Archive for Monday, November 15, 2010

Monday Medical: Sleep apnea linked to diabetes

“Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.”— Thomas Dekker (1572-1632)

Sleep — it’s more important than you think. Healthy sleep has numerous benefits, while sleep disorders have been linked to everything from drowsy driving to diabetes.

Research has shown that as many as 80 percent of white males with Type 2 diabetes also have sleep apnea, which can be a serious disorder. Although Type 2 diabetes puts people at higher risk for heart disease and stroke, adding sleep apnea on top of it multiplies that risk even more.

We are just now discovering how crucial sleep is to our health and well-being. Accor­­ding to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, sleep helps us improve learning, memory and mood, while lack of sleep causes slower thinking, confusion and difficulty focusing.  CONTINUE

Please stay tuned to our blog this week as we share with our readers the truth about Drowsy Driving.

Our first celebrity,  drowsy driver:  Alex Trebek.

Please follow this link: Drowsy-Driving-Facts to the National Sleep Foundation to get the 2010 Facts on Drowsy Driving.

1550 Deaths, 71,000 accidents.

Help Reduce these numbers.

Get the Sleep You Need, Every Night.

What are some telltale signs that you are not getting enough sleep?

• Loud snoring more than 4 times per week
• Being told you gasp for air during sleep
• Daytime drowsiness
• Waking with a headache
• A large neck – 17”+ in men, 16”+ in women
• High blood pressure

Do you wake up every morning fully rested and ready to start your day?

Millions of Americans do not get the sleep they need; in fact, 40 million Americans suffer from over 70 different sleep disorders.

The first signs of lack of sleep:

• Irritability
• Moodiness
• Reduced Inhibition

If you do not act upon these first warning signs, your symptoms will become more severe.

A few signs of continued lack of sleep:

• Lapse in attention
• Dozing off during activity: work, reading and even driving
• Impaired Memory
• Apathy

You may notice forgetfulness and irritability, but you may not notice the hidden signs.  These signs are life-threatening, including: hypertension and increased risk of strokes, weight-gain, erectile dysfunction and much more.

What can you do to help yourself get the sleep you need? Set a sleep pattern for yourself and get yourself into a regular sleep routine.  Start with the minimum of 7 hours for a consecutive week.  If you awake unrested, add 30 minutes each night until you notice your alertness return.

If you are getting a full nights sleep and STILL wake unrefreshed and fatigued throughout the day, you may be suffering from a sleep disorder. Please, consult with your physician and let him know you are concerned.

What do they have in common?

Biggest Loser Contestants are serious about losing weight.  If you are serious about losing weight or maintaining your current weight, you really need to do 3 things:

1. get the right amount of sleep
2. exercise
3. eat right

Sleep + Exercise + a Healthy Diet = Weight Loss

What has medical research found? Well, when you’re sleep deprived, your hormone levels that influence your eating behavior increase. At the same time  your leptin (which tells your brain to stop) levels decrease. This leads to an increased craving for food and not feeling full. Adding to the problem, sleep deprived people tend to chose different foods to snack on -mainly high calorie sweets and salty and starchy foods.

Did you know

• Approximately 65% of Americans are overweight or obese
• 63% of Americans report they do not get at least 8 hours of sleep per night

What can you do to stop this lack of sleep and overeating circle? The number one way is to get the sleep you need EACH night.  Most adults need 7 to 9 hours.  Set a sleep pattern for yourself and get yourself into a regular sleep routine.  Start with the minimum of 7 hours for a consecutive week.  If you awake unrested, add 30 minutes each night until you notice your alertness return and your appetite decrease.

What did the Biggest Loser Contestant do to help with weight loss?

You can read more here from the National Sleep Foundations Blog about Sherry and her  daughter Ashley’s sleep apnea diagnosis and CPAP use:  National Sleep Foundation Blog Article

Did Sherry and Ashley have any treatment options available to them in additon to CPAP Therapy?

Professional Oral Appliance Therapy is an option for treating mild to moderate sleep apnea.  Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT) – is a conservative treatment option using an oral appliance for patients to wear during sleep. These devices change the position of mouth structures to maintain an open, unobstructed airway in the throat. There are many types of oral appliances and selection as to which is to be constructed is based on many patient parameters. Proper design, construction, and follow-up care of these devices requires a trained dentist and in depth knowledge of jaw joints and sleep disorders. This type of treatment is “site specific” in that an OAT will have no effect on obstructions high in the upper airway or low in the airway. Patients usually prefer oral appliances to CPAP.