Sleep Apnea During REM Sleep sig. Associated With Type 2 Diabetes

Does your family have a history of diabetes? Researchers have found a positive correlation between sleep apnea and diabetes, especially when it occurs during episodes of REM (dream) sleep. If you genetically predisposed to diabetes, are you aware if you suffer from sleep apnea? Even if you do not have diabetes now, learn how to sleep better with our free sleep tips to reduce your life time risk of diabetes.

“A multi-ethnic study in the June 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine reports that there is a statistically significant relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) episodes occurring during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and type 2 diabetes.
…odds ratio for type 2 diabetes was 2.0 times higher in patients with REM-related OSA, defined as havng an REM apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of 10 or more breathing pauses per hour of REM sleep…Most people with OSA snore loudly and frequently, and they often experience excessive daytime sleepiness.”

For the full story: Sleep Apnea Occurring During REM Sleep Is Significantly Associated With Type 2 Diabetes

Sleep Apnea Linked to Memory Loss

When you don’t get enough sleep the night before, the first thing you notice the next day is lethargy, and decreased mental performance. However, many do not realised that their poor memory could also be due to sleep apnea, as a recent  UCLA study has found.

“Sleep apnea can lead to brain tissue loss in the area of the brain that stores memory. The brain damage may be caused by the drops in oxygen level caused by the disruption in breathing during the night. Persistent memory loss even after treatment for sleep apnea suggests long term brain damage. Physicians are experimenting with B1 supplements as a possible treatment for this memory loss. B1 is currently the method used to help alcoholic patients with memory loss.”

Many Men Have a Problem They Should Wake Up To

Lets face it, men are usually reluctant to admit to problems that are especially embarrassing - take snoring and sleep apnea for example. If it does not have any obvious effects, men will choose to ignore it. Often, it is the partner who notices the problem and sounds the alarm. By choosing to sleep through their sleep apnea and snoring, these men do not realize that this prevents them from getting good quality sleep. Like experts always say, acceptance is the first step toward overcoming the problem. It is not difficult; all it takes is some determination and the know-how. Click on the relevant sections above to find quick and simple tips to stop snoring tonight!

“…Bingo: obstructive sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that has been diagnosed in millions of American men, but is thought to be overlooked in perhaps millions more. The disease has been associated with a variety of serious health problems, including high-blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. Though it can appear at any age, the condition primarily affects middle-aged men…(men experiencing sleep apnea) double the rate for middle-aged women.

”People today are so accustomed to being sleepy because they don’t get enough sleep,” Dr. Hunt said, ”that when they develop a real sleep disorder, they don’t recognize it as a medical problem.”

For the full report: Many Men Have a Problem They Should Wake Up To

Childhood: Obesity Linked to Sleep Disorder

Researchers have discovered that childhood obesity causes disordered breathing during sleep. This is known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). It is known that OSA causes brain tissue damage in the area associated with memory and this will affect a child’s learning ability. The article also points out that sleep-related disorders have begun been affecting younger children worldwide. With the increasing workload at schools and our hectic lives, good quality sleep is harder to come by, even for our children. As a parent, make some simple changes to your child’s (and your own) sleep schedule to improve sleep quality and boost brainpower! Check out our list of Sleep Do’s and Don’ts for some quick tips to help the family sleep better tonight!

For the full story: Childhood: Obesity Linked to Sleep Disorder

Risk Factors For Sleep Apnea In Children: Waist Size And Body Mass Index

Brain development of the child is extremely crucial as most of the hard-wiring is done before the child is 10 years of age. Children learn at accelerated rates and most internalization of new knowledge is done while asleep. Hence, sleep apnea at a young age essentially jeopardizes a child’s intellectual development.

A possible approach to resolving sleep apnea in children is to encourage your child to lose weight (if he/she is overweight). This report proposes is that waist size and body mass index (BMI) are major risk factors for children with sleep apnea. In short, reducing an obese child’s weight can help in overcoming sleep apnea.

“A study in the June 1 issue of the journal SLEEP found that waist circumference and body mass index (BMI) are consistent, independent risk factors for all severity levels of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in children, suggesting that as with adult SDB, metabolic factors are important risk factors for childhood SDB…”

For the full report: Risk Factors For Sleep Disordered Breathing In Children: Waist Size And Body Mass Index

Link between Sleep and Weight Gain

Are you keen on weight loss, or looking for tips on maintaining weight? If you have tried everything available in the market, look no further than your bedroom.

“There appears to be a link between sleep and weight control, with some studies indicating that sleep disruption can increase weight gain, and other studies indicating that diet affects sleep. Victor Uebele and colleagues, at Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, have now provided further evidence to support this association by showing that T-type calcium channels regulate body weight maintenance and sleep in mice.These data suggest that sleep and circadian treatment approaches may be of benefit in the fight against obesity.”

Read the full report on Molecular Link between Sleep and Weight Gain

Many insomniacs head to the fridge in the middle of the night - believe me, I’ve done that one too many times. However, you should refrain from this habit; why not try some of the simple tips
listed on the site? Happy sleeping!

Sleep Apnea Causes Memory Loss

Researchers have found that sleep apnea causes your brain size to change, thereby hampering memory abilities. It is known that a poor night’s sleep can cause memory impairment the next day. However, this article is the first of its kind to confirm the long term effects of sleep deprivation - a reduction in gray matter and decrease in memory ability.

“Our findings demonstrate that impaired breathing during sleep can lead to a serious brain injury that disrupts memory and thinking,” said principal investigator Ronald Harper, a distinguished professor of neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

“UCLA researchers used sophisticated imaging technology to identify brain lesions associated with impaired memory in individuals with obstructive sleep apnea,” said Elizabeth G. Nabel, director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which funded the study. “These results underscore the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of sleep-disordered breathing, which can have long-term effects on patients’ health and well-being.”

For the full report: Memory Loss linked to Common Sleep Disorder