Impact of obstructive sleep apnea on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: prospective, consecutive study

What is not known yet, about the topic
Coexistent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are insufficiently studied in terms of prevalence, frequency and spectrum of complications, health risks and impact on quality of life.

Research hypothesis
Certain clinical and demographic parameters or data obtained from nocturnal polysomnography can have significant predictive value for overlap syndrome, induced by coexistent obstructive sleep apnea and chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease.
Article’s added novelty on this scientific topic
It was established that increased body mass index and high Epworth sleepiness score have significant predictive value for coexistent OSA and COPD.

Full text

The Evolution Of Sleep Disturbance Through The Generations [Infographic]

Obstructive sleep disordered breathing in 2–18 year-old children: diagnosis and management

The ERS Task Force on the Diagnosis and Management of Obstructive Sleep-Disordered Breathing (SDB) in Childhood has published a new document detailing a stepwise management approach for SDB in children aged 2–18.

The seven-step management approach covers topics such as reported symptoms, morbidities, treatment indications and follow-up evaluations. The document also takes into account the available diagnostic facilities and accepted treatment policies in different European countries, describing diagnostic modalities that can be used as alternatives for settings where polysomnography is not available.

This document summarises the conclusions of a European Respiratory Society Task Force on the diagnosis and management of obstructive sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in childhood and refers to children aged 2–18 years. Prospective cohort studies describing the natural history of SDB or randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials regarding its management are scarce. Selected evidence (362 articles) can be consolidated into seven management steps. SDB is suspected when symptoms or abnormalities related to upper airway obstruction are present (step 1). Central nervous or cardiovascular system morbidity, growth failure or enuresis and predictors of SDB persistence in the long-term are recognised (steps 2 and 3), and SDB severity is determined objectively preferably using polysomnography (step 4). Children with an apnoea–hypopnoea index (AHI) >5 episodes·h⁻¹, those with an AHI of 1–5 episodes·h⁻¹ and the presence of morbidity or factors predicting SDB persistence, and children with complex conditions (e.g. Down syndrome and Prader–Willi syndrome) all appear to benefit from treatment (step 5). Treatment interventions are usually implemented in a stepwise fashion addressing all abnormalities that predispose to SDB (step 6) with re-evaluation after each intervention to detect residual disease and to determine the need for additional treatment (step 7).

Link:

http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2015/11/05/13993003.00385-2015?utm_source=ERS+newsletter&utm_campaign=ed0dc225f7-ER_Weekly_week_45&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_372fc3467c-ed0dc225f7-35104157

Take A Nap (6 benefits of napping)

The stigma against napping is finally starting to wane - and for good reason. Taking a timeout to sleep during the day does much more than just give us a quick energy boost. It also confers some serious cognitive and health advantages as well.

Benefits of napping: 

• prevents heart attacks 
• Improved cognitive performance 
• Increased alertness 
• Improved memory 
• Improved relaxation 
• Stress reduction

Even a short 20 minute nap in the afternoon can provide all the benefits of napping. However, the length of your nap will determine what sort of benefits you’re likely to experience. According to the WebMD napping can be broken up into different categories:

20 Minute Nap – While a short 20 minute power nap does enhance memory, it has a more dramatic effect on mental alertness and motor learning skills.

20 To 30 Minute Nap – This length of nap will typically enhance creativity while at the same time also boosting memory.

30 To 60 Minute Nap – This type of nap has an incredibly beneficial impact one’s decision making skills. It also improves the part of your memory that’s responsible for memorizing things such as the alphabet; directions and etc.

60 To 90 Minute Nap – Taking this type of nap will ensure that you get REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, and as such, this type of nap is the most beneficial of them all. Once you reach REM sleep, it’s almost as if the brain resets itself. One could say it’s like starting at the beginning again. Studies have shown that a 60 to 90 minute nap can have a dramatic effect on the brain in terms of problem solving. Here again, NASA has conducted their own studies, and they land up with the same result.

Do you have Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Most individual symptoms and signs have limited utility in determining the likelihood of OSA, and no one sign is sufficiently precise to rule in or rule out this condition. Although the absence of snoring makes a diagnosis of OSA less likely, snoring on its own is common and does not discriminate between those with and without OSA. Thus, snoring must be interpreted in the context of other symptoms and signs. Likewise, self-reported sleepinessandmorning headaches do not help discriminate among patients with and without OSA. It is somewhat surprising that the overall impression of sleep medicine physicians of the likelihood of OSA in individual patients does not perform much better than the limited utility of individual findings. It is important to recognize that persons with normal body weight who do not snore are unlikely to have OSA, and their complaints of daytime sleepiness or fatigue should prompt an evaluation for alternative diagnoses. 

