A Blog For Sleep Disorders Professionals By Theresa Shumard

Sleep Programs at the CDC...

2008-05-31T08:34:00.003-05:00

APPROPRIATIONS BILLS BEING WRITTEN!
ASK CONGRESS TO EXPAND FUNDING FOR SLEEP PROGRAMS AT THE CDC!

Kudos to the The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) and member organizations of the National Sleep Awareness Roundtable (NSART). These groups are seeking expanded funding for sleep activities at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and your help is appreciated. This funding will allow the CDC to improve population data collection activities, create education materials for public health professionals, create public health interventions, and establish fellowship opportunities for promising researchers.

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have indicated that they will be issuing their health funding bills by mid-June. Help save lives today by contacting Congress to request increased funding for sleep and sleep disorders at the CDC! Visit NSF’s Advocacy Action Center to call or e-mail Congress today!

Be well...Sleep well,
Theresa

Terry M. Brown, DO, ABSM, Puts Positive Spin on Clinton Nap Media Fiasco

2008-01-25T03:35:00.000-05:00

There must not have been anything sensational going on with Paris or Brittney earlier this week. I was most pleased to see a board-certified sleep specialist weigh in with a scientific explanation regarding the recent Bill Clinton nap that was followed by a mainstream media fiasco.

The former president participated in tribute services at Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem, New York to honor slain Civil Rights Leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King on Monday. News outlets appeared to go after the human frailties of the former president with even more gusto than usual -- except for the Monica Lewinsky scandal, of course. Internet video outlets reported that the Clinton microsleeps incident was viewed by an estimated half million people worldwide within 12 hours of the Dr. King tribute. Dr. King’s son, Martin Luther King III delivered a speech about his father as Clinton fought sleep.

Kudos to Terry M. Brown, DO for being the voice of reason as he commented in a news clip that appeared on WSIL-TV this week. The station’s viewing area encompasses Southern Illinois. Dr. Brown is a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine (ABSM) and medical director at the Sleep Disorders Center at St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in Murphysboro, Illinois.

Dr. Brown told reporters,

“If you don't get enough sleep, it could lead to an accident, embarrassing situations. Your cognitive functions are diminished. It's one of those things that may worsen your health in the long run...If you know you've been sleep deprived, you can take a short, preventative nap. Then you'd be more ready for a meeting. More able to stay awake. There are some studies that show cognitive function improves after a nap, almost as much as a full night's sleep."Dr. Brown also advises that individuals will know when they are sleep deprived because cognitive function is slower, and they might get the urge to take unintentional naps.

Likely, the former president is fatigued from sleep deprivation due to the rigorus schedule he keeps supporting his wife Hilary on the presidential campaign trail. Other celebrity sensationalisms have clearly taken the place of the Clinton nap story, and it is unlikely that his very public nap will weaken his standing or wound Hillary’s campaign in the least. Some politial rhetoric watchers theorize that Clinton’s human slip gained even more favor with supporters as they may ask, 'who among us has not fought the same fight (sleep) and lost'.
How can the Sleep Community advocate for napping in the frenzy of this non-stop world? I guess it all boils down to our clinical professionals taking the high road and carrying the positive nap message forward through interviews -- such as Dr. Brown did – stating that napping is not a crime. In the words of William Anthony, author of The Art of Napping, “Nappers are never caught napping, because there is no crime to catch. Nappers are merely seen napping.”

As we begin to gear up for National Sleep Awareness Week, it would be responsible of us to also give our attention and support to National Napping Day on March 10, the first Monday after the beginning of daylight savings time.

Be well, Sleep well,
Theresa

The Year-End CEU Scramble!

2007-10-31T10:40:00.001-05:00

Greetings!

I've heard from many of you that are unable to travel to conferences before the end of the year who are also looking for solutions to obtaining CEUs to maintain credentialing. Here is an offering that might help you.

The Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine is hosting a a webinar module that consists of five special, training topics that will provide you with the CEUs required to fulfill the yearly BRPT re-certification requirement. You can access the webinars beginning November 15th. They will continue to be available to you until you complete the topics. With the webinars archived, each topic is presented to you at your convenience by a nationally known sleep technology instructor.

Topics Include:

New Scoring Rules for the Experienced Technologist
Managing Diversity in Sleep Lab Personnel
Health Literacy: Educating the Patient with Sleep Abnormalities
Adding Research to your Resume
Is Pediatrics Right for your Adult Sleep Lab?

You can register at: https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/490579459

For more information, Email gotceus@sleepschool.com
or call 678-651-2000.

Be well-Sleep well,
Theresa

CEU Webinars- Live or On-Demand

2007-09-07T11:35:00.000-05:00

No Cost CEU Webinars by DeVilbiss Healthcare Education Department

Worth 1 Credit Each
Audience: Sleep Technologists and Respiratory Therapists

DeVilbiss Healthhcare has positioned itself as a leader in providing complimentary continuing education lectures for clinical professionals in the field so individuals may meet their CEU requirements. Webinars from DeVilbissClinicalEducation.com help you keep your professional education and certifications up-to-date easily, and at no cost. We offer a variety of clinically-relevant topics as both live and on-demand courses. This means you can access CEU courses from the comfort of your home or office. Two types of Webinars are offered: Live and On-Demand

“Research Review: Clinical Management of Poor Adherence to CPAP”
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM EDT

This Webinar will focus on advances in research regarding the consequences of sleep apnea and methods to improve adherence to treatment. It examines medical and psychological consequences of sleep apnea and non-restorative sleep. Some of these studies also utilize behavioral methods, based on psychological theories of behavior change, in an attempt to enhance treatment adherence in newly diagnosed patients with sleep apnea syndrome.

Meet Your Sleep Technologist CEU Requirements From Home or Office. To pre-register for the live Sleep Webinars, go to www.devilbissclinicaleducation.com

Other Sleep Topics in On-Demand Archives available for 1 CEU Credit each:

Audience: Sleep Technologists & Respiratory Therapists
* “How to Start an OSA Patient Education Program in Your Sleep Lab”
* “Latest Findings on CPAP’s Impact on Strokes, Diabetes, Parasomnias & Impotence”
* “Research Review: Clinical Management of Poor Adherence to CPAP” (Available On- Demand after Sept. 19, 2007)

Respiratory Category Topic Areas for Live Webinars Include:

Audience: Respiratory Therapists
*“Asthma Healthy Home Guidance for Your Patients and Their Families”
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT

This Webinar will discuss how to identify environmental asthma triggers and biological pollutants in the home. You will learn how to help your patients and their caregivers locate pollutants and minimize allergens. Additionally, nebulizer cleaning and compressor filter replacement will be covered.

Respiratory On-Demand Archives:
* “Practical Aspects of Oxygen Conserving Devices” “Ambulatory Oxygen via Transfilling Technology According to GOLD and LTOT”
* “Tips and Techniques for Helping Your Patients Live With Supplemental O2”
* “Economic and Therapeutic Factors Driving Home Oxygen Technology” (delivered in two-parts)
* “Striking GOLD in the Home Care Market”
* “Advances in Compressor Nebulizer Technology”
* “Asthma Healthy Home Guidance for Your Patients and Their Families” (Available On-Demand after Sept. 19, 2007)

For more information, contact Theresa Shumard, Sleep Advocate & Manager of Clinical Services & Education for DeVilbiss at theresa.shumard AT devilbissHC dot com (email address spelled this way here to avoid spam-bot intrusions. Please use standard email format for contacting Theresa by using the @ sign for "AT" and . for the "DOT" as listed above).

