We have probably all heard the adage, “Necessity is the Mother of Invention.” Like so many of the things your parents taught you, this one is in fact true. When whatever is available to solve a problem is inadequate, people will search for new solutions. Current research strongly supports the notion that people will seek to meet their unmet needs through experimentation and innovation. Keep reading
Written by Christopher Harrod, AASM The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is in the process of updating its ‘Practice Parameters for the Surgical Modifications of the Upper Airway for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults’. An important step in the guideline development process is to get input from stakeholders who may be impacted by the guideline, including patients. The AASM has developed a survey to help identify and prioritize outcomes that are important to patients. Keep reading
For 31 years, the Associated Professional Sleep Societies has hosted a conference called SLEEP. SLEEP 2017 was held in Boston this spring and featured five packed days of presentations on the latest developments in sleep medicine. Thousands of clinicians and scientists attended. This year, a group of patient leaders from MyApnea.Org attended and led a new, exciting, and much needed discussion about the role of patients as partners in advancing sleep health. Reflecting a core value of MyApnea. Keep reading
Our goals: We are developing an exciting new project to better understand how sleep influences health and well-being. We are planning ways to track important aspects of sleep and health over time. How are we planning on doing this? We will ask people to answer some questions on their sleep patterns and treatments and to take some short brain quizzes that test memory and attention. We will provide feedback to some of the questions and brain quizzes. Keep reading
Like most of you that might read this blog, I could list "patient" as my occupation. Not that we are hypochondriacs (far from it) but we often suffer with multiple health issues. Besides general health problems like colds, flu, aches and pains most of us also deal with sleep problems, diabetes, heart conditions, arthritis, and the list goes on and on and on. Keep reading
If you have sleep apnea and asthma, you are not alone! Sleep apnea and asthma are both very common conditions in children and adults. Having one of them makes it more likely that you have or may develop the other one. Having both sleep apnea and asthma may also change how you respond to treatments for both. Why is that? There are probably many reasons. Asthma and sleep apnea share many of the same risk factors. Keep reading
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is currently working to update its clinical practice guidelines. These guidelines provide practice parameters for how to surgically modify the upper airway in adults with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). These guidelines have an important impact on standardizing physician practice and ensuring that patients get the best quality care. Keep reading
Teenagers can have a bad reputation: moody, remote, unmotivated.1 These are just stereotypes, but there are many reasons for teen mood changes and research shows that sleep is an important factor. Most teenagers don't get enough sleep: busy with school, homework, extra-curriculars and a social life. Drinking coffee, tea, or energy drinks and staying up late on phones and computers does not help, all making for sleepier and less happy teens.2 And… teens need more sleep than adults. Keep reading
For the many sleep apnea patients choosing PAP therapy, health care providers depend on data from the machines to help understand how well the treatment is working. This kind of data, sometimes called "adherence" data, includes hours of mask usage per night, and also the amount of mask leak and "residual" AHI while wearing the mask. However, there is much more to the story of PAP success than these numbers. Keep reading
I have sleep apnea and use a full face mask. I am learning what it means to have sleep apnea and the dangers of being misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. I understand the health issues that can and often do go along with sleep apnea. I believe that I need to educate myself as much as possible because I am the only one who truly has control of my health. I also have Restless Leg Syndrome and fibromyalgia. Maybe it's just me but people don't seem as ready to talk about having sleep apnea. Keep reading
