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March 2007
National Sleep Foundation Releases Annual Survey
The latest survey on sleep in America was released by the National Sleep Foundation during Sleep Awareness Week earlier this month, and the results promise to help raise awareness of sleep disorders and testing. The key finding from this year’s survey: nearly 70 percent of American women report sleep problems are a frequent problem in their lives.READ MORE
Sleep Disturbance, Socioeconomics, and School Performance
Colorado researchers who looked at the association between socioeconomic factors, school performance, and sleep disturbances find kids who suffer from sleep-related problems are more likely to have lower grades. But after adjusting for income, the type of sleep-related problems narrows. Overall, kids in the study reported a high frequency of sleep problems, ranging from sleep onset insomnia to restless legs. After controlling for family income, only restless legs, sleepiness during the day, and difficulty with concentration remained significantly related to school performance. The report appeared in a recent issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. READ ABSTRACT
APAP Better Than CPAP for Higher Fixed Pressures
Irish researchers who compared auto-adjusting positive airway pressure (APAP) with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in a cross-over trial involving 16 obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) patients find APAP results in lower mean pressure levels and is preferred by patients requiring higher fixed pressures. Conversely, patients requiring lower pressures preferred CPAP. Other results for the two treatments, including findings on polysomnography and patient compliance to the devices, were similar between the groups. At an 18 month follow up, 76 percent of the patients were still using their device, despite minor side effects. The authors conclude, “APAP and CPAP are equally effective in managing patients with mild to moderate OSAS, but device preference may be influenced by fixed pressure requirements.” The study appeared in the February 1 issue of Sleep. READ ABSTRACT
Aggressive Evaluation Needed to Identify OSA in Bariatric Surgery Patients
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be present in far more people seeking bariatric surgery than health professionals believe. That’s the key finding from Cleveland researchers who compared OSA prevalence in their patient population during a period when an OSA evaluation was based on clinical parameters alone and a second period when all patients underwent polysomnography prior to the surgery. In both periods, about 19 percent of patients already had an OSA diagnosis upon seeking the surgery. In the first period, clinical evaluation increased that number to 56 percent. Polysomnography results in the second period increased it to 91 percent. “Clinical evaluation continues to miss a substantial percentage of patients with OSA,” write the authors. “Mandatory testing of all patients for OSA with polysomnography before bariatric surgery is recommended.” The study appears in this month’s American Journal of Surgery. READ ABSTRACT
Treating OSA Benefits Kids with Cerebral Palsy
Treating obstructive sleep apnea improves both sleep symptoms and quality of life factors for children with cerebral palsy and their parents. New Zealand researchers compared ten children who received either an adenotonsillectomy or CPAP for their OSA with nine similar children who did not receive treatment. Compared to controls, treated children showed improvement in sleep symptoms, especially sleep disturbance, along with better daytime functioning. Caregiver concern was lessened in the treated cases, and parental quality of life scores went up by a mean of 18 percent. The research appeared in the February 27 Epub edition of Research in Developmental Disabilities. READ ABSTRACT
Upcoming Educational Opportunities from the AARC
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