Current Concepts of Sleep 2007 A Great Success

2007-09-01T00:57:00.000-05:00

More than 500 attendees are participating in the Current Concepts of Sleep 2007 Conference this weekend in Tampa, FL. The event is being held at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina. The organization of this conference is hard to beat. I don't think I've ever seen a better run conference and the site is perfect. Kudos to organizers, longtime sleep professionals, Janice East and David Gregory and their respective staffs for a job well done.

The annual event is sponsored by area hospitals: Morton Plant Mease Health Care, St. Anthony's Health Care, All Children's Hospital, Tampa General Hospital, and University Community Hospital.

This symposium is aimed at advancing an interdisciplinary understanding of sleep-related medical disorders. Information on advanced laboratory techniques is provided to the sleep technologists and updated diagnostic tools will be presented to practitioners. The latest information in pediatric, adolescent, and adult sleep disorders is being discussed. Separate tracks are provided for the Sleep Clinician, Sleep Technologists and Therapists, and Primary Care Providers. The primary focus of the speakers within each track is to address the individual needs of the attendees so they can integrate new concepts into their practices. Individuals will be able to attend sessions from any of the tracks as space allows. There is a fourth track designed for Educators including School Psychologists and Nurse Practitioners.

SAVE THE DATE and Earn Continuing Education Credit

2007-08-20T23:50:00.000-05:00

Sept. 19, 2007 1:00 – 2:00 pm Eastern Time

Live Webinar: “Research Review: Clinical Management of Poor Adherence to CPAP”

Webinar registration opens soon, and you can also register just before the Webinar begins. There is no fee to attend, and all you need to participate is a computer with an Internet connection and an open phone line. Multiple people can attend under one registration. They can all watch from one computer and listen to the audio on speaker phone. But it is still necessary to register individually. This allows attendance tracking for CEU reporting, and also a way for you to receive communication and logon instructions about the Webinar and CEUs via email.
*CEU Credit-granting provider approved by both sleep technologist and respiratory therapist credentialing organizations, the BRPT and NBRC.
*One CEU will be given per lecture.

On-Demand Webinars

For those of you that missed the last live CEU Webinars we presented at DeVilbiss, you can still earn CEUs. Just contact me and I will let you know how to attend “on-demand” Webinars you can access anytime. You would need to take the post-quizzes to receive credits.

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New England Polysomnographic Society (NEPS)

There is still time to register for the NEPS 5th Annual Meeting August 23-24, 2007, in Portsmouth, NH at the Frank Jones Center, 400 US Highway 1 Bypass, 03801. For more information, visit the NEPS Web site.

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Remember Your Sleep Techs!

AAST Sleep Technologist Appreciation Week October 1-7, 2007

Traditionally held in March, the annual Sleep Technologist Appreciation Week recognizes the critical role that sleep technologists play in the provision of quality medical care for people with sleep disorders. Don't forget to honor your staff in some way!

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Remember Your Dually-Credentialed Staff!

AARC National Respiratory Care Week October 21-27, 2007

There are lots of ways to celebrate and to honor your sleep staffers with respiratory care backgrounds. The AARC has listed 100 Ideas for Respiratory Care Week - - A compilation of new ideas, RC Week successes from the past, and ideas borrowed from other groups.

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Pickwick Fellowships

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) has announced two postdoctoral fellowship opportunities for 2008. Since 1995, the NSF Pickwick Postdoctoral Fellowship program has provided funds to enable young researchers to devote full-time professional effort to mentored research in sleep or sleep disorders. Fellowships are available for basic, applied or clinical research. Visit NSF's Web site for information on how to apply.

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ASMF and AASM Strengthen Commitment to Research

The American Sleep Medicine Foundation (ASMF) in 2007 alone has awarded more than $1.1 million dollars in new grants to advance the study, understanding and practice of sleep medicine through research. Grants awarded this year will fund strategic research that documents the efficacy of new or established practice pathways and confirms outcomes of patient care delivered by sleep medicine specialists.

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Be well. Sleep well.

Theresa

Sleepmate Technologies Receives Accreditation as A-STEP Provider

2007-07-27T12:55:00.000-05:00

Sleepmate Technologies recently received accreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) as a Provider of the Accredited Sleep Technologist Education Program, A-STEP.

A-STEP provides participants with standardized education and training that develops a knowledge-base about sleep medicine and the professional skills required of a sleep technologist. As a staff member at a sleep facility, a sleep technologist administers sleep tests to patients as well as therapeutic services. The sleep technologist also assists the sleep physician with patient care and education.

A-STEP is a two-step training program that includes an 80-hour educational course (STEP 1) and an 18-month on-the-job training and e-learning program (STEP 2). Sleepmate Technologies has earned a two-year accreditation as an A-STEP Provider, meaning that the education offered by Sleepmate Technologies, STEP 1 course has met the standards of accreditation designated by the AASM. The accreditation process involved a detailed evaluation of Sleepmate Technologies program, including faculty, curriculum, resources and assessment.

“The American Academy of Sleep Medicine congratulates Sleepmate Technologies on fulfilling the high standards required for receiving accreditation as an A-STEP Provider,” said Alejandro D. Chediak, MD, AASM president. “Sleepmate Technologies A-STEP is a significant resource to the local community as it ensures that those who assist in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with sleep disorders are well-trained and that patients suffering from sleep disorders receive the highest quality of care.”

Individuals interested in receiving formalized education and training in sleep technology by enrolling as an A-STEP participant at Sleepmate Technologies can contact Sleepmate customer support at 804-378-8265.

Sleepmate also provides classroom training, developed with education partners including DeVilbiss Healthcare, for the new and experienced sleep professional. Registry Review, Scoring Workshop, CPAP Workshop, Basic and Intermediate Polysomnography, Pediatric Sleep, Webinars, and most recently, an accredited Sleep Technologist Education Program (A-STEP). Our classes offer AARC Continuing Education Credits. Visit http://www.sleepmate.com/.

Kittens Catchin’ Catnaps, Dozing Dogs and Pooped Parrots

2007-06-28T10:03:00.000-05:00

The National Sleep Foundation Launches

“My Pet Loves Sleep Contest” and Asks Americans to Share Favorite Photographs of Sleeping Pets

Twelve Weeks of Photos Judged Online; Winning Photographs Available in Pet Winner’s Gallery for All the World to See!

What: The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) wants all-time favorite photos of your pet stealin’ 40 winks! Why: NSF wants to share photos of America’s most adorable sleeping pets with everyone who visits www.sleepfoundation.org/pets [NOTE: The site goes live July 2]

When: The contest launches on Monday, July 2 and continues until Sunday, September 30. Each week for 12 weeks, NSF Web site visitors will vote online for the cutest sleeping pet of the week. All 12 winners will be featured on NSF’s popular Web site. Where: Submit your most cherished sleeping pet photograph by visiting www.sleepfoundation.org/pets All entries received during the week (beginning each Monday and ending each Sunday for 12 consecutive weeks) will be judged by participating NSF Web site visitors.

