will improve your sleep quality at night. by Jamie Scott, of Whole9 South Pacific , who lives at 43 degrees south in New Zealand and wakes up to a light alarm.Last time we looked at the importance of sleep to overall health and touched on three pre-lunch strategies to help your body prepare for the coming night’s sleep. Today we’ll be talking about after-lunch strategies to improve sleep quality. If you incorporate these things during the day, it will improve your sleep quality at night. First, we …
Sleep sensors: waking up to the need to study our night’s rest
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock Many people are turning to fitness trackers to help boost the health benefits of better sleep Every night Jack Hammond straps a small gadget to his wrist. The sensor claims to track his sleep, monitoring every toss and turn so that when he wakes it can tell him how long he slept, how much of it was deep sleep – and how often he was woken up by his unsociable neighbor. “I can see that I need about four hours’ deep sleep to feel refreshed, and I need to be asleep for about eight hours for …
12 Foods That Sabotage Sleep
Notes from Dr. Norman BlumenstockRemember not to go to sleep on a “full stomach”. It’s recommended that you have at least 3 hours after eating before you go to sleep in order to avoid any negative issues. Sleep Better The foods you eat for dinner or shortly before bed can prevent you from getting some much-needed zzz’s. Here’s what to shun for up to several hours before turning in if you want to sleep better and wake rested — from tomatoes and chocolate to cheddar cheese. Celery Steer clear of celery just before bed. Celery and other foods with a …
BMI Calculator: How Healthy Is Your Weight?
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock Typically, people with higher BMIs have a greater likelihood of developing conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and type 2 diabetes. But many factors — including your family history, eating habits and activity level — also influence your overall health. http://www.aarp.org/health/fitness/info-05-2010/bmi_calculator.html?cmp=NLC-MBA-090814&e2token=Ymx1bWVuc3RvY0B5YWhvby5jb20%3D Calculate your BMI. …
Can Sleep Loss Affect Your Brain Size?
Published on September 4, 2014 Sleep difficulties may be linked to faster rates of decline in brain volume, according to a study published in the September 3, 2014, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Sleep has been proposed to be “the brain’s housekeeper,” serving to repair and restore the brain. The study included 147 adults between 20 and 84 years old. Researchers examined the link between sleep difficulties, such as having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night, and brain volume. All participants underwent two MRI brain scans, an average of 3.5 …
Too Much Sleep Can Cause Problems
Published on August 29, 2014 With sleep drunkenness in the news, ABC 7 reports on how getting too much sleep can contribute to the problem. For years medical professionals have warned of the hazards of not getting enough sleep. But getting too many Z’s may be responsible for you feeling dazed, disoriented and confused…and possibly perceived by others as a little drunk. “If you’re normally sleeping eight hours or so, then suddenly decide, ‘oh, I’m going to have a really nice weekend’ and you sleep eleven or twelve hours, you may wake up so groggy that you don’t really wake …
Untreated Sleep Apnea Has Risks
Severe obstructive sleep apnea linked to high blood pressure with medication. August 17, 2014 / Author: Tara Haelle / Reviewed by: Robert Carlson, M.D. Beth Bolt, RPh (dailyRx News) The link between obstructive sleep apnea and high blood pressure has been known among doctors for a while. But it may be stronger link than most realize. A recent study found that those with severe obstructive sleep apnea, when not treated, is linked to high blood pressure even when a person is taking blood pressure medications. The most common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure, of CPAP. …
Doctors want schools to start later so kids can sleep
MICHELLE HEALY @BYMICHELLEHEALY USA TODAY America’s pediatricians have a message for school administrators: Let the kids sleep. The nation’s largest pediatrician group issued a policy statement this past week, just as millions of children are returning to school, calling for high school and middle school classes to begin at 8:30 a.m. or later. The move would be “an effective countermeasure to chronic sleep loss” and the “epidemic” of delayed, insufficient and erratic sleep patterns among the nation’s teens, the group noted. Many factors, “including biological changes in sleep associated with puberty, lifestyle choices and academic demands,” negatively impact teens’ ability to …
Dealing with snoring helps both partners
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock“Laugh and the world laughs with you. Snore and you sleep alone” Unlike high blood pressure or blood sugars, snoring is unique in that it causes problems not just to the person with the issue, but to both partners. As a result, 25 percent of married couples state that they sleep separately because their partners snore. Besides sleeping alone, it can also adversely affect our health. For-tunately, there is a lot that can be done to turn down the noise, improve our relationships and maintain our best health. Dr. Nina’s what you need to know about …
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