Sleep Well Illinois: Promoting Universal Sleep Apnea Screening inCariology and Internal Medice Practices

Sleep Apnea is a dangerous condition that can have advere effects on all aspects of patients live.  Sleep apneaa is usually easy to diagnose and treat but historicaly medicine has only diagnosed about 10% of patients. 

This is a crisi because sleep apnea can lead to heart attacks, strokes, Atrial Fibrillation, excessive daytime sleepiness, increased memory loss, marital problems, high blood pressure,  gastric reflux, ADD, ADHD and other problems,

Sleep Well Illinois is a new company promoting Universal Screening for Sleep Apnea in Physicians offices.  Learn more about Sleep Well Illinois at:

http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/sleep-well-illinois-a-new-company-dedicated-to-improving-the-health-of-patients-across-the-chicagoland-area-by-universal-screening-for-sleep-apnea-in-internal-medicine-and-cardiology-offices-396215.php

Utilizing a physician based screening program will save both patients and nsurance companies money and insure that the 90% of undiagnosed patients have approriate screening.

  

A home sleep study model will also be extremely effective in diagnosing the mild and moderate sleep apnea patients who respond amazingly well to comfortable oral appliance therapy rather than CPAP.

CPAP is still considered the gold standard for severe sleep apnea  but patients with mild to moderate sleep apnea usually prefer oral appliance therapy.  Even severe patients who do not tolerate CPAP  and utilize oral appliances do amazingly well in long-term outcome studies in cardiac patients.  These outcome studies show that oral appliances higher compliance rate more than offset superiority of CPAP in these patient.

The exception is in the morbidly obese population.  It is expected that more and more severe sleep apnea patients will opt for a comfortable oral appliance as their primary treatment.

Does Sleep Apnea Make Fatty Liver Disease Worse?

Though both conditions have been linked to excess weight, researchers were long of the opinion that there was no connection between sleep apnea and fatty liver disease. However, a recent study of obese subjects with sleep apnea symptoms found a strong correlation between the sleep disorder and fatty liver.

Two-thirds of the patients evaluated during the study showed signs of fatty liver disease. The patients with severe sleep apnea symptoms tended also to suffer from more extreme cases of fatty liver.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a condition where, quite simply, fat deposits build up in the liver. Most patients experience no ill effects from the extra fat, but others might suffer inflammation of the liver and, over time, the development of scar tissue.

If fatty liver disease progresses, possible symptoms might include: 

• Pain in and around the abdomen where the liver is located (upper middle and/or upper right)
• Weakness and fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Dark patches on the skin

In advanced cases of fatty liver disease, permanent damage to the organ can occur. Liver failure and cancer of the liver are also more likely.

Sleep apnea can negatively affect the health and function of many parts of the body. The liver is no exception, which is why it’s vital for patients suffering from sleep apnea symptoms to seek treatment from an experienced professional.

Please call 1 (866) 727-6275 (1-8-NO-PAP-MASK) today to find a sleep specialist in your area.

Making Sleep a Priority a Painless Choice

It’s Sleep Awareness Week, and the National Sleep Foundation has unveiled the results of its annual Sleep in America™ poll. This year’s survey focused on the impact of pain on quality sleep.

The national poll found that a majority of American adults suffer from some type of recurring pain. For these respondents, pain resulted in an average “sleep debt” of approximately 15 minutes to over 40 minutes. In contrast, 65% of the people who reported not experiencing pain said that their sleep quality was good or very good. On average, these people sleep 18 to 23 minutes more than their counterparts who experience regular pain.

According to the Foundation’s report, people who don’t get the quality of sleep they need due to pain experience a number of negative effects, including:

• Higher stress levels, including anxiety about the impact lack of sleep might have on their health
• Greater tendency to wake up during the night (sleep sensitivity)
• Sleeplessness due to environmental factors
• Interference in their emotional state and personal and professional activities

Making an effort to get more sleep tends to correspond with greater quality and quantity sleep, even among people who experience pain. If you suffer from sleep apnea or other disorders that affect your ability to get a good night’s rest, you know the importance of sleep and the need to set aside enough time to get a healthy amount.

If you’re not getting the sleep you need and you know you need to make positive steps to change that, please call 1 (866) 727-6275 (1-8-NO-PAP-MASK) today. A local sleep specialist can counsel you on treatment options for sleep apnea, pain, and a variety of other issues. 

Hold Your Position, Stop Sleep Apnea

The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine has found that patients who undergo positional sleep therapy often enjoy the same relief from apnea symptoms as patients who use a CPAP device. The study in the Journal specifically addressed the efficacy of the FDA-cleared Zzoma sleep apnea device.