How: Email a color digital photo with a maximum of 150 K and resolution of 72 dpi maximum by visiting www.sleepfoundation.org/pets NSF will post all photo entries received during a specific week in the Sleeping Pet Photo Gallery and encourage all NSF Web site visitors to cast their vote. The weekly “sleeping pet” winner will be determined by which photo receives the most votes during the designated seven-day period. Only one vote per NSF Web site visitor is allowed per week.

If you want your pet to win, send a My Pet Loves Sleep E-card (available at www.sleepfoundation.org/pets) and encourage your friends and family to join in the fun and vote. Once the week is over, winning photographs will be housed in the Sleeping Pet Winner’s Gallery. Visit www.sleepfoundation.org/pets for additional details. Contact: Lisa Tumminello; National Sleep Foundation; ltumminello@sleepfoundation.org; 202-347-3471, x211

I think it's great to see something on the lighter side regarding sleep from NSF. Now, not that I am playing favorites or anything, but this is the sleeping pet picture that should win! My dearest Princess Peanut Fi`do. What do you think? Isn't she the best sleeper?

Be well...Sleep well (and VOTE FOR PEANUT :-)

Theresa

Historic Portsmouth, NH host to the 5th Annual NEPS Conference August 23 & 24

2007-06-26T15:27:00.000-05:00

If you need a summer, family getaway that includes sleep education that earns you continuing education credits, the New England Polysomnographic Society (NEPS) may have your tonic… And, a trip to New England is never complete without stopping in the historic coastal city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Registration is now open for the NEPS 5th Annual Meeting, August 23-24, 2007, at the Frank Jones Center, 400 US Highway 1 Bypass, Portsmouth, NH, 03801. The conference brochure is posted on the society’s web site and lists lecture information. For additional information, e-mail NEPS President Bethany Munn at info@nepolysomnographic.org.

Here are some links to area attractions:
New Hampshire Seacoast Beaches & Parks
Sleep Tech Leisure Guide
Lake Winnipesaukee & Lake Sunapee (There are 273 lakes and ponds in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire—great fishing too!)
History buffs

Pictured above, John Paul Jones, foreground, oversees preparations for the launch of his vessel CSS Ranger in 1777. In the background is Colonial Portsmouth. The painting is by world famous maritime artist John Stobart. http://www.portsmouthchamber.org/historyintro.cfm

Hope to see you there!

Be well...Sleep well,

Theresa

Online Sleep Videos and Health Fair

2007-06-21T13:06:00.000-05:00

1. Sleep Diagnosis & Therapy Features Online Videos

Kudos to the online site of Sleep Diagnosis and Therapy for producing video interviews with leading sleep specialists and making them available to viewers. I contacted Alan Hickey, publisher, to ask him about the venture. “The videos are the beginning of an ongoing project for us.” He added that the editorial board for Sleep Diagnosis and Therapy, the online format, wants to provide online visitors with clinical and scientific sleep information and updates with more viewer appeal in order to meet the needs of those looking for news and advances in sleep medicine. The journal is the publishing company’s flagship offering, and the online presence as an augmentation to its hardcopy journal. The site also offers a blog and industry buyer’s guide which serves as a directory of sleep equipment manufacturers and distributors.

I am personally thrilled to see innovative formats such as this appearing on our radar screens because we, as sleep professionals, appear to be joining the ranks of other fields in that we like choices on the formats in which our news is delivered to us. Some of us like print publications. Some of us prefer online editions. Many of us consume both!
The first two videos produced by Sleep Diagnosis and Therapy include interviews with Prof. Peretz Lavie and Marc Pritzker, MD, FACC. Lavie is a world-renowned authority on the psychophysiology of sleep and sleep disorders. He is leader of the Technion Sleep Laboratory, chairperson of the Behavioral Biology Department in the Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, and is the incumbent of the Andre Ballard Chair in Biological Psychiatry. Pritzker is a cardiologist at Minneapolis Cardiology Associates, Minneapolis Heart Institute in Minneapolis, MN. He is board certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases with clinical interests in complex heart disease, heart failure, wounds, and pulmonary artery hypertension.
2. First Online Health Fair Includes NSF

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) was chosen by Revolution Health to be part of an online “health fair.” The founder of Revolution Health is Steve Case, best known as the co-founder and former chief executive officer and chairman of America Online (AOL). RevolutionHealth.com, a free online health and medical web site that combines expert content and online tools with the power of social networking, today announced its first online health fair to be held on June 18-30, 2007. Revolution Health is partnering with ten national nonprofit organizations including Autism Speaks, the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America, and the Society for Women's Health Research, among others.
Revolution Health will make a donation to each of the participating nonprofit groups, based on the number of visitors to that group's 'booth.' The maximum donation that Revolution Health will make to the participating groups is $100,000, with a maximum donation of $10,000 per organization.
Increasing public awareness of the importance of sleep, increasing public recognition of the signs and symptoms of sleep disorders, launching promising new investigators into careers in sleep research and advocating for sleep-friendly policies in the public and private sectors are central to the mission of NSF. The foundation relies on grants, sponsorships, memberships and other contributions to help provide comprehensive education and awareness programs.

Case reached his highest profile when he played an instrumental role in AOL's merger with Time Warner in 2000. Case resigned from the Time-Warner board of directors in October 2005, to spend more time working on Revolution LLC, a holding company he founded in April 2005.

Be well. Sleep well,

Theresa

AAST Annual Meeting Events at SLEEP 2007

2007-06-13T01:28:00.000-05:00

The American Association of Sleep Technologists (AAST) held several events at its annual meeting Tuesday during the SLEEP 2007 conference in Minneapolis. In the top photo is William Dement, MD, Ph.D. pleased the crowd again this year as he entertained attendees at the Blues Night sponsored by Pro-Tech and MVAP. In the second photo, a group of technologists that have been participants of binarysleep.com for years, but have never met in person had the opportunity to meet at the Blues Night. In the third photo, Mary Kay Hobby, CRT, RPSGT, a recent Let's Talk Sleep podcast guest, received the AAST 2007 Sharon Keenan Service Award sponsored by Sleepmate, Inc. Sharon Baker-Holdsworth, Sleepmate Marketing Manager presented Hobby with her award. And last, Brendan Duffy, RPSGT, was the recipient of the Allen DeVilbiss, MD Literary Award. I had the honor of presenting Duffy with his award for an article published in A2Zzz Magazine that dealt with technologist issues related to dealing with difficult patients.

Be well-Sleep well,
Theresa

Scenes from SLEEP 2007 in Minneapolis

2007-06-11T15:04:00.000-05:00

SLEEP 2007 Secrets of Sleep Research Dinner

2007-06-11T08:37:00.000-05:00

The Secrets of Sleep Research Dinner was held last night in Minneapolis kicking off today's opening of the SLEEP 2007 Annual Meeting sponsored by the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. The annual meeting runs through Thursday. Today's official opening begins less than 15 minutes from now with the plenary session featuring k eynote speaker Mark Mahowald, MD. In the first photo of the dinner last night, pictured left to right are Claude Albertario, RPSGT, Mineola, NY, Debbie Carr, RPSGT and Brendan Duffy, RPSGT, both of Port Jefferson, NY, and Karen Allen, RPSGT, of Billings, Montana. In the second photo, Meir Kryger, MD, left, converses with Leon Rosenthal, MD.

