Children with Sleep Apnea – Part 2

Possible Causes of Sleep Apnea in Infants It’s possible that there are different causes for infant sleep apnea.  The infant only needs to stop breathing once an hour during sleep to be diagnosed with sleep apnea.  Medical reasons could be responsible for the sleep apnea. Early diagnosis is therefore very important so that proper treatment can be started.  The possible …

Sleep Apnea Blamed for 2 Train Crashes

The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigators attribute the train accident at the Hoboken Terminal in New Jersey and the train accident at the Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, New York to untreated, undiagnosed sleep apnea.  The engineers fell asleep at the wheel; the crashes killed one person, injured over 200, and caused millions of dollars of damage. Sleep apnea is a …

Cancer has been linked to sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder that causes snoring, fatigue, daytime tiredness and dangerous pauses in breathing at night.  It has been linked to cancer. About 28 million Americans have moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea; and about 90 percent of these people are not even aware that they have it. The “Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study” results were …

Alzheimer’s Brain Plaques

Does the brain clean Alzheimer’s plaques out while you sleep??  Does sleep deprivation prevent the brain from cleaning these plaques out? Sleep may be called the “clean cycle” for the brain to clean out sticky proteins called amyloid-beta protein fragments that can stick together in the brain.  These plaques are present as a hallmark in Alzheimer’s disease which is the most …

Impact of the Nose on Treatment for Sleep Apnea

The slightest increase in resistance in the nose can cause big problems for those people who are being treated for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with either CPAP or a dental device.  This increase can be caused by a lot of different things.  A deviated septum, polyps, large turbinates, broken nose, allergies, etc.  Anything that slows down the flow of air …

Sleep Cleans Trash From Your Brain

Scientists have found a system in the brain that flushes out waste products from the brain.  And they further found that this system is mostly active when you are sleeping.  This information is found in a study published in the journal, Science. Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., D.M.Sc., co-director of the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) Center for Translational Neuromedicine said, “In …

Hurt Your Relationship – Snore!

Want to attract a Valentine’s Day sweetheart?  Don’t snore!  Over 25% in the USA said that they are annoyed or angry at a bed partner that snores.  This is from a survey done by the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine.  The study showed that 20% said that a partner who snores could/would drive them to sleep elsewhere.  So, Americans, …

Low REM Sleep Time–Higher AFib Risk

Sleep apnea may have a link to atrial fibrillation (AFib), which increases stroke risk, dementia risk, heart attack rick, and even death. A University of California – San Francisco study showed decreased REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep-stage 5 of sleep-is linked to higher chances of development of AFib.  A person needs about 120 minutes (2 hours) of REM every night. …

Nose Breathing May Benefit the Brain

Lately more experiments have looked at how breathing influences our cognition, especially memory.  The Journal of Neuroscience published a study in October, 2018 that looked at the relationship between our memory and our method of breathing—through the nose or through the mouth. Many studies show that as rodents sniff anything including odorless air it starts activity in the brain by …

Heart Risk for Women and Snoring

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) which is characterized by pauses in breathing while sleeping and snoring, may cause heart function problems sooner in females that in males. women than in men, according to a study (which included almost 5,000 participants) at a Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting.  And what is more important, the study suggested that OSA is not …