By wearing Zzoma on the upper body during sleep, patients are prevented from lying on their backs. The airway is often more open when sleeping on your side, which can reduce snoring and sleep apnea symptoms. Some patients only experience interruptions to breathing when they sleep in a particular position.

If your sleep apnea is positional, there are multiple options for keeping your body in the optimal position. Specially designed devices like Zzoma are available, as well as home care solutions.

Positional therapy options for sleep apnea might include:

• Propping yourself up with extra pillows
• Attaching a tennis ball or other object to the back of your pajama top to keep from rolling over
• A vibro-tactile device that alerts your body to change positions if you lie on your back

Generally, positional therapy is most effective for mild instances of sleep apnea. More severe cases might require a combination of treatments along with altering your sleep habits and making other lifestyle changes.

For more information about sleep apnea devices and other treatment options, please call a sleep specialist in your area at 1 (866) 727-6275 (1-8-NO-PAP-MASK) today.

Heart Failure Patients With Sleep Apnea Face Higher Risk of Death

By itself, heart failure is an extremely serious health event. However, when taken in tandem with a sleep apnea diagnosis, the need to make positive changes becomes impossible to ignore.

A recent study found that more than 75% of patients hospitalized for heart failure are also diagnosed with sleep apnea. The presence of sleep-disordered breathing in someone who suffered heart failure was also discovered to be a strong indicator of hospital readmission and even a predictor of death within three years of the cardiac event.

The potential signs of heart failure include:

·         Breathlessness

·         Fatigue

·         Arrhythmia

·         Swelling in the lower limbs

·         Nausea and loss of appetite

·         Cough accompanied by white or pink mucous

·         Disorientation

·         Heart palpitations

Patients who are hospitalized for heart failure should undergo a screening for sleep apnea. Within six months to one year, the survival rate among patients who undergo appropriate sleep apnea treatment is roughly equivalent to the recovery rate of a patient who suffers heart failure and does not have a sleep disorder.

Living a heart-healthy lifestyle is critical to prevent loss of function and failure of the organ. Smart choices like losing weight, getting exercise, and not smoking can also diminish the impact of sleep apnea by reducing the likelihood of the airway becoming constricted.

If you believe your health is at risk due to sleep apnea, please call a local sleep specialist at 1 (866) 727-6275 (1-8-NO-PAP-MASK) today. 

Snoring Treatment Critical to Reduce Heart Disease Risk

According to a recent estimate by the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project, more than 25 million Americans suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. OSA is accompanied by a myriad of health problems, including a significantly higher likelihood of death from heart disease.

Snoring is more than just a nuisance – it is an indicator of obstructive sleep apnea. People with OSA are five times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease, so it's essential for patients to find effective snoring treatment before poor quality sleep starts taking a toll on the health of the heart and other parts of the body.

Interruptions to breathing during sleep put a strain on the heart and could lead to high blood pressure as well as an increased risk of heart disease and other complications such as:

• Stroke
• Heart failure
• Heart attack
• Irregular heartbeat

Approximately 30% to 40% of adults who suffer from hypertension also have sleep apnea. Among patients with heart disease that doesn't respond to medication, the incidence grows to 80%.

Treatment options are available for snoring and sleep apnea as well as high blood pressure. Patients can also make healthy lifestyle adjustments for improved well-being: Losing excess weight can lower the risk of both OSA and hypertension, for example.

For more information about snoring treatments in your area, please call 1 (866) 727-6275 (1-8-NO-PAP-MASK) today to speak with a local sleep specialist.  

Assessing Your Sleep Quality

Sleeping well isn't just about the number of hours you get per night. More and more research shows that the quality of rest is highly subjective and interruptions from environmental sources, health disorders like sleep apnea, and simply not making bedtime a priority can all be problematic for overall health.

The National Sleep Foundation recently released revised guidelines on the recommended amount of sleep for different age groups. The adult population was broken into three categories: young adults, adults age 26-64, and older adults. All three groups are advised to get a minimum of seven hours of sleep a night.

Environment and behavior can function as “sleep stealers” for any age group, but the foundation report also stressed the need to seek help for sleep interruptions stemming from potential medical issues. The foundation cited some common symptoms of apnea and other sleep disorders as reasons to visit a doctor, including: 

·         Insomnia

·         Snoring

·         Breathing problems

·         Lack of alertness or focus while awake

·         Chronic discomfort, cramping, or tingling of the legs

Sleep is critical to our mental and physical well-being, so not getting enough of it or consistently feeling like you're not well-rested should be treated as a serious health matter. If you're sick of being tired, the first step is to be honest with yourself about your lack of sleep and speak to a professional who can help you identify solutions.

Are you concerned about sleep apnea or other sleep disorders? Please call 1 (866) 727-6275 (1-8-NO-PAP-MASK) today to speak with a local specialist.