Loud Snoring Independently Correlated with Daytime Sleepiness

According to a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, snoring may be an independent factor for daytime sleepiness in sleep apnea sufferers. The study was conducted by a retrospective statistical analysis of patients who underwent polysomnography for diagnosis of sleep apnea, and it considered many different possible correlations. What researchers found was surprising.

The highest recorded volume of snoring in the subjects was strongly and independently correlated with daytime sleepiness--commonly considered as a symptom of sleep apnea--as measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) in apneic patients, but not in other patients. Interpreting these results is difficult, but researchers concluded that snoring intensity may explain daytime sleepiness that cannot be fully explained by variables measured by polysomnography.

The mechanism is very difficult to imagine, but since the ESS is a subjective measure, perhaps there is a deeper, more cognitive effect of snoring on the quality of sleep. We know that snoring disturbs cosleepers, but perhaps it also disturbs the sleeper himself in a way we cannot appreciate.

Although the study only correlated the effect of snoring for apneics, it is possible that all snorers suffer diminished quality of sleep. To learn more about the benefits of snoring treatment, schedule a snoring consultation at the Snoring and Sleep Apnea Treatment Center in Gurnee, Illinois.

Repeatability of Sleep Apnea Tests

Growing evidence that sleep apnea dangers are severe and the number of people suffering from undiagnosed sleep apnea have contributed to the large number of people seeking diagnosis of sleep apnea. However, the limited number of sleep centers offering polysomnography means long waiting lists, which means more time for people to suffer the potentially deadly consequences of sleep apnea. The development of at-home portable sleep recorders, which allow patients to test themselves in the comfort of their homes, offers the potential for more people to be positively diagnosed and hopefully receive treatment for sleep apnea sooner. But are in-home tests reliable?

A recent study published in the International Archives of Medicine showed that not only are the tests reliable, but they may be more reliable than in-lab assessments. The researchers took a small sample size of patients and gave them four tests--two in-lab and two at-home--over a period of six months and compared the results. Polysomnography results were taken and sent to three different accredited sleep laboratories for interpretation while the at-home tests were collected by the patients and scored according to standardized algorithms. According to the researchers, the in-lab tests showed a high degree of variability from test to test when compared to the at-home tests. Whereas at-home tests showed essentially no variability, the second polysomnography seemed biased toward greater apnea-hypopnea and apnea indices.

Although the study, with its small sample size, does not say whether one test is more accurate than the other, it does urge doctors using polysomnography to measure severity of sleep apnea to be aware of the possible bias of the test.

If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, we can help. Schedule a sleep apnea consultation at the Snoring and Sleep Apnea Center in Gurnee, Illinois today.

Treating Sleep Apnea Helps Alzheimer's Patients

Because impaired cognition is a symptom of sleep apnea, it makes sense that Alzheimer's patients who suffer from sleep apnea are likely to see cognitive improvement if treated for their apnea. A recent study by researchers at the University of California confirmed the effect. Researchers also recommended sleep apnea treatment as a way to improve the independence of Alzheimer's patients.

Although the study was small, with only 52 subjects, and it was unable to demonstrate statistically significant results when the subjects were initially divided into treatment and control groups, the results are potentially very important. Patients being treated saw improvement in verbal learning, memory, cognitive flexibility, and mental processing speed.

It is estimated that as much as 70 to 80 percent of dementia sufferers have sleep apnea. Researchers explained, "Although it is unlikely that OSA [obstructive sleep apnea] causes dementia, the lowered oxygen levels and sleep fragmentation associated with OSA might worsen cognitive function." It has also been shown that elderly patients with dementia suffered more severe symptoms, including more frequent awakenings, than patients without dementia.

When these researchers refer to sleep apnea treatment, they mean CPAP, but it is possible that oral appliance therapy may also be effective, and may be better tolerated.

This study confirms that no matter what the condition, it is most likely worsened by sleep apnea. If you are a sleep apnea sufferer, beginning treatment is one of the best things you can do for your long-term health. To learn more, schedule a sleep apnea consultation at the Snoring and Sleep Apnea Center in Gurnee, Illinois.

Doctors Begin to Recognize Importance of Sleep Medicine

Obstructive sleep apnea was discovered in 1965, shortly after the application of EEG to sleeping subjects. As the EEG was combined with other body metrics, such as blood oxygen saturation measurements to create the polysomnogram, it became possible to positively diagnose sleep apnea. However, respect for sleep medicine was a long time coming. During the 60s and 70s, sleep medicine was considered mumbo jumbo and quackery, but once the biochemistry of sleep began to be revealed, allowing treatment of sleep disorders, sleep medicine began to be recognized, and finally, in 1996, the American Medical Association recognized sleep medicine as a legitimate specialty.

