TWO SIGNIFICANT INDICATORS OF SLEEP APNEA- BMI and NECK CIRCUMFERENCE. Calculate them here:
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock:Calculate your Sleep Apnea risks factors here: The Body Mass Index (BMI) appraisal is one of the most widely used tools to measure healthy body weight. This ratio of height to weight will help assess whether you are underweight, normal weight or overweight. The higher the BMI, the greater the risk of some diseases, including: Sleep Apnea, Stroke, High blood pressure, Coronary artery disease, Osteoarthritis, Some cancers, Diabetes type 2. Sleep Apnea awareness is “contagious”. As more and more people learn about SA, doctors are driven to get training and certification to be able to discover and treat this disease. Less than …
Dreaming of Sleep: Silencing snoring for restful nights.
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock:This a decent article about snoring. Unfortunately it doesn’t mention it’s connection to obstructive sleep apnea. POSTED BY LOUISE PYPER / FEBRUARY 19, 2014 / As children we all used to tease our parents and grandparents for snoring. It is not just the ‘old folk’ who snores, some of us can start snoring in our late teens and early twenties. Snoring usually happens when something is partially obstructing your airways. The sound comes from you throat where air flows pass relaxed tissue and as you breathe the tissue starts for vibrate, causing the snoring sound. Snoring …
Snore Sensing Pillow Automatically Nudges You To Roll Over
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock Too much nudging can make you exhausted in the morning. Andrew Liszewski, Gawker Media Feb 5, 2014, 08.10 PM IST It seems like snoring has become more of an epidemic than any of us have realized. At CES,Sleep Number revealed its IQ bed that lets bedmates silence a snoring partner. But now there’s a pillow that can stop a deafening snorer all by itself. Using a built-in microphone with adjustable sensitivity, the pillow listens for loud or soft snorers and then automatically inflates an internal air bladder which increases the pillow’s height by up to three inches. This …
Snoring alone: Sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome can make it hard for significant others to share same bed
CASSELTON, N.D. – Linda Wendel discovered distance was the key to dealing with her husband’s loud snoring.By: Ryan Johnson, INFORUM CASSELTON, N.D. – Linda Wendel discovered distance was the key to dealing with her husband’s loud snoring. Dan Wendel snored even when they married eight years ago, she said. But when it got worse, and the self-described light sleeper couldn’t get the rest she needed, she used a move to a new house in Lisbon, N.D., years ago as a chance to do something about it. “I told him, ‘You can just sleep in the basement. I don’t need this,’ ” …
For Sleep Apnea Patients, a Possible Alternative to Masks
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock: Long-term impact of stimulation of the nerve in the jaw, called the hypoglossal nerve, is not known. By CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS Stephen Maturen for The New York TimesJackie Kopplin of Coon Rapids, Minn., had an upper airway stimulator implanted to help treat obstructive sleep apnea. The standard treatment for people with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea is a mask worn at night that helps them breathe without interruption. The mask is unwieldy and uncomfortable, however; one study found that46 percent to 83 percent of patients with obstructive sleep apneado not wear it diligently. Now scientists …
FAA Rejects “Rulemaking” Process, Will Implement Strict OSA Screening
From Dr. Norman Blumenstock: Hopefully this will make the skies safer for air travel. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is reporting that the FAA will move forward with implementing mandatory screening and testing for obstructive sleep apnea, despite opposition from the pilot and aviation medical communities. During a webinar last week, the Federal Flight Surgeon said the FAA would require aviation medical examiners to calculate body mass index (BMI) for all pilots. Those with a BMI of 40 or greater would have to be screened and, if necessary, treated for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). “The AME may issue a …
FAA to Ground Obese Pilots Until Examined for OSA, Pilots Fight for Rulemaking
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock: This may result in improved public safety in the air. Pilots fear that they can lose their livelihood if they can’t tolerated CPAP. Oral appliances may be the best solution for those pilots that have mild or moderate obstructive sleep apnea. Published on Tuesday, 26 November 2013 10:09 By Sree Roy Pilots with a body mass index greater than 40 and a neck circumference of 17 inches or more will soon have to be tested for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) before being allowed to fly, according to a bulletin issued by Federal Air Surgeon Fred Tilton, MD. …
Pilots Push Back on FAA Apnea Screening Policy
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock: Should airline pilots get screened for obstructive sleep apnea? November 20, 2013 by agpubs The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is asking the Federal Aviation Administration to indefinitely suspend a new policy that would require some pilots to be screened and, if necessary, treated for obstructive sleep apnea before receiving a medical certificate. An article posted on the AOPA Web site reports that at first, the screening would apply to pilots with a body mass index (BMI) over 40. Over time, the FAA would lower theBMI requirement, compelling more pilots to be screened by a board-certified sleep specialist. The …
Americans are Popping Sleeping Pills in Record Numbers
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock: The CDC report, based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005 to 2010), found that nearly nine million Americans take prescription sleeping pills in pursuit of good night’s rest. November 21, 2013 By Dr. Mercola The first-ever federal health study about sleeping pill usage suggests that sleep is growing ever more elusive for Americans.1 According to the latest information, between 50 and 70 million Americans suffer from sleep deprivation, with increasing numbers relying on prescription sleep aids.2 The CDC report, based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005 …
Sleep Therapy Seen as an Aid for Depression
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock: Insomnia can lead to depression according to a presentation by Dr Thomas Roth that I attended this past weekend at the the NJ Sleep Society. By BENEDICT CAREY Published: November 18, 2013 Curing insomnia in people with depression could double their chance of a full recovery, scientists are reporting. The findings, based on an insomnia treatment that uses talk therapy rather than drugs, are the first to emerge from a series of closely watched studies of sleep and depression to be released in the coming year. The new report affirms the results of a smaller pilot …
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