Although the evidence shows that a number of recently published multi-itemed questionnaires may help rule out OSA, they are not helpful in identifying patients affected by sleep apnea. Fortunately, it appears that an explicit combination of only a few findings, expressed as the SACS, has promise for identifying patients most likely to have OSA. Although the test is seemingly easy to use, validation at current diagnostic thresholds in more general populations by primary care clinicians would provide important evidence to justify its use in routine screening.

How Much Sleep Does A Genius Need?

What the graph reveals is that exceptional minds generally have entirely un-exceptional sleep schedules. As you can see, most were in bed around 10:00pm and up not too long after dawn. And most were getting a solid seven or eight hours of sleep. There are studies that suggest that people are more creative at night or when they're tired, but clearly, even the world's greatest minds couldn't run on empty. Other than Balzac (who made up for his night-owlish ways during the evening and morning), very few geniuses were pulling all-nighters (although, we can't speak for their college years).

The 4 Most Common Sleeping Positions

How you sleep also affects your physical health. For example, the freefall position (lying on your front with your hands around the pillow and your head turned to one side) is good for digestion. But the "soldier" (lying on your back with both arms pinned to your sides) and the "starfish" may lead to snoring and a bad night's sleep.

Sleep apnea is worse when you sleep on your back, and other patients with leg cramps and restless legs syndrome restless legs syndrome have leg discomfort, so they tend to sleep in the fetal position and hold their legs.

The Science Of Sleeping

Today we are presenting infographic from Hufftington Post about gender differences in sleeping patterns and harmonious solutions for couples who are sharing a bed!!!

by HuffingtonPost.

The Best Sleep Position

Fatigue, sleep apnea, headaches, heartburn, and back pain are some of the complaints that can be aggravated by improper sleep posture and a bad night's sleep!

Sixty-three percent of people sleep on their side. Only 14% sleep on their back and 16% on their stomach. Which way is best?

Go with the flow. 

You may have heard that sleeping on your back prevents facial wrinkles because nothing is pushing against your face, but that doesn't mean you should change your snooze. Trying to change your natural sleep position can harm the quality of your sleep.

Mattress matters. 

The condition of your mattress will often dictate your sleep position. If you have an old, worn-out mattress that sags in the middle, sleeping on your side or stomach is more difficult.

Taking sides. 

The majority of people are side sleepers, but the jury is still out on which side -- left or right -- is more popular. Most people stick with one position, but that can shift as you age, usually due to health issues. Also, no one stays in one position all night, and doing so is not good for circulation.

Welcome to Annual Summit on Sleep Disorders and Medicine 2015

Dear Respiratory friends today we are happy to invite you on a Great Respiratory event 2015! It is Annual Summit on Sleep Disorders and Medicine 2015 and it is organised by OMICS Group!

OMICS Group invites you to attend the Annual Summit on Sleep Disorders and Medicine popularly known as Sleep Medicine 2015, which is going to be held during August 10^th -12^th, 2015 at San Francisco, USA.

Sleep Disorders and Sleep Therapy is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with the psycological and physical health conditions related to sleep disorders and conventional and advanced sleep therapies . The main goal of Sleep Medicine 2015 is to illuminate the gravity of the topic, how it affects our day to day lives, prevention and stairway to a healthier tomorrow.

Sleep Medicine 2015 scientific sessions focuses on understanding sleep disorders and sleeping problems, medical conditions associated with sleep disorders, effect of sleep disorders on the human body, conventional sleep medicine and sleep therapy and exciting innovations in every area of Sleep Disorders and Advanced Sleep Therapies. Sleep Medicine 2015 encompasses the popularly known causes and types of sleep disorders and also reveals the underlying psychological disorders and other unknown causes for disrupted sleep patterns. Pediatric sleep disorders throws light upon the sleep disorders that can affect children and how it effects their development. Trends in sleep medicine will focus on a variety of medical and surgical specialties including Neurology, Pulmonary Medicine, Psychiatry, Otolaryngology, Dentistry Bariatric Surgery and Nutrition.

Sleep disorders range from insomnia disorder to narcolepsy and breathing-related disorders to restless legs syndrome. They are diagnosed through comprehensive assessment, which may entail a detailed patient history, physical exam, questionnaires and sleep diaries, and clinical testing. They often are addressed in similarly comprehensive ways involving behavioral, pharmacologic and other treatments in combination with medical care. 

Annual Summit on Sleep Disorders and Medicine, will be organized around the theme "Medical conditions related to sleep disorders and advanced sleep therapy." 

