Obstructive Sleep Apnea News and Research

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Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a major heath problem. In the United States, at least 17 million people have moderate to severe OSA, which is characterized by heavy snoring, airway blockage and frequent awakenings during sleep.

Snoring and sleep apnoea damage the brain

Australian researchers have found that the effects of sleep apnoea on the brain of a sleeping patient are far worse than previously thought.

17 May 2009

Sufferers of mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea may benefit from exercise

Practicing certain tongue and pharyngeal exercises may reduce symptoms of mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to new research being published in the second issue for May of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

7 May 2009

Prevalence and physiological predictors of sleep apnea in patients with heart failure

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA) are not markedly decreased in heart failure (HF) patients managed with beta-blockers and spironolactone, reports a study in the March issue of Journal of Cardiac Failure, published by Elsevier.

6 May 2009

Obstructive sleep apnea increases risk of heart and vascular disease

Obstructive sleep apnea, or periodic interruptions in breathing throughout the night, thickens sufferers' blood vessels. Moreover, it increases the risk of several forms of heart and vascular disease.

4 May 2009

Obstructive sleep apnea leads to poorer prognosis after stroke

Stroke victims tend to do worse if they also have diagnosed or undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea prior to having the stroke, according to a study presented April 28, 2009, at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) annual meeting in Seattle.

30 Apr 2009

Treating sleep disorders in people with traumatic brain injury may not eliminate symptoms

A study in the April 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine is the first to assess the effectiveness of treating sleep disorders in adults with a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

15 Apr 2009

Low-income patients with obstructive sleep apnea are less likely to start CPAP therapy

A study in the April 1 issue of the journal SLEEP demonstrates that low socioeconomic status independently predicts the poor acceptance of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy for obstructive sleep apnea, and patients with higher incomes are more likely to begin treatment.

1 Apr 2009

Retired NFL linemen have high incidence of sleep apnea

Sleep disordered breathing, also known as sleep apnea, is highly prevalent among retired National Football League (NFL) players, and particularly in linemen, according to Mayo Clinic research.

29 Mar 2009

Cardiac arrhythmias are often accompanied by sleep-disordered breathing

Breathing during sleep is often impaired in patients with atrial fibrillation.

22 Mar 2009

Cephalon announces positive results from study of NUVIGIL in bipolar depression

Cephalon, Inc. has announced positive results from a phase two clinical trial of NUVIGIL(R) (armodafinil) Tablets [C-IV] as adjunctive therapy for treating major depressive disorder in adults with bipolar I disorder.

17 Mar 2009

Mandatory obstructive sleep apnea screenings could reduce risk of truck crashes

Truck crashes are a significant public health hazard causing thousands of deaths and injuries each year, with driver fatigue and sleepiness being major causes.

11 Mar 2009

Simplified treatment for sleep apnea

Diagnosing and treating obstructive sleep apnea may soon become much less expensive and arduous, thanks to new research showing that a simplified program using experienced nurses, home ambulatory diagnosis and auto-titrating continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines to titrate CPAP pressures is not inferior to the traditional model which relies on specialist physicians and sleep studies.

8 Mar 2009

Video imaging technique provides dynamic view of airway obstruction

A video imaging technique demonstrates that the soft palate, the tissue at the back of the roof of the mouth, is more elongated and angled in patients with obstructive sleep apnea both when they sleep and when they are awake, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

17 Feb 2009

Weight loss stops obstructive sleep apnea

For sufferers of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a new study shows that losing weight is perhaps the single most effective way to reduce OSA symptoms and associated disorders, according to a new study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine , one of the American Thoracic Society's three peer-reviewed journals.

8 Feb 2009

Inflammation may be the link between extreme sleep durations and poor health

A study in the Feb. 1 issue of the journal SLEEP shows that sleep duration is associated with changes in the levels of specific cytokines that are important in regulating inflammation.

2 Feb 2009

Daytime impairments in senior men with obstructive sleep apnea are related to total sleep time

A study in the Feb. 1 issue of the journal SLEEP shows that daytime functional impairments in older men with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are largely explained by total sleep time rather than OSA severity.

2 Feb 2009

Links between sleep apnea, stroke and death explained

Obstructive sleep apnea decreases blood flow to the brain, elevates blood pressure within the brain and eventually harms the brain's ability to modulate these changes and prevent damage to itself, according to a new study published by The American Physiological Society.

6 Jan 2009

Arousal frequency in heart failure found to be a unique sleep problem

A study in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Sleep demonstrates that the frequent arousals from sleep that occur in heart failure patients with central sleep apnea (CSA) may reflect the presence of another underlying arousal disorder rather than being a defensive mechanism to terminate apneas.

1 Jan 2009

New research provides a clinical picture of obstructive sleep apnea from over six million hospital admissions

Research in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine is the first to show the full clinical picture of comorbid conditions associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), quantify their frequency of occurrence and reveal their possible interrelationships.

15 Dec 2008

Continuous positive airway pressure improves sleeping glucose levels in type 2 diabetics with obstructive sleep apnea

A study in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine suggests that screening type 2 diabetes patients for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and treating those who have OSA with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy could improve the management of their hyperglycemia and might favorably influence their long-term prognosis.

15 Dec 2008