HBO Features Drs. Dement, Rosekind, Simon, Speilman, Kayumov in Documentary “Wide Awake”

2007-05-06T10:22:00.000-05:00

You won’t want to miss several Sleep Community luminaries in Wide Awake: Portrait Of An Artist As Insomniac, an HBO Documentary that premieres Wednesday, May 23 at 8pm Eastern Time, with a special "Insomniac Premiere" on Tuesday, May 22 at 1:30am. Eastern Time.

Wide Awake is a brutally honest self-portrait of a sleep-deprived and sleep-obsessed night-owl filmmaker, Alan Berliner's personal tour through a lifelong obsession with insomnia. In the spirit of his acclaimed personal documentary films, Berliner once again uses his own life as a laboratory, this time to illuminate how a restless mind that won't shut down at night leaves him feeling "jet lagged in my own time zone."

Among the experts who share their knowledge in Wide Awake are: William C. Dement, MD, PhD, Director, Sleep Disorder Clinic and Research Center at Stanford University; Leonid Kayumov, PhD, Director, Sleep Neuropsychiatry Institute at the University of Toronto; Mark Rosekind, PhD, President & Chief Scientist, Alertness Solutions; Richard D. Simon Jr., MD, Medical Director, Kathryn Severyns Dement Sleep Disorders Center; and Art Spielman, PhD, Associate Director, Center for Sleep Medicine, Weill Medical College at NY Presbyterian Hospital- Cornell University.

A brilliantly edited blend of the hilarious and deeply personal, Wide Awake weaves hundreds of archival film clips, consultations with sleep specialists, an overnight stay at a sleep lab, conversations with family members, home movies, dream visualizations, and behind the scenes footage of the film being made. Torn between the creative passion he derives from the night, and the emotional tugs of love and family life, only the birth of his first child can get Berliner to “consider joining the day shift.”

Wide Awake received its world premiere at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, and its international premiere at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival. Berliner's previous films include The Sweetest Sound (2001), Nobody's Business (1996), Intimate Stranger (1991) and The Family Album (1986). You can own the film for $24.98 by visiting the HBO Store. A preview of the 90-minute film Wide Awake may be viewed at the Edinburgh International Film Festival site.

Be well, Sleep well,
Theresa

Dr. Mark Rosekind: New Podcast Available

2007-05-02T01:45:00.000-05:00

· New Podcast with former NASA Scientist Dr. Mark Rosekind

· 'Epidemic' of sleep deprivation spreads among busy Britons

· Veteran sleep tech in the news ‘restoring sweet dreams’

· SESW Conference in Virginia Beach this week

· ASAA NewZzzz
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New Podcast with Dr. Mark Rosekind

Dr. Mark Rosekind discusses sleep tech fatigue and alertness issues, and his very interesting career as a former NASA sleep specialist. To listen to past guests on the podcasts, go to the archive section of Let's Talk Sleep by Sleepmate Radio.

Archived Podcasts Include Guests:

Mike Bederka
Kellie Scarrow
Graduating Class from somniSchool
Lena Kauffman
Ron Sherman and Sharon Kline
Terry Malloy
Dr. Michael Breus
Patrick Sorenson
Colleen Bazzani
Dave Hargett
Dr. Meir Kryger
Richard Gelula
Dr. Carlos Schenck

Dr. Mark R. Rosekind is the President and Chief Scientist of Alertness Solutions. He is internationally recognized for translating scientific knowledge on sleep, circadian factors, human fatigue, performance, and alertness into practical strategies that improve safety and productivity in our 24-hr society. For over 20 years, Dr. Rosekind’s research, publications, presentations, and practical applications have led to many significant changes in real-world settings. These accomplishments have been recognized through honors and awards that include the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, a Flight Safety Foundation Presidential Citation for “Outstanding Achievement in Safety Leadership,” and a NASA Group Achievement Award. In 1999, Dr. Rosekind was a Fellow at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and the recipient of the Business Aviation Meritorious Award presented by the Flight Safety Foundation.

'Epidemic' of sleep deprivation spreads among busy Britons

A news report from London says that where sleep is concerned, most British workers are losing two and a half years of sleep over the course of their career.

Veteran Sleep Tech in the News ‘Restoring Sweet Dreams’

Longtime sleep technologist Tish (Galloway) Pitcherello, RPSGT of St. Francis Medical Center Sleep Center in Trenton, New Jersey is featured in a Trenton Times article titled “Restoring sweet dreams” The article is a public-oriented feature story about sleep disorders and the services provided at St. Francis. Tish said in the article that when she deals with pediatric patients, sometimes she puts electrodes on teddy bears and dolls to help her young patients feel less anxious about the sleep study. Also included in the article is Dr. Marc M. Seelagy, board- certified sleep physician and medical director of St. Francis's program

BA flight is delayed for 13hrs so pilot can sleep

Passengers on a British Airways (BA) flight from New Delhi to London recently faced a 13-hour delay - because the pilot felt he was too sleepy after a noisy night in a New Delhi hotel.
Angry passengers were offloaded from the plane after the pilot refused to fly until he caught up with his sleep.
"The crew had not had enough rest ... the entire crew had a disturbed night," said Radhika Raikhy, spokeswoman for BA. She said the airline's safety rules do not allow its crew to operate in such conditions. advertisement
It was reported the flight and cabin crew complained of not getting enough rest because their hotel was too noisy. The flight, BA 142, finally took off 13 hours later, to the fury of passengers who were sent to city hotels to wait out the delay as the crew rested. One passenger, Sunil Thapar, said: "It was very chaotic. Due to a shortage of rooms, some people, including me, had to share rooms with strangers."

Southeast/Southwest Regional Association of Polysomnographic Technologists (SESW RAPT) 25th Annual Meeting This Week:

SESW RAPT 2007, Virginia Beach, VA, USA, May 3-7
25th Annual Meeting. Sheraton Oceanfront "Mr. Sandman Bring Me A Dream"See the 2007 Meeting page for more info.

ATS 2007, San Francisco, CA, USA, May 20-22

KSS 2007, Bowling Green, KY, USA, May 31-June 1

Movement Disorders Society 2007 Congress, Istanbul, Turkey, June 3-7

Sleep 2007 (APSS), Minneapolis, MN, USA, Jun 9-14

New England Polysomnographic Society (NEPS) 5th Annual Meeting August 23 - 24, 2007. Portsmouth, NH at the Frank Jones Center, 400 Us Highway 1 Bypass, 03801. For more information, visit the NEPS Web site or email: info@nepolysomnographic.org . An online registration will soon be available, and information posted on the Let’s Talk Sleep blog.