Sleep Medicine 2015 is comprised of 10 tracks and 48 sessions designed to offer comprehensive sessions that address current issues in Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs.

Submit your abstract to any of the following tracks:

http://sleepmedicine.conferenceseries.net/call-for-abstracts.php

All related abstracts are accepted.

The Annual Summit on Sleep Disorders and Medicine will schedule and coordinate all meetings with our Editorial Board across the World. The scientific program paves a way to gather visionaries through the research talks and presentations and put forward many thought provoking information and therapeutic techniques related to Sleep Disorders.         

The main aim of Sleep Medicine 2015 is to bring awareness amongst the people about the effect of sleep disorders on health, daily routine and lives, Symptoms people normally ignore diseases that can lead to sleep disorders, prevention and therapeutic techniques.

We look forward to seeing you in San Francisco!!

22nd Congress of the European Sleep Research Society

The European Sleep Research Society is an international scientific non-profit organisation whose purpose is to promote research on sleep and related areas, to improve the care for patients with sleep disorders and to facilitate the dissemination of information regarding sleep research and sleep medicine. 

The Estonian Sleep Medicine Association is a young society, founded in 2005, and the ESRS is proud to host its congress in a region where sleep medicine and sleep research is developing at a fast pace. We are particularly happy that representatives of other Nordic sleep societies have accepted our invitation to join the local organising committee. Tallinn, the capital and largest city of Estonia, is considered to be Estonia’s crown jewel, boasts cobbled streets and rejuvenated 13th-century dwellings. Dozens of cafés and restaurants create an atmospheric retreat after exploring historic churches and scenic ruins, galleries and boutiques. Like most cities with an eight-hundred-year-old past, Tallinn is a patchwork of historic areas. The city’s pride and joy is without a doubt its Medieval Old Town with impressive and worth seeing monuments as Tallinn Town Hall which is the only Gothic style town hall left in Northern Europe, the Medieval Churches, Towers and Gates. Congress attendees will not only benefit from scientific exchange during the formal activities. Networking with colleagues with a mixture of backgrounds allows for identifying new research ideas and cooperation. The ESRS family is also about friendship and having fun; over the years many of us have established lasting friendships with colleagues from abroad, highlighting the international and truly European character of European Sleep Research Society.

 

ESRS 2014 Congress, Tallinn, Estonia from user15840626 on Vimeo.

Please click here to see the detailed, interactive programme of the ESRS 2014.

Sleep and Breathing Barcelona 2015

The Sleep and Breathing conference is the largest pan-European meeting of its type and the only meeting offering an integrated approach to the investigation and treatment of sleep disorders.

In Barcelona 2015, the focus remains predominantly on sleep breathing disorders and our programme will cover as well other sleep-related areas of paediatrics, obesity, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, psychology, psychiatry and neurology.

The Sleep and Breathing conference is coming after the great success in Berlin 2013.

 

The aim of the Sleep and Breathing Conference is to support the exchange of knowledge among the international scientific community. Writing an abstract for this conference is an important way for you to communicate your scientific research or clinical practice with your peers.

The conference is organised jointly by the European Respiratory Society and European Sleep Research Society and supported by other leading European societies that recognise the need for a transitional approach to the management of sleep disorders. This innovative, educational programme focuses on sleep and breathing disorders but will also provide significant insights into a wide range of related conditions.

The Sleep and Breathing Conference 2015 is the largest educational event of its kind in Europe and boasts a highly accomplished European faculty.

 

Happy Birthday to CPAP!!!

Almost exactly 33 years after the publication of his pioneering paper on positive airway pressure for sleep apnoea (PAP) in The Lancet, Colin Sullivan continues to extend the boundaries of sleep medicine. In those three decades, PAP has gone from an obscure treatment available to few to an effective, portable treatment that has improved the sleep, and thus lifestyles, of millions worldwide.

Sullivan and his team undertook experiments with dogs on airway obstruction, and created a mask for use on human patients. Air pressure was controlled with a circuit that raised pressure until passive obstruction of the airway was cleared. His first test patient was a 43-year-old construction worker who did not want a tracheostomy—back then the only treatment. At very low pressures, PAP cleared the man's airway and allowed him to sink into a deeper sleep, as well as being sleep-free the next day. An elated Sullivan tried the technique on four other patients, and these findings formed the basis for his 1981 Lancet paper: Reversal of obstructive sleep apnoea by continuous positive airway pressure applied through the nares.

“When we were writing the paper,” says Dr. Sullivan, “we had no idea how many people had sleep apnea”.

