Sleep Apnea Home Testing

07/29/2024

Nevada Sleep Diagnostics, Inc was a proud sponsor of the Nevada Academy of Family Physicians Summer CME meeting July 26 - 28, 2024 held at the Westgate Resort Las Vegas.
Special thanks to Brooke Wong Executive Director and Dr. Neil Gokal (pictured below) Executive Board Member for their support. Also pictured is our friend Dr. Michael Gauron and of course Yraima our Marketing and Sales Director.

The comments about the CME courses from the attendees saying the material was fresh and relevant.

We found new Medical Services and Products to evaluate.
The value of this conference was immeasurable.

09/14/2023

SLEEP APNEA DIAGNOSIS
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) remains a significantly underdiagnosed condition, despite its high prevalence. Primary care physicians play a pivotal role in identifying patients afflicted by this condition. To effectively diagnose OSA in primary care, increasing awareness and enhancing communication are imperative. Fortunately, several straightforward diagnostic tools are readily available, and even more sophisticated ones, driven by artificial intelligence, are on the horizon.
Identifying and recognizing risk factors can facilitate OSA suspicion during patient evaluations. These factors encompass both structural (eg, craniofacial and upper airway anomalies) and nonstructural elements (eg, smoking, alcohol use, or sedative consumption). While men are at higher risk, postmenopausal women who are not receiving hormone replacement therapy face similar risks. Certain medical conditions, such as hypothyroidism, acromegaly, amyloidosis, Cushing syndrome, and Down syndrome, have also been associated with OSA. A comprehensive physical examination can provide additional clues. Factors might include obesity, neck circumference, Mallampati score, and nasal and pharyngeal problems.
Inquire Actively
Once the possibility of OSA is considered, the next step is to ask patients about their symptoms. Questionnaires are simple yet valuable tools for this purpose. The STOP questionnaire comprises four key questions:
1. Do you SNORE loudly (louder than talking or loud enough to be heard through closed doors)?
2. Do you often feel TIRED, fatigued, or sleepy during daytime?
3. Has anyone OBSERVED you stop breathing during your sleep?
4. Do you have or are you being treated for high blood PRESSURE?
The STOP-BANG questionnaire adds four clinical attributes:
• Obesity (BMI > 35 kg/m2)
• Age (>50 years)
• Neck size (>40 cm, or 16 inches)
• S*x
Patients are classified as being at low, intermediate, or high risk for OSA.
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale, which is self-administered, is also useful: patients rate the likelihood of falling asleep in various daytime contexts. These questionnaires can be seamlessly integrated into routine patient appointments.
New technologies could enable diagnostic sleep tests to be conducted at home, with the added benefit of multiple-night recordings to overcome the challenges of night-to-night variability in the apnea-hypopnea index. These novel testing methods should be cost-effective, easy to install, and user friendly. New devices are being built for automatic analysis using artificial intelligence algorithms. Because by design they are automatic, the rate of success is very high, and if used with the right purpose, they could be highly effective and quick."
In conclusion, the diagnosis of sleep apnea in primary care is becoming more feasible with advancements in diagnostic tools and technology. However, it is crucial for primary care physicians to exercise caution in cases in which the clinical presentation is not straightforward or when OSA is associated with comorbidities. Care management and clear boundaries are vital to ensure effective treatment and improve patient outcomes.
Call Us to get tested Today!
702-990-7660

04/04/2023

Here are tips to improve sleep cycle for diabetics

Diabetics are mostly diagnosed with insomnia or sleep apnea that makes their situations more difficult. Here's how to improve sleep cycle for diabetes patients

03/28/2023

Sleep apnea in childhood could affect developing brain

MONDAY, March 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Teenagers with the nighttime breathing disorder sleep apnea may have brains that look a little different from their peers', a new study suggests.

01/02/2023

Happy and Healthy 2023!

11/29/2022

Healthy Lifestyle Change May Cure Sleep Apnea
New study reveals drastic improvements in sleep and overall health.

Sleep apnea may be something a healthier lifestyle can cure.

What’s happening: A new study found that many sufferers of sleep apnea who underwent an eight-week weight loss and lifestyle intervention could potentially reverse their condition.

45% no longer required a CPAP machine at the end of the eight-week period.
Maintained for six months, 62% no longer required CPAP therapy, and 30% entered remission from the condition.
What’s more, the average weight loss from the intervention was 16 pounds, or 7% of body weight. And participants lowered their risk of dying from a stroke or heart disease by over 30%.

Between the lines: The intervention employed nutritional behavior change, aerobic exercise, sleep hygiene, and alcohol and to***co cessation.

Of note, instead of focusing on calorie restriction, the diet simply recommended eating more whole foods and less ultra-processed ones. Meanwhile, the exercise component only required participants to up their usual step counts by 15%.

