National Institutes of Health

Oct
6
2009

Temple-led study shows weight loss may have significant impact on sleep apnea

More than 12 million people in the U.S. suffer from sleep apnea, most common among the overweight and obese. More than just loud snoring, it can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and a poor quality of life. For years, doctors have told patients with sleep apnea that their best bet for alleviating it would be to lose weight, but there’s been very little research-based evidence to prove that.


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Oct
8
2008

Better air ventilation in infants’ bedroom linked to reduced risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Infants who slept in a bedroom with a fan ventilating the air had a 72 percent lower risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) compared to infants who slept in a bedroom without a fan, according to findings from a study published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine.

This is the first study to examine an association between better air ventilation in infants’ bedrooms and reduced SIDS risk.


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Aug
5
2008

Study showing balance between body clock and energy use in cells points to treatments for diabetes and obesity

University of California at Irvine researchers have found a molecular link between circadian rhythms — our own body clock — and metabolism. The discovery reveals new possibilities for the treatment of diabetes, obesity and other related diseases.

Paolo Sassone-Corsi, distinguished professor and chair of Pharmacology, and his colleagues have identified that an essential protein called CLOCK that regulates the body’s circadian rhythms, works in balance with another protein called SIRT1 that modulates how much energy a cell uses.


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May
22
2008

Sleep deprivation affects ability to make sense of what we see

Neuroscience researchers at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, located in Singapore, have shown for the first time what happens to the visual perceptions of healthy but sleep-deprived volunteers who fight to stay awake, like people who try to drive through the night.

This study has implications for a whole range of people who have to struggle through night work, from truckers to on-call doctors.


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Apr
14
2008

Diuretics associated with bone loss in older men

Older men who take loop diuretics, commonly prescribed drugs for heart failure and hypertension, appear to have increased rates of hip bone loss than men who are not taking this medication, according to a report published in the April 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

“Loop diuretics are one of the most commonly prescribed medications among older adults,” the authors write as background information in the article. These medications increase the amount of calcium excreted in urine, potentially damaging bones over the long term. In observational studies, use of loop diuretics has been associated with an increased risk of hip and other fractures.


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May
25
2005

Sleep apnea, other breathing disorders common among asthmatics; may help predict severe asthma

When asthmatics are awake, they can turn to their inhalers to open their airways. But when they sleep, many of them continue to struggle with breathing — and an understanding of their sleep-related problems may help doctors better diagnose and treat their patients’ asthma, according to new University of Michigan Health System research.

Symptoms of sleep apnea and other breathing problems during sleep are common among people with asthma, according to the research presented at the American Thoracic Society’s 2005 International Conference.


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Feb
3
2004

Sleep apnea disrupts sleep throughout night, study shows

Patients who snore or have other symptoms of sleep apnea often undergo testing in a sleep laboratory to measure the number of breathing pauses and arousals that occur while they slumber. But doctors find these tests do not effectively predict daytime consequences suspected to arise from sleep apnea, such as sleepiness in adults or hyperactivity in children.

Now, neurologists at the University of Michigan Health System and engineers at Altarum Institute in Ann Arbor, Mich., have discovered evidence that the disruption of sleep in sleep apnea may be much more frequent than the breathing pauses, or apneas, themselves.


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Interesting Apnea Statistics
~~ Apnea in United States ~~

As of May 2, 2009 at 9:47 p.m. (-0500) (ET), the U.S. population
was 306,340,710. Sleep researchers estimate approximately seven percent
of the population suffers from obstructive sleep apnea. Using that
estimate, there are potentially 21,443,850 apneics in the U.S.

~~ Apnea around the world ~~

As of May 2, 2009 at 9:47 p.m. (-0500) (ET), the world population
was 6,777,286,604. Sleep researchers estimate approximately seven percent
of the population suffers from obstructive sleep apnea. Using that
estimate, there are potentially 474,410,062 apneics in the world.