January 2012
New Year’s Resolution: Update Your Profile Page on AARConnect!
Here’s a great New Year’s resolution we’re hoping everyone in our section will fulfill before the end of the month—go to AARConnect and complete your profile information and upload a photo of yourself to your profile page. All you have to do to get started is log in with your AARC membership number and then click on “Complete your profile” in the box in the upper right hand corner that welcomes you to the site. Just follow the prompts from there to add as much (or as little) information as you’d like and a photo!
Police Officers at Risk for Sleep Problems
Much has been written about the risk for sleep apnea among truck drivers. A new study in the Dec. 21 edition of JAMA suggests police officers are similarly affected. Investigators examined the risk of major sleep disorders and associated adverse outcomes among 4957 U.S. and Canadian police officers participating in either an online or an onsite screening. Monthly follow-up surveys were conducted in 3545 officers. The screening identified at least one sleep disorder in 40.4% of the participants, and 33.6% screened positive for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Moderate to severe insomnia was seen in 6.5%, and 14.5% of those who worked the night shift screened positive for shift work disorder. Other results showed:
- Positive screening for any sleep disorder was associated with increased risk of self-reported health- and safety-related outcomes: 10.7% of those who tested positive for a sleep disorder reported having depression vs. 4.4% of those who did not screen positive; 34.1% reported burnout vs. 17.9%, and 20.0% reported falling asleep while driving vs. 7.9%.
- Positive OSA screening was associated with a diagnosis of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and high caffeine consumption.
- 28.5% had screening scores that indicated excessive sleepiness; 45.9% reported having nodded off or fallen asleep while driving and 56.9% of that group reported falling asleep while driving at least 1–2 times a month; 13.5%, representing 6.2% of the total group, reported falling asleep while driving at least 1–2 times a week.
- Compared to those who screened negative, participants who screened positive for any sleep disorder were more likely to report making important administrative errors, falling asleep while driving, making errors or committing safety violations due to fatigue, having uncontrolled anger toward a citizen or suspect, incurring citizen complaints, having absenteeism, or falling asleep during meetings.
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HGNS Proves Effective in Treating Sleep Apnea Across a Range of Severity
A new study out of Johns Hopkins suggests graded increases in hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HGNS) can effectively treat patients with a broad range of sleep apnea severity. Their study was conducted among 30 patients who were implanted with an HGNS system. Marked dose-related increases in airflow were seen in the patients without arousing them from sleep, and increases in airflow were large enough to eliminate inspiratory airflow limitation in 57% of the patients. Most patients for whom inspiratory airflow was not completely eliminated still achieved near-normal levels of flow. The study was published ahead of print in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine on Dec. 1. READ ABSTRACT
Early CPAP May Improve Outcomes for Stroke Patients
Could CPAP treatment on the first night after stroke improve outcomes for patients? That’s the question German researchers asked in a study that compared 25 patients who received the treatment with 25 others in a control group. All the patients underwent polysomnography on the fourth night after suffering the stroke and those with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of >10/hour continued to receive CPAP for four additional nights. CPAP treatment reduced the AHI for treated patients without significantly increasing the workload for nurses. A trend was also seen toward greater improvement in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale in the treated patients up to day eight; patients who were more compliant with the therapy had the biggest gains. The study was published ahead of print by Stroke on Dec. 22. READ ABSTRACT
Kids with Type 1 Diabetes Should be Assessed for Sleep Disordered Breathing
Children with type 1 diabetes are at higher risk for sleep disordered breathing, report researchers publishing in this month’s Sleep. Their study compared sleep outcomes among kids between the ages of 10-16 with type 1 diabetes and children from the Tucson Children’s Assessment of Sleep Study who were matched for sex, age, and BMI percentile. The diabetes group was assessed using home-based polysomnography, actigraphy, and questionnaires to assess sleep. The participants were measured for glucose and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) values as well. Results showed kids with a total AHI of 1.5 or higher had higher glucose levels. Sleepiness and/or poor sleep habits were linked to lower quality of life, depressed mood, lower grades, and lower standardized reading scores. Compared to the controls, children with diabetes spent more time in stage N2 sleep and less time in stage N3. Children who spent more time in stage N2 sleep had higher glucose levels/hyperglycemia, behavioral difficulties, reduced quality of life, lower grades, depression, sleep-wake behavior problems, poor sleep quality, sleepiness, and lower state standardized math scores. Reduced slow wave sleep was associated with high HbA1C, worse quality of life, and sleepiness. The authors believe these findings suggest sleep should be routinely assessed in children with type 1 diabetes.
READ ABSTRACT 