Current Concepts in Sleep 2007, Tampa, FL, USA, Aug. 31-Sept. 1

worldsleep07, Carins, QLD, Australia, Sept. 2-6

Montana Regional Sleep Seminar 2007 at St. Vincent Healthcare, Billings, MT, USA, Sept. 6-8 Hosted by The Sleep Center at St. Vincent Healthcare at the Mansfield Health Education Center. Also presented will be a full day Technologist Review Course. AARC CRCE and AAST CEC applications will be submitted. Registration fee ($75) includes 3 day conference, exhibits, continuing education credits, break refreshments, continental breakfasts and lunches. For more information, contact Karen Y. Allen, CRT, RPSGT at karen.allen@svh-mt.org or call toll free (866) 4 SNORES.

2007 BSS 19th Annual Scientific Meeting, Cambridge, UK, Sep. 23-25

XII Congreso Panamerricano de Neurologia 2007, Santo Domingo, Domincan Republic, Oct. 7-11

Narcolepsy Association UK (UKAN) 2007 Annual Conference, Altrincham, Cheshire, UK, Oct. 13

ESRS 2008, Glasgow, Scotland, Sep. 9-13

Japanese Film Festival: The Bad Sleep Well

Visit The Stanford Daily for a review by Marco Hernandez on the film featured by the Japanese Film Festival titled The Bad Sleep Well. Hernandez recommends that it is “definitely not a film that puts viewers to sleep.”

NAPS Abstract of the Week

Does sleep quality predict pain-related disability in chronic pain patients? The mediating roles of depression and pain severity.

NAUGHTON F, ASHWORTH P, SKEVINGTON SM.
Pain 2007;127(3):243-52. Department of Psychology, University of Bath, BA2 7AY, UK. fmen2@medschl.cam.ac.uk

Abstract

Disrupted sleep has long been associated with physical functioning and disability in chronic pain populations and recent research shows that patterns of sleep and rest can predict physical disability, independent of depression and pain levels in this group. However, it is unknown whether sleep quality may independently predict disability in this way. The aim of the present study was to examine the self-reported relationship between sleep and disability in 155 chronic pain patients attending a pain management service. The sample had an average age of 52.9 years and 69% were female with mean pain duration of 10.5 years. Disrupted sleep and rest patterns and poor sleep quality were positively correlated with depression and pain-related disability. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that sleep quality did not predict pain-related disability when depression and pain severity were taken into consideration. Separate mediation analyses of depression and pain severity revealed that both variables were important partial mediators of the relationship between sleep quality and disability. Depression was found to be a stronger mediator than pain severity. These findings highlight the important role of sleep in chronic pain suffering. However, due to the cross sectional nature of this study, the mediation pathways proposed require testing by further research adopting a prospective design. Ideally, future research should evaluate whether targeted interventions to improve sleep can reduce pain severity, depression and ultimately, pain-related disability.

ASAA NewZzzz

The American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA) has had a recent flurry of activity, according to ASAA Executive Director Edward Grandi. The ASAA recently launched the Apnea Advocacy Action Program. This is a grassroots advocacy program for apnea patients and their families. Since announcing the first call to action on March 15 – securing additional funding for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for data collection on sleep and sleep disorders – 126 messages were sent to Congress through ASAA, and the organization has 24 subscribers who are interested in helping on the next important issue. You can access the Legislative Action Center from www.sleepapnea.org/advocacy. I would encourage you to let others in your sleep center know about this important resource.

Mr. Grandi wrote an article for the May issue of Future Healthcare , about the role of patient
education and support for improved CPAP therapy adherence in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.

Mr. Grandi recently met with Dr. Nancy Collop the director of Sleep Disorder Center at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) about ASAA developing a disease management program for sleep apnea. JHU has well established disease management program for other respiratory disorders.

Finally, the Indigent Patient Program, renamed CPAP Assistance Program (CAP) was formally to our A.W.A.K.E. coordinators announced in April. The initial response was very favorable. We are in the process of finalizing the guidelines for participation in the program. The first group of machines likely to be shipped by mid-May.

Be well, Sleep well,

Theresa

DeVilbiss Webinars This Week

2007-04-23T15:26:00.000-05:00

Dear Colleagues,

Many of you have expressed interest in attending the DeVilbiss 2007 Sleep and Respiratory and Workshops. We are offering four live workshops this week that you are able to access from the comfort of your home or office. All you need is an Internet connection, an email address and a telephone to join these sessions. There is no fee for the Webinars.

Webinars will be offered throughout the year by DeVilbiss. You can receive up to 10 CRCEs through the AARC and up to 4 CECs through AAST. Sleep topics are eligible for both AARC and AAST credits.

PLEASE NOTE: THE TIMES LISTED BELOW ARE MOUNTAIN TIME.

Please click on each link below to register for each workshop that you are interested in attending:

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Practical Aspects of Oxygen Conserving Devices

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM MDT

Register: https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/386854534 <https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/386854534>

Ambulatory Oxygen Via Transfilling Technology According to GOLD and LTOT

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM MDT

Register: https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/731612662 <https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/731612662>

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

How to Start an OSA Patient Education Program in Your Sleep Lab

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM MDT

Register: https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/219987020 <https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/219987020>

Tips and Techniques for Helping Patients Live with Supplemental Oxygen

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM MDT

Register: https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/617904237 <https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/617904237>

For any technical questions regarding the registration process, please contact webmaster@sunmed.com

Thank You,

The DeVilbiss Clinical Education Team

Mike Bederka April 17th Let's Talk Sleep Podcast: Investigation of the formation of a sleep specialty exam for respiratory therapists

2007-04-15T16:35:00.000-05:00

The communications a medical field receives from its own specialized news outlets naturally delves deep into the layers of pertinent information that impacts its audience. It is a responsibility. As you may be aware, The National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC), at the request of The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), is exploring the formation of a sleep specialty exam for respiratory therapists, a move that has become a divisive issue for some sleep as well as respiratory care professionals. The Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) and other sleep-related professional organizations, have supplied statements regarding the proposed exam.

My guest expert on this topic this Tuesday April 17th on Let’s Talk Sleep will be Mike Bederka, (pictured) senior associate editor for both ADVANCE for Managers of Respiratory Care and ADVANCEforSleep.com. Mr. Bederka has conducted an extensive investigation into the issue of a new NBRC credential, as well as magazine interviews with both the AARC and the BRPT. He has also collected public opinion data from the sleep industry on this issue.

Prior to ADVANCE, he spent several years in the newspaper business as an editor and reporter. His writing has earned several industry honors, including awards from the Associated Press, the American Society of Healthcare Publication Editors, and the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association. Mike graduated from the University of Delaware in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English/Journalism and a minor in Black American Studies.

In closing I will say that it is my opinion that it is certainly a very different political climate now than it was when many of us entered the fields of sleep or respiratory care. As a member of the sleep healthcare media for many years, I know the value and importance of the press to represent the ethics of journalism correctly and provide the truth. People need and have the right to know what is happening in career-related arenas. This is true even if the issues may seem alien, such as in territorial conflict situations.

What is more imperative than keeping abreast of the issues is the importance of those in clinical practice on both sides of a healthcare territorial conflict to maintain respectful and professional working relationships with one another so that they may not be distracted away from providing quality patient care, every patient’s right.

I encourage you to take a few minutes to listen to the Let’s Talk Sleep Podcast featuring Mike Bederka, one of many broadcasts designed to keep you abreast of current events in sleep and respiratory care.