Not so sleep dentistry, which is still not a specialty recognized by the American Dental Association. Nonetheless, sleep dentists have been working for decades to help people get a good night's sleep through oral appliances that can stop snoring and remedy obstructive sleep apnea.

If you are a snorer or have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, especially if you have been started on CPAP treatment by a sleep doctor but it is not working for you, schedule a sleep dentistry consultation at the Snoring and Sleep Apnea Treatment Center in Gurnee, Illinois, today.

Baby Boomers Losing Sleep

According to Research by the National Sleep Foundation, the average American spends six hours 40 minutes sleeping a night, close to the recommended seven to nine hours. But according to a poll by the Better Sleep Council, one segment of America’s population is doing far worse. According to the poll, 43 percent of Baby Boomers, Americans aged 44 to 62 years old, get six hours of sleep or less every night, and 55 percent of them have difficulty falling asleep at least one night a week, with 15 percent reporting difficulty falling asleep every night. After financial concerns and family worries, what is the most common complaint?

About 18 percent of Baby Boomers report that they don’t get enough sleep because their significant other snores or tosses and turns. No wonder so many of them are moving into separate bedrooms. But it doesn’t have to be this way. If you snore or if your loved one snores, you may be able to get relief with oral appliance therapy.

These days, there is enough to worry about with the economy and financial stress, and with everyone getting older, family worries just keep multiplying. Don’t let snoring keep you awake at night. Schedule an oral appliance therapy consultation at the Snoring and Sleep Apnea Treatment Center in Gurnee, Illinois.

Circadian Rhythms Related to Metabolism

We've been discussing the relationship between obesity and sleep apnea, and the relationship between diabetes and sleep apnea, and it appears that researchers at the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has discovered another piece of the puzzle about their relationship. Unfortunately, it is one that muddies the waters a little bit, suggesting that ties between metabolism and sleep may be beyond our understanding at this moment.

The researchers studied a pair of molecules, known to modulate the body's response to metabolic hormones. They created a mutation in mice which prevented the two hormones, NCoR and HDAC3, from working together. This partnership is known to affect animals' metabolism responses to food, but when they disrupted this partnership, they found a surprising side effect: suddenly the mice were on a different sleep schedule. Suddenly, they had a different circadian rhythm than unaltered mice. They were sleeping less, but their bodies responded more readily to insulin. This means they did not gain as much weight when put on a high-fat diet, and seemed healthy.

Researchers are hopeful that this discovery might someday lead to new therapies in the battle against obesity and diabetes. They warn, however, that the discovery shows sleeping less and greater insulin response may be triggered by the same mutation, not that people who sleep less, or who have disrupted sleep patterns as a result of sleep apnea or snoring, will lose weight. In fact, the evidence suggests the opposite.

If losing weight has been a problem for you, especially if you can't seem to control your diet or appetite, perhaps sleep apnea is a contributing factor. Schedule a sleep apnea treatment consultation at the Snoring and Sleep Apnea Treatment Center in Gurnee, Illinois, today.

Husbands and Wives Being Driven Apart by Sleep Disorders

According to a National Sleep Foundation survey, as many as one in every four married couples sleeps in separate bedrooms. The main reason cited for the increasing numbers of couples seeking separate quarters is sleep disorders, especially snoring, which prevents cosleepers from getting a good rest. However, psychologists and doctors caution that this solution is less than ideal.

Psychologists say that although it is important for people to get sleep, simply moving into another room can cause irreparable damage to your relationship. Although sleeping in separate rooms might defuse the tension surrounding snoring or RLS-related disturbance to your partner, it also reduces the amount of bonding you do with him or her. Sleeping in the same bed is important for establishing intimacy which is the foundation of a healthy marriage. Although used as a euphemism for sexual relations (also affected by snoring and sleep apnea), intimacy is a combination of psychological and biochemical mechanisms that help couples to feel close to one another.

And simply moving to another room leaves potentially dangerous conditions untreated. Snoring is often just the most audible symptom of obstructive sleep apnea, which can lead to a number of dangerous health effects. If you truly love your husband or wife, you will not abandon them to gasp and suffer alone, but will help them get treatment, using either CPAP or the more comfortable and less invasive oral appliance therapy.

The best solution to a snoring problem is not to run away, but to seek treatment through sleep medicine. To schedule a snoring relief consultation, contact the Snoring and Sleep Apnea Treatment Center in Gurnee, Illinois, today.