The new year is upon us and it’s time to make that list of resolutions, most of which we never keep. But for 2011, improving your health and quality of life can be easily accomplished by addressing two common problems people have with their sleep:
Kick the bad habits: Poor Sleep Hygiene is a leading reason for sleep deprivation and Insomnia, but it is avoidable. Simple steps to improve Sleep Hygiene include eliminating the television from the bedroom, avoiding TV and computer use within 2 hours of bedtime, and avoiding caffeine within 8-10 hours of bedtime. Also don’t overdo the evening alcohol intake and if you do find yourself unable to sleep, go to a separate dimly lit room and engage in a calming activity such as reading until you feel tired again. Taking these simple actions can help your mind associate the bedroom with sleep and can break the cycle of Insomnia.
Stop rattling the windows: Snoring is not only annoying for others around you, it is a major symptom of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Sleep Apnea can be a dangerous condition leading to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, and high blood pressure. Treatments are available for sleep apnea but diagnosis requires an overnight sleep study at an AASM accredited sleep center. If you have been told you snore, schedule an appointment to speak to a sleep specialist. It’s covered by insurance and treatment of apnea has been proven to help lower blood pressure, improve cognition, and decrease daytime fatigue.
Sleep Suffers During Wartime Deployment – The stress of war is affecting our troop’s sleep and peace of mind, making it harder to adjust upon their return home.
“After a 0-2 start to the season, things are looking bleaker by the day for the Minnesota Vikings. 40-year-old Quarterback Brett Favre is showing his age, and his primary target Sidney Rice won’t catch a pass until at least November.
The latest let-down involves the feel-good story of the NFL’s season opener. NBC’s Andrea Kremer reported mid-game that Percy Harvin found the cure for debilitating migraines. The athletic wide-receiver had sleep apnea and didn’t know it.
Harvin was diagnosed after collapsing on the field during practice last month. Numerous reports claimed CPAP treatment would solve the chronic migraines that plagued him since childhood. Harvin would be a whole new player capable of living up to his sky-high potential.
Then the news broke Wednesday that the 2008 first-round pick and future franchise wide receiver did not participate in team practice because of migraines.
Harvin’s health issues are huge blow for the Vikings, who have scored only 19 points over the first two regular season games.
Currently, it’s not entirely clear why the migraines have returned. There are two likely possibilities:
a) Harvin didn’t sleep with CPAP previous to practice
b) Something other than sleep apnea is causing the migraines
It’s disappointing that Harvin is having migraines again, but the sleep apnea diagnosis is a huge step forward for his health. After all, treatment can save his life.”
A recent news story from Westfield, Massachusetts vividly illustrates how the danger of falling behind the wheel. From WWLP 22 in Massachusetts:
“An SUV barreled through a Westfield business around 6:43 Sunday evening. Sgt. Raymond Manos told 22News that 42-year-old Tina Richard of Ludlow crashed her Jeep Grand Cherokee through the Four Mile Country Store on Russell Road in Westfield. Her four-year-old daughter was in the car with her. Both were transported to Noble Hospital with minor injuries. Sgt. Manos said Richard passed a field sobriety test. He said there was no indication that she was drunk or had abused drugs. He said she may have fallen asleep. Luckily, the store was closed and no one was inside at the time of the crash.”
Driving while sleep deprived can inhibit reaction times as much as driving while drunk. Also it has been shown that having Obstructive Sleep Apnea doubles your risk of having a serious crash with personal injuries. If you feel tired while driving, pull over and take a nap. Driving while drowsy puts everyone’s life at risk. For more information about drowsy driving or to set up an appointment to be tested for a sleep disorder contact Oregon Sleep Associates.
Do you have Diabetes? If so, your sleep may be more important to controlling your blood sugar than you think…
Research indicates that 50 to 80% of people with Type 2 Diabetes also suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea and a lack of restorative sleep in general is considered a risk factor for developing the disease.
Oregon Sleep Associates is hosting an exclusive free seminar on Diabetes and it’s connections with sleep. Board Certified Sleep Specialists Dr Daniel Root and Dr Jennifer Kim will be speaking. Seating is limited so reserve your spot now.
Where: Oregon Sleep Associates, 2228 NW Pettygrove St, Suite 150, Portland, OR 97210
When: Thursday, June 24th @ 5:30-6:30pm.
Diabetic refreshments provided.
Please RSVP to 503-288-5201 or email: admin@oregonsleepassociates.com
Examples of simulated x-ray images of threat bags with typical hit rates. A: gun with low target difficulty in the center (HR was 75%), B: knife with low target difficulty in upper right corner (56%), C: gun with high target difficulty in lower right corner (50%), D: knife with high target difficulty in lower left corner (32%)
The job of a Transportation Security Administration luggage screener has to be one of the most tedious and thankless professions. All day long they stare at an X-ray screen with literally thousands of pieces of luggage passing through. Each piece is completely unique, yet they are expected to accurately pick out dangerous objects among the blurry images. Add to that the constant pressure and anger directed towards them by the hoards of annoyed travelers passing through the checkpoints. The job requires constant vigilance and attention to detail, which is why it is especially important that the TSA screeners be well-rested.
However, as research developed by the University of Pennsylvania and the Department of Homeland Security shows, even a one-time lack of sleep can seriously affect the ability to detect threats in luggage. The researchers took 5800 X-ray images of luggage and organized them into batches of 200 slides, 25% of which contained images of weapons hidden in the bags. Then study subjects went through the images on a simulated X-ray terminal. The response rate and times were measured for each subject when they were well-rested and when they had been deprived of sleep. The results were startling; the average detection rate decreased significantly and the false positive rate increased when the subjects were working the night shift or had been sleep deprived. The study authors concluded that “night work and sleep loss adversely affect the accuracy of detecting complex real world objects among high levels of background clutter.” They go on to caution that in a real world environment “fatigue in luggage screening personnel may pose a threat for air traffic safety unless countermeasures for fatigue are deployed.”
For more information on Shift Work and how it affects job performance visit the newsletter archive at www.oregonsleepassociates.com.
“Forty-five percent of U.S. residents have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes, possibly increasing their risk for cardiovascular disease, according to a data brief released by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) on Monday, ABC News reports.
This is the first study conducted by the agency to examine the combined effect of all three conditions. The study is based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, an ongoing study that administers interviews, physical examinations and laboratory tests to participants. The results showed that about 3 percent of adults have all three conditions, while 13 percent have two.
The report also found that about 15 percent of adults with one or more of the conditions have not been diagnosed. According to experts, the cause of these chronic conditions is related to the purported obesity epidemic that has swept the country over the past few decades. Nearly 67 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, according to the CDC.”
This finding is very important because, as we have reported in the past, having Diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol are all contributing factors to severe sleep disorders such as sleep apnea. If youhave any of these conditions talk to your doctor and get screened for sleep disorders. For more information on sleep or to talk to a board certified sleep specialist, contact Oregon Sleep Associates.
The dentist has been telling you for years. Maybe you even use a night guard to protect your pearly whites. But new research indicates that teeth grinding, or Bruxism, may be a sign of something more dangerous to your health.
Bruxism occurs in approximately 8% of the US population and is not considered a life threatening condition. It can cause excessive wear on the enamel surfaces of the teeth and is usually diagnosed by dentists. Many times a simple nighttime retainer or oral appliance is all that is needed to correct the problem. But researchers recently uncovered a connection between Bruxism and Obstructive Sleep Apnea. They found that nearly 25% of people with Sleep Apnea also grind their teeth at night. The connection may come from the frequent nocturnal arousals associated with Sleep Apnea. “The ending of an apneic event may be accompanied by a number of mouth phenomena, such as snoring, gasps, mumbles, and teeth grinding,” said Dr. Shyam Subramanian of Baylor College of Medicine. The researchers found that teeth grinding is most prevalent in Caucasian males and may also be related to anxiety and heavy caffeine use.
While having Bruxism doesn’t guarantee you have Obstructive Sleep Apnea, it may be prudent to watch for signs of the condition. Overly sensitive teeth, painful jaws, and inflammation in the mouth are all symptoms of Bruxism. At your next dental visit, ask your dentist to check for signs of teeth grinding. They can tell you if there is damage to the enamel of your teeth and the best method to prevent it. Then, visit a sleep specialist to make sure you don’t have an underlying sleep disorder such as Sleep Apnea.
We recently came across this local radio interview with Dr. Root from a while back. In it he discusses sleep disorders such as Sleep Apnea, Snoring, Insomnia, Bad Sleep Hygiene, and Restless Legs Syndrome. Check it out!
Many people today have heard of Sleep Apnea, if not, you probably have at least heard the symptoms of it: The constant snoring rattling your tents when you’re on a camping trip with friends, the coworker who just can’t seem to stay awake during a meeting, or the guy in his car nodding off at the red light in front of you.It seems like we all know someone or are related to someone who does these sorts of things.
But how do you know whether you are at risk for this sort of behavior, after all, how can you watch yourself when asleep?
Here are some questions I found which could help you determine whether to get screened for Sleep Apnea:
Do you wake up in the morning feeling unrefreshed or tired?
Have you ever been told you snore?
Have you ever been told you struggle, gasp, or stop breathing at night?
Do you get morning headaches?
Do you have a hard time staying awake during the day? What about without caffeine?
Have you ever fallen asleep driving a car?
Do you feel you have a hard time remembering things or focusing on tasks?
Do you have high blood pressure?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should visit a sleep specialist to be screened for Sleep Apnea.