The Chinese Sleep Research Society 2007 Conference
2007年世界睡眠日暨中国健康睡眠促进工程启动仪式新闻发布会胜利召开

2007年4月12日，国家民间组织管理局孙伟林局长、中国科协学术学会部朱雪芬副部长和朱文辉处长、中共中央对外联络部办公厅金鑫处长一行，就全国学会改革和发展的情况来我会进行专门调研，汪光亮常务副秘书长和韩芳副秘书长向参加调研的领导围绕研究会的历史、现状和未来的发展思路进行了汇报，与会领导对研究会的工作予以充分肯定并提出了许多建设性的指导意见。

Information about the Chinese Sleep Research Society from its mission page:

The Chinese Sleep Research Society (CSRS), affiliated to China Association for Science and Technology, was officially approved in 1994 by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Linking with Chinese Academy of Sciences and Beijing Union Medical College Hospital, CSRS enjoys the reputation of the most authoritative professional academic institution in the field of sleep.
With the support of China Association for Science and Technology, the Ministry of Health and all stratum and with the joint efforts of Council and all the members, Chinese Sleep Research Society always adheres to all guidelines and policies of the Central Party Committee and the State Council. With the important thoughts - Deng Xiaoping Theory and the Three Represent as the guide, CSRS has accomplished a step-by-step development by implementing the scientific concept of development, building socialist harmonious society as the overall principle.
Within the society, there are five committees ranging from Academic Exchanges, Organization, Popularization of science, International Exchanges and Cooperation to Promotion of Science and Technology Industry. There are also two professional academic committees, sleep-disordered breathing and sleep disorders. We officially declared to the competent authorities according to law the established secondary branches: Sleep Physiology and Pharmacology, Mental Health Sleep, Sleep Environmental Engineering, the Traditional Chinese medicine Sleep, Sleep Environmental Engineering, and Sleep-enhancing Products etc. There are nearly 2,000 senior members nationwide, most of whom have high-class titles in sleep-related fields, such as clinical, basic, pharmacology, biomedical engineering, sleep-related industries and other relevant fields.

For more information about the CSRS, contact by phone: 010-65281730, Fax: 010-65123351, or e-mail: sleepcn@163.com

~~~~~~~

Be well, Sleep well,
Theresa

NTSB: Air controller fatigue contributed to 4 mishaps

2007-04-11T12:46:00.000-05:00

It's about sweet time someone thinks it's a good idea to encourage more rest to increase alertness for air traffic controllers (ATC). The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) thinks so and sent a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) following an investigation of the crash of Comair flight 5191 in Lexington, KY August 27 after the plane had been cleared for take off by an ATC working alone in the control tower while on his second shift in 24 hours.

In 2002, the FAA distributed self-study materials addressing shift work and fatigue to all air traffic control specialists (1), but perhaps structured naps and better schedules for ATCs as well as pilots would make sense. Common sense if you ask me. (If you dare, remind me to tell you sometime about the interview I did with a pilot in an airport restaurant. I asked him if there were any mechanisms in place for him to rest before a flight should he feel too sleepy to fly a plane, for whatever HUMAN reason... I warn you, this one will bother you if you fly).

When will society ever embrace that humans are not machines? I mean, seriously, what would be the downside of installing some of those nap pods in airports in pilot lounges or in ATC towers for scheduled rest periods? Ok, I'll get off the soapbox now.

Highlights of the NTSB/ FAA story released yesterday include:

Click here for photo of investigators studying the runway at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Ky on August 28, the day after a Comair jet crashed just after takeoff.

Reference

1. P.S. Della Rocco and T.E. Nesthus, "Shift Work and Air Traffic Control: Transitioning Research Results to the Workforce." In B. Kirwan, M.D. Rodgers, and Dirk Schaefer (Eds.), Human Factors Impacts In Air Traffic Management. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate (2005).

Be well, Sleep well,

Theresa

Federal Funding for CDC Sleep and Sleep Disorders Activities

2007-04-09T09:19:00.000-05:00

We can all make a difference. The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) needs help from sleep professionals. The NSF and member organizations of the National Sleep Awareness Roundtable (NSART) are seeking funding for sleep activities at the CDC this year. This money will allow the CDC to start data collection and surveillance activities, create education and awareness materials for the public and health care professionals, and establish fellowship opportunities for promising researchers at universities and colleges. Please help by contacting Congress today!

For more information, please visit, www.sleepfoundation.org/advocacy

You can help secure funding for sleep-related programs at the CDC by e-mailing, calling, or faxing a letter to your Representative and Senators today. A sample letter is provided for you to personalize as much as possible (click here).

I encourage you to support the sleep field by contacting your legislators today.

Be well, Sleep well,
Theresa

Let's Talk Sleep!

2007-04-05T11:20:00.000-05:00

Support Our Troops

I am so happy to be part of this project where I’ll also be on hand to visit with you in-person. Sleepmate Technologies invites you to record a message for our military. Come visit me at the 7th Annual Focus Conference on Respiratory Care and Sleep Medicine with Sleepmate at its booth #513 during these hours to record your message to all our troops overseas:

April 20th from 10:00-12:00 and 4:30-6:30

The conference will be held April 19 - 21, 2007 at the Opryland Hotel & Convention Center in Nashville Tennessee.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to Lecture at Focus Conference

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will be the keynote speaker at the 7th Annual Focus Conference on Respiratory Care and Sleep Medicine April 19 - 21, 2007 at the Opryland Hotel & Convention Center, Nashville Tennessee.
Kennedy’s reputation as a resolute defender of the environment stems from a litany of successful legal actions. Mr. Kennedy was named one of Time magazine's “Heroes for the Planet” for his success helping Riverkeeper lead the fight to restore the Hudson River. The group's achievement helped spawn more than 130 Waterkeeper organizations across the globe.
Kennedy is credited with leading the fight to protect New York City's water supply, but his reputation as a resolute defender of the environment stems from a litany of successful legal actions. The list includes winning numerous settlements for Riverkeeper, prosecuting governments and companies for polluting the Hudson River and Long Island Sound, arguing cases to expand citizen access to the shoreline, and suing treatment plants to force compliance with the Clean Water Act.Mr. Kennedy acts as Chief Prosecuting Attorney for Riverkeeper. He also serves as Senior Attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council and as President of the Waterkeeper Alliance. At Pace University School of Law, he is a Clinical Professor and Supervising Attorney at the Environmental Litigation Clinic in White Plains, New York. Earlier in his career Mr. Kennedy served as Assistant District Attorney in New York City.
Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. often referred to as RFK Jr. is the third of eleven children born to Ethel Skakel Kennedy and the late Robert F. Kennedy.

Sleeping Alone

We’ve all experienced this as sleep professionals at some point. Occasionally patients that come to the sleep laboratory complain that they have difficulty sleeping away from their spouses or bed partners. A survey in the New Scientist magazine shows men suffer disturbed sleep patterns when they share a bed - while women sleep more deeply. According to the survey, carried out by the University of Vienna, men wake feeling stressed and unrefreshed after a night of broken sleep, whereas women say they sleep best when they share a bed.

New Research:
Mild brain injuries linked to insomnia

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Experiencing a mild traumatic brain injury may increase the risk of developing a sleep disorder, and a good portion of these appear to be based on disturbances in the body's normal circadian rhythm, according to the results of a new study.
"As many as 40 to 65 percent of patients with minor traumatic brain injury complain of insomnia," Dr. L. Ayalon, of the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues write in the medical journal Neurology.

Lilly Announces Completion of Hypnion Acquisition

INDIANAPOLIS, April 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Hypnion, Inc., a privately held neuroscience drug discovery company focused on sleep disorder research. The deal, valued at a total purchase price of $315 million, bolsters Lilly's pipeline with several new early-stage drug candidates and HY10275, an insomnia molecule currently in Phase II of development. HY10275 is a dual-acting H1/5HT2A compound that is targeted at both sleep onset and sleep maintenance, thereby potentially helping people fall asleep and stay asleep.

Grants for Original Research Announced: Sleep Medicine Fellowships

2007-03-29T12:33:00.000-05:00

Four $50,000 One-Year Awards by Pharmaceutical Company

Announced this week was the launch of the Jazz Pharmaceuticals Fellowship Training Grant in Sleep Medicine for physician and research. Fellows conducting original peer-review research in sleep medicine are eligible for the 2008-2009 academic year. Program sponsors hope to support promising research conducted by Fellows in accredited sleep training programs, or complementary programs focused in the field of sleep medicine. Read more here.

Case Study Video: Adult Sleep Disorder Induced by Childhood Trauma

2007-03-27T12:22:00.000-05:00

Dr. L. Peabody Groat, Jr. discusses research findings on newly identified potential sleep disorders at the Groat Center for Sleep Disorders.

SAVE THE DATES: (No Cost) DeVilbiss 2007 Sleep Webinars

2007-03-27T12:01:00.000-05:00

Continuing Education Credits (CECs) by the American Association of Sleep Technologists application has been made by DeVilbiss Healthcare, Inc. There is no cost to participate in the Webinars, and information will be posted in April regarding toll-free call-in numbers and pass codes. Attendance will require a high-speed Internet connection and a telephone line for audio. For pre-registration, attendees may email sleepsymposia@yahoo.com Please include your current email contact information where you may receive larger files.

April 25: 11am – 12pm EST How to Start an OSA Patient Education Program in Your Sleep Lab

July 24: 11am – 1pm EST (2 Webinars back to back)

(1) OSA and Co-Morbidities: Latest Findings on the Impact of CPAP therapy on Stroke, Diabetes, Parasomnias, and Impotence

(2) Respiratory Events: Overview of the AASM Manual for Scoring of Sleep and Associated events: Rules, Terminology, and Technical Specifications

Sept. 19: 11am – 12pm EST Research Review: Clinical Management of Poor Adherence to CPAP

Be well,
Theresa

Sleep T-Shirts & Novelites

2007-03-27T11:55:00.000-05:00

I am always looking for t-shirts or novelties items that display sleep, and I haven’t seen these before by the Advance Healthcare Shop. Remember these for Sleep Tech Appreciation Week October 1-7, 2007.

Sleep-Related T-Shirts

"Z" Pen

New Abstracts & Papers on Sleep (NAPS) March 26 Edition

2007-03-27T11:50:00.000-05:00

These are only two of the most recent research papers on sleep topics that can be searched at NAPS.

COLLOP N. The effect of obstructive sleep apnea on chronic medical disorders.Cleve Clin J Med 2007;74(1):72-8. View abstract.

FIESE BH, WINTER MA, SLIWINSKI M, ANBAR RD. Nighttime waking in children with asthma: an exploratory study of daily fluctuations in family climate. J Fam Psychol 2007;21(1):95-103. View abstract.

Podcasts Wednesday March 28th – Kellie Scarrow; and Students from somniSchool

2007-03-27T11:45:00.000-05:00

Tune in tomorrow, March 28, 2007 for two new podcasts on Let’s Talk Sleep with Theresa Shumard. My guests will be Kellie Scarrow from the Sleep Education Department at somniTech, Inc. Kellie will discuss sleep education teaching methods. Then, tune in to hear the latest graduating class of Kellie’s students talk about their experiences in learning about sleep technology at their A-STEP accredited courses at somniSchool, and their hopes for their upcoming careers in sleep technology.

To listen to the podcasts March 28th, go to iTunes, or Let’s Talk Sleep by Sleepmate Radio.

To listen to past podcasts, click here.

Sleep Symposia & Events Updates: Save the Dates

2007-03-27T11:41:00.000-05:00

New England Polysomnographic Society (NEPS) 5th Annual Meeting