Why it matters: With one in five people worldwide suffering from sleep apnea, a $500B market has sprung up, offering supplements, smart beds, and wearable devices for improving shut-eye.

But, the fact remains — a healthier lifestyle may be the real key to better sleep.

Punchline: As appealing as a quick fix may be, prioritizing physical activity and food-as-medicine (while moderating vices) would go a long way to combating the growing number of health crises we face.

09/23/2022

Poor sleep quality – including moving around too much or having sleep apnea – may increase the risk for a future heart problem, new research suggests.

That problem is called left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, a precursor to heart failure. But not getting enough sleep did not appear to increase that risk, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) – a type of heart failure that occurs when the left side of the heart muscle stiffens and can't properly pump blood to the rest of the body – makes up 60% of the 37 million cases of heart failure worldwide. "But there is no established method to prevent it," said lead study author Dr. Hidenori Koyama, a professor at Hyogo Medical University in Nishinomiya, Japan. "Our study tells us the potential importance of sleep quality for its prevention."

Prior research has shown sleep problems, including sleep apnea, are associated with an increased rate of heart failure. But little research has examined their association with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.

Researchers analyzed sleep and heart health data for 452 adults, who were an average of 59 years old, over a nearly three-year period. They measured sleep apnea, sleep duration and how much a person moved while they slept – an indicator that sleep was restless.

People with moderate to severe sleep apnea, or who moved around a lot at night – but not those who didn't get enough sleep – were more likely to develop left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.

Among people with moderate to severe sleep apnea, about 28% later developed left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, compared with about 11% of those without sleep apnea. Among those who moved around a lot while they slept, 21% later developed the heart condition, compared with 8% of those who moved less.

A great deal is known about sleep apnea, a common sleep disorder, and how to treat it. Treatment options include continuous positive airway pressure machines, sleep positional therapy, oral devices worn during sleep, weight loss and surgery.

But less is known about how to address excessive movement during sleep. Koyama said many things might cause a person to move during sleep, including restless leg syndrome and a lack of deep sleep.

"There is a strong possibility that body movement during sleep represents a decline in sleep quality, such as a shortage of deep sleep time," Koyama said.

Some ways to improve sleep quality include getting sufficient exercise during the day and sleeping in a dark environment with no exposure to the blue light from smartphones and other electronic devices, he said.

Sleep quality is inadequately studied, said Dr. Michael Grandner, director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson, who was not involved in the new study. He said poor sleep quality might be caused by stress, pain or other health problems but is an important factor to consider when studying the relationship between sleep and overall health.

Grandner co-wrote a recent presidential advisory from the American Heart Association that added sleep duration – from seven to nine hours a night for most adults – to its list of key measures for good cardiovascular health, known as Life's Essential 8. Doctors should routinely ask their patients not just how much they are sleeping, but how well they are sleeping, he said.

"We can't ignore the effects of poor sleep quality, which are separate from sleep duration and sleep disorders," Grandner said. "What this study shows is that we should start thinking about how to improve sleep across multiple dimensions. Not just getting people to get enough sleep, which is a struggle in itself, but how do we get people to get better sleep quality?"

12/14/2021

HOW BAD CAN BE SUFFERING INSOMNIA AND AT THE SAME TIME SLEEP APNEA, DISCOVER IT IN HERE. DON'T FORGET TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.NEVADASLEEP.COM AND APPLY FOR A HOME SLEEP TEST,FILL OUT OUR APPLICATION AND WE WILL CONTACT YOU FOR YOUR SLEEP EVALUATION

People who suffer from both insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea are more likely to suffer from heart problems and are almost 50% more likely to die than those without either condition, say Flinders University researchers, who advise people being tested for one of the disorders be tested for the oth...

11/18/2021

IF YOU WANT TO EVALUATE YOUR SELF, GO TO OUR WEBSITE WWW.NEVADASLEEP.COM, FILL OUT THE HOME SLEEP TEST APPLICATION AND EMAIL IT TO US, OR FAX TO US YOUR RQUEST, THAT WE WILL BE CONTACTING YOU TO SCHEDULE OUR APPOINTMENT FOR A HOME SLEEP TEST.

When you have sleep apnea, you might be aware of the effects it has on your everyday life, but did you know it can severely affect your overall health? Without

10/01/2021

Understanding Sleep Apnea ...

Sleep apnea occurs when a person stops breathing for a short period of time during the night. It can happen a couple of times to more than 50 times per

09/13/2021

You are not alone!
Millions of people struggle with their lack of sleep...

How long does it take you to recover from a period of sleep deprivation? A day? Two? Or much longer? A new study has found it may take much longer than you think.