Abstract from this great article: Five patients with severe obstructive sleep apnoea were treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) applied via a comfortable nose mask through the nares. Low levels of pressure (range 4·5-10 cm H2O) completely prevented upper airway occlusion during sleep in each patient and allowed an entire night of uninterrupted sleep. Continuous positive airway pressure applied in this manner provides a pneumatic splint for the nasopharyngeal airway and is a safe, simple treatment for the obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome.

Writers Sleep Habits and Literary Productivity

Today we are happy to share with you infographic on Writers Sleep Habits and Literary Productivity!

“In both writing and sleeping,” Stephen King observed in his excellent meditation on the art of “creative sleep” and wakeful dreaming, “we learn to be physically still at the same time we are encouraging our minds to unlock from the humdrum rational thinking of our daytime lives.”

The best 2013 Sleep Story Video

The American Sleep Medicine Foundation selected an effects-heavy YouTube video about the benefits of sleep as the grand-prize winner of the first-ever ASMF Sleep Story Video Contest. The video was created by Jasper Lown, a senior at Wheaton-Warrenville South High School, located near Chicago. His two-minute video uses creative visuals to provide simple tips to improve sleep habits. His sponsoring teacher was Tim Brylka.

Future of sleep medicine

President of American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) M. Safwan Badr speaks about the challenges and opportunities the AASM and the field of sleep medicine will face in the coming year. Dr. Badr speaks about the impact of the Affordable Care Act, the move towards an integrated care model and the AASM’s overall strategic plan
 

Sunday Respiratory Video

We celebrated World Sleep Day 2013 on 15 March 2013!

Sleep Apnea Syndrome (SAS) describes people who stop breathing while they are asleep and then suddenly start breathing again. It is thought to affect up to 5% of people in Europe.
In adults, the cause is muscular. During sleep, the larynx relaxes so completely that it blocks the airway, preventing the person from breathing.

World Sleep Day 2013: make some noize for sleep disorders

Dear Respiratory friends, 

congrats with World Sleep Day 2013!!! 

An epidemic?

According to recent research, approximately 50 percent of older adults report difficulty sleeping. But sleep problems in older adults are less a result of aging itself and more related to other conditions that may accompany aging.

Respiratory disorders, changes in circadian sleep cycles, medical and psychiatric illnesses, and increased medicine use all can contribute to poor quality sleep in this growing population.

Poor sleep doesn’t only mean that half of all older adults are a little more tired during the day, though. There are more serious consequences related to overall health and well being. Sleep disturbances have been shown to contribute to decreased quality of life, more symptoms of depression and anxiety, slower reaction times, memory problems, issues with balance and vision increasing risk of falls, and even death.

The good news

If you’re an older adult, good quality sleep is within reach.

It might mean talking with your doctor about your medications, going to bed and waking up earlier because your body’s circadian sleep cycles have shifted, or getting treatment for other conditions that are interfering with your sleep.

Some sleep disorders, such as insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea, are more common in the elderly. But with diagnosis and specialty care, these issues can also be treated and even prevented.

The truth is that in healthy older adults, sleep problems are rare.

If you or a loved one is struggling with sleep and have attributed it to aging, there is hope — and better health — by seeking treatment from your doctor or a sleep medicine specialist.

World Sleep Day Welcome by Antonio Culebras from Cordie INC on Vimeo.

Sunday Respiratory Video

World Sleep Day 2013 will be celebrated this Friday 15 March!

This educational video is provided to you by the European Respiratory Society. It demonstrates how to set up and perform a polysomnography commonly referred to as "sleep study".

World Sleep Day 2013 on Respiratory Decade and the return of daylight saving time

World Sleep Day is an annual event, intended to be a celebration of sleep and a call to action on important issues related to sleep, including medicine, education, social aspects and driving. 

This weekend marks the return of daylight saving time for most of the United States. To help ensure a smooth transition to the new time, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends that you begin to adjust your sleep schedule a few days prior to the beginning of daylight saving time.

AASM offers the following tips to help you cope with the upcoming change to daylight saving time:

• Try to go to bed 15 or 20 minutes earlier each night before the time change. This will give your body a chance to adjust.
• Begin to adjust the timing of other daily routines that are “time cues” for your body. For example, start eating dinner a little earlier each night.
• On Saturday night, set your clocks ahead one hour in the early evening. Then go to sleep at your normal bedtime.
• Try to go outside for some early morning sunlight on Sunday. The bright light will help set your “body clock,” which regulates sleep and alertness.
• Be careful when driving or operating machinery if you feel drowsy on Sunday.
• Stick to your bedtime on Sunday night to get plenty of sleep before the workweek begins on Monday.