9 Signs You Have Sleep Apnea & May Not Realize It
By CARINA WOLFF | Aug 31, 2017 | Bustle.com If you’re someone who is constantly tired, you may blame your diet, your busy schedule, or some weird illness, but it might actually be coming from something much more straightforward. If you’re sleeping normal hours every night but not feeling rested, you may be exhibiting some signs you have sleep apnea and not even realize it. Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep, according to the National Institutes of Health. These breathing pauses can last from …
10 Alternatives to CPAP for Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea
JANE RACEY GLEESON | August 22, 2017 6:00 AM | UofMHealth.org A mask that delivers pressurized air during sleep, CPAP is a standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. But other options, when necessary, are available. Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) experience obstructed or restricted breathing for periods of 10 seconds or longer during sleep. Doctors typically can diagnose OSA in two ways: via an overnight sleep study at a clinic or an at-home test. Left untreated, OSA may raise the risk of high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, heart arrhythmia or insulin resistance. The standard treatment for OSA is …
AASM Urges FMCSA and FRA to Address Sleep Apnea Screening
Published on August 24, 2017 | SleepReviewMag.com While the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is disappointed in the recent decision by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to withdraw its advance notice of proposed rule making concerning obstructive sleep apnea, the AASM is urging both agencies to take alternative steps to improve sleep apnea screening among individuals occupying safety sensitive positions in highway and rail transportation. In the official announcement published in the Federal Register, the FMCSA indicated that it will consider making a much-needed update to the January 2015 “Bulletin to …
Will Fitbit’s sleep apnea tracking actually work?
Fitbit might end up losing sleep over its next big life hack by Lauren | Aug 30, 2017, 1:45pm EDT | TheVerge.com Fitbit, the digital health company whose wristbands have become synonymous with the whole activity-tracking movement, is trying to bring its health monitoring game to the next level — by focusing on a sleep disorder that affects millions of Americans. Fitbit has said that it’s working with a combination of optical sensors and machine learning tools in its R&D labs to potentially address a condition in which people stop breathing in their sleep, called sleep apnea. Its new Ionic …
Treatment can help those with sleep apnea get better sleep
By Marissa Harshman | Columbian Health Reporter | Published: August 7, 2017, 6:00 AM | Columbian.com At first, Jim Mains attributed his sleepless nights to having a newborn. Then, as work got busier, he pointed to the mounting stress as the reason for his lack of energy. But when his wife, Ceci, voiced concerns about his increasing snoring and pauses in breathing during his sleep, the Vancouver man realized it was time to see a doctor. He was shocked by the diagnosis. “I never suspected sleep apnea,” Mains said. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops …
Sleep Apnea and Increased Diabetes Risk
Published on July 19, 2017 | By Mayoor Patel, DDS, MS | SleepReviewMage.com Patients who are experiencing out-of-control blood sugar levels need to schedule a visit with their primary care physician. When the patient visits their doctor, what’s interesting is they might be asked about how well they are sleeping. This is because sleep is closely linked to diabetes. When blood sugar levels are really high, the kidneys are attempting to get rid of it by urinating. And when this occurs, patients might be getting up and going to the bathroom all night long. Diabetes and sleep complications go hand-in-hand. …
SEVERE SNORING LINKED TO RETINOPATHY
Type 2 diabetes patients with obstructive sleep apnea are twice as likely to develop diabetic retinopathy as those without, new UK research shows 12 Jul 2017 | by Selina Powell | AOP.org.uk Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in type 2 diabetes patients increases the risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, according to new research from the University of Birmingham. The study of 230 type 2 diabetes patients at hospitals in the Midlands is published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Patients were assessed for diabetic retinopathy using specialist retinal imaging, while OSA was diagnosed using a home-based cardiorespiratory …
Be Aware of the Link Between Depression and Sleep Apnea
Published on July 10, 2017 | By Mayoor Patel, DDS, MS | SleepReviewMag.com There is a complex relationship between sleep and depressive illness. Depression can cause sleep problems and sleep problems can cause or contribute to depressive disorders. As dentists offering dental sleep medicine services, we can continue to be our patients’ first line of defense against sleep apnea and other conditions, such as depression. Understanding the Connection Sleep-disordered breathing has been linked with depression. This is especially true because insomnia is very common among depressed patients. Depressed individuals may suffer from a range of insomnia, including: Difficulty falling asleep …
The dangers of untreated sleep apnea
If left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to heart disease, heart attack, hypertension and diabetes. Bhavyajyoti Chilukoti | Updated: July 21, 2017 4:01 pm | TheHealthSite.com Occasional whistling, grunting, snorting and making buzz-saw-like sounds was part of a normal sleeping pattern for Ritu, a 28-year-old PhD student. But it was never a cause of concern for her until she realised that it’s not simple snoring, but a chronic medical condition. “Ritu has never been the best sleeper, but during her recent visit to my place when we shared a bed, I realised that she’s not simply snoring. She repeatedly stopped …
Sleep apnea linked to worsening diabetic eye disease
JULY 6, 2017 | 12:04 PM | Will Boggs MD | Reuters.com People with both sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes have more than double the risk of worsening retina disease compared to diabetics without the sleep breathing disorder, a UK study suggests. Researchers followed adults with type 2 diabetes over about four years and found that for those with milder eye disease at the start, having sleep apnea was linked to higher odds that it would become more advanced. At the outset of the study, they also found that advanced “sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy” was already present in 43 percent …