August 23 - 24, 2007. Portsmouth, NH at the Frank Jones Center, 400 Us Highway 1 Bypass, 03801. For more information, email: info@nepolysomnographic.org . An online registration will soon be available, and information posted on the Let’s Talk Sleep blog.

Montana Regional Sleep Seminar 2007, September 6 - 8, 2007, Billings, MontanaHosted by The Sleep Center at St. Vincent Healthcare at the Mansfield Health Education Center. Also presented will be a full day Technologist Review Course. AARC CRCE and AAST CEC applications will be submitted. Registration fee ($75) includes 3 day conference, exhibits, continuing education credits, break refreshments, continental breakfasts and lunches. For more information, contact Karen Y. Allen, CRT, RPSGT @ karen.allen@svh-mt.org or call toll free 1 (866) 4 SNORES.

The Fourth Greater Lehigh Valley Area Sleep Technology Symposium October 6, 2007, Bethlehem, PA, at the Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg. For information, email denise.schuler@lvh.com.

AAST Sleep Technologist Appreciation Week October 1-7, 2007
Traditionally held in March, the annual American Association of Sleep Technologists (AAST) Sleep Technologist Appreciation Week recognizes the critical role that sleep technologists play in the provision of quality medical care for people with sleep disorders. Because Sleep Technologist Appreciation Week competes for the nation’s attention, the dates of this important event have been changed to October 1-7, 2007 (A2Zzz Magazine, Vol.16, No.1, pg7). October is a time in the year when Sleep Technologists will be in the spotlight and receive recognition they deserve for the hard work and dedication to professional excellence. The AAST will make resources and materials available for use by sleep disorders centers and laboratories for sleep-related breathing disorders in the promotion of this year’s event. In the coming months, updates, announcements and promotional tools will be posted on the AAST’s Web site.

Hosting a sleep conference or event?

To have your sleep conference listed on the Let’s Talk Sleep Blog, email sleepsymposia@yahoo.com Please include a name and phone number for verification purposes.

In Memory of Andrea Patterson

2007-03-18T09:17:00.000-05:00

It is with deep sadness that I post this information. The Sleep Community mournes the passing of one if its most beloved and respected members, Andrea Patterson, R.EEG.T, RPSGT. Andrea was a pioneer in the field of polysomnographic technology and served the field in numerous efforts to advance the profession since the 1970s.

Friends may sign Andrea's guest book online.

Andrea's obituary as published in the Star Tribune March 18:

Patterson, Andrea Beloved Mother, Sister, Aunt and Friend Age 67, on March 16, 2007. Survived by daughter Laura; son Jeremy; sister Lynn, brothers Elroy, Leroy and Fred. A funeral/wake to begin Monday, March 19, 4:00 PM at the Office of Indian Ministry, 3045 Park Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55407. Funeral services and interment will be held Wednesday in South Dakota. THOMSON-DOUGHERTY 612-871-4407

Published in the Star Tribune on 3/18/2007.

Andrea, my dearest, my "Milady Faire," I will miss you, my forever sister and friend.

The dead they sleep...

The dead they sleep a long, long sleep;
The dead they rest, and their rest is deep;
The dead have peace, but the living weep.
~Samuel Hoffenstein

Milady, I will love you... always,

Theresa

Question Posted by Reader of Let's Talk Sleep Blog Re: CMS Review on Home Testing

2007-03-15T13:24:00.000-05:00

Hello All,

Someone wrote in and asked underneath this posting from yesterday: "CMS Reviewing Issue Surrounding Home Sleep Testing; 30-Day Public Comment Period Now Open"

The reader did not sign their name, but I thought I would post their question and my answer here on the blog.

The letter requesting the CMS review by the American Academy of Otolaryngology lists studies in the letter. Readers can view that letter by clicking here.

Show Original Post

Anonymous said...
This issue is being reviewed again already! Who's behind this push? The recent CMS review of this same issue resulted in the determination that the technology was not yet reliable enough for home use. The AASM formal study of portable testing has just been initiated. Is there a new, large quantity of data available to effect the first CMS determination?
Mar 15, 2007 1:16:00 PM

Let's Talk Sleep! said...
The CMS received the request from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck SurgeryYou can read the request letter at: https://www.cms.hhs.gov/DeterminationProcess/downloads/id204.pdf
Mar 15, 2007 1:22:00 PM
----end---

Many of the questions readers have been asking me today can be answered by listening to a podcast related to this topic

The podcast is now posted at www.letstalksleep that features Lena Kauffman, editor for Sleep Review who recently conducted interviews with five members of the Sleep Community for the Sleep Review Home Testing Podcast Series. Kauffman’s guests included Dr. William C. Dement, Dr. Barbara Phillips, Dr. Michael J. Breus, Dr. Dominic A. Munafo, and Dr. David White. The Kauffman podcast will be available to listeners through Let’s Talk Sleep or iTunes by no-cost, direct download.

Be well,
Theresa

CMS Reviewing Issue Surrounding Home Sleep Testing; 30-Day Public Comment Period Now Open

2007-03-14T19:09:00.000-05:00

A formal request was accepted and a review initiated today by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding its national coverage determination (NCD) on the diagnosis of patients with obstruct obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) requiring CPAP therapy. Current national coverage policy specifies that only polysomnography done in a facility-based sleep study laboratory can be used to identify patients with OSA requiring CPAP (see section 240.4 of CAG-00093R2).

A 30-day public comment period for reconsideration of this issue was opened today by CMS and runs now through April 13th. The proposed decision memo due date is September 14, 2007.

To read more about CMS review and instructions for submitting pubic commentary, click here.

Updated Sleep Symposia Calendar- Send your meeting notices

2007-03-14T13:31:00.000-05:00

To have your meeting listed, send information to sleepsymposia@yahoo.com

Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Sleep Medicine Course, Mar. 26-30, 2007
AAST Spring Review 2007, Louisville, KY, USA, Apr. 16-17
British Sleep Society 2007 Meeting, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK, Apr. 16-18
FOCUS 2007, Nashville, TN, USA, April 19-20
SESW RAPT 2007, Virginia Beach, VA, USA, May 3-7
ATS 2007, San Francisco, CA, USA, May 20-22
KSS 2007, Bowling Green, KY, USA, May 31-June 1
Movement Disorders Society 2007 Congress, Istanbul, Turkey, June 3-7
Sleep 2007 (APSS), Minneapolis, MN, USA, Jun 9-14
Current Concepts in Sleep 2007, Tampa, FL, USA, Aug. 31-Sept. 1
worldsleep07, Carins, QLD, Australia, Sept. 2-6
Montana Regional Sleep Seminar 2007 at St. Vincent Healthcare, Billings, MT, USA, Sept. 6-8
2007 BSS 19th Annual Scientific Meeting, Cambridge, UK, Sep. 23-25
XII Congreso Panamerricano de Neurologia 2007, Santo Domingo, Domincan Republic, Oct. 7-11
Narcolepsy Association UK (UKAN) 2007 Annual Conference, Altrincham, Cheshire, UK, Oct. 13
ESRS 2008, Glasgow, Scotland, Sep. 9-13

FDA Requests Label Change for All Sleep Disorder Drug Products

2007-03-14T13:20:00.000-05:00

FDA News- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 14, 2007

FDA Requests Label Change for All Sleep Disorder Drug Products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has requested that all manufacturers of sedative-hypnotic drug products, a class of drugs used to induce and/or maintain sleep, strengthen their product labeling to include stronger language concerning potential risks. These risks include severe allergic reactions and complex sleep-related behaviors, which may include sleep-driving. Sleep driving is defined as driving while not fully awake after ingestion of a sedative-hypnotic product, with no memory of the event.

"There are a number of prescription sleep aids available that are well-tolerated and effective for many people," said Steven Galson, M.D., MPH, director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "However, after reviewing the available post-marketing adverse event information for these products, FDA concluded that labeling changes are necessary to inform health care providers and consumers about risks."

In December 2006, FDA sent letters to manufacturers of products approved for the treatment of sleep disorders requesting that the whole class of drugs revise product labeling to include warnings about the following potential adverse events:

Anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction) and angioedema (severe facial swelling), which can occur as early as the first time the product is taken.

Complex sleep-related behaviors which may include sleep-driving, making phone calls, and preparing and eating food (while asleep).

FDA has been working with the product manufacturers over the past three months to update labeling, notify health care providers and inform consumers of these risks.
Along with the labeling revisions, FDA has requested that each product manufacturer send letters to health care providers to notify them about the new warnings. Manufacturers will begin sending these letters to providers starting this week.

In addition, FDA has requested that manufacturers of sedative-hypnotic products develop Patient Medication Guides for the products to inform consumers about risks and advise them of potential precautions that can be taken. Patient Medication Guides are handouts given to patients, families and caregivers when a medicine is dispensed. The guides will contain FDA-approved information such as proper use and the recommendation to avoid ingesting alcohol and/or other central nervous system depressants. When these Medication Guides are available, patients being treated with sleep medications should read the information before taking the product and talk to their doctors if they have questions or concerns. Patients should not discontinue the use of these medications without first consulting their health care provider.
Although all sedative-hypnotic products have these risks, there may be differences among products in how often they occur. For this reason, FDA has recommended that the drug manufacturers conduct clinical studies to investigate the frequency with which sleep-driving and other complex behaviors occur in association with individual drug products.

The medications that are the focus of the revised labeling include the following 13 products:
Ambien/Ambien CR (Sanofi Aventis) Butisol Sodium (Medpointe Pharm HLC) Carbrital (Parke-Davis) Dalmane (Valeant Pharm)Doral (Questcor Pharms) Halcion (Pharmacia & Upjohn)Lunesta (Sepracor) Placidyl (Abbