I just received an email from my professional sleep dentistry association and they reported that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommended a permanent switch to standard time. The following is the official statement of the AASM: “The last several years have seen intense debate about the issue of transitioning between standard and daylight saving time …”
According to the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, it is critically important for all of you to get adequate sleep at this time. The Center wants to make it known that shorter sleep duration increases the risk of infectious illness.
Are you wondering if getting an oral appliance would treat your obstructive sleep apnea? You’re in good company. It has been a question that has been asked by most patients who enter my practice. But rest assured, the data from an enormous number of studies have shown that they are in fact very effective.
More than 50% of obstructive sleep apnea patients amplify the conditions by sleeping on their back. This is called positional sleep apnea. When you sleep on your back, your airway becomes compressed due to the weight of your neck and the backward movement of your relaxed jaw and tongue. But if you can learn to sleep on your side, studies show many patients with positional sleep apnea can improve their breathing. Simply put, you can get a better night’s rest.
Many people know that cardiovascular disease, commonly referred to as heart disease, remains a deadly affliction, both in the United States and around the world. What people might not know is that obstructive sleep apnea is also very common, affecting an estimated 34% of men and 17% of women, and if left untreated, is also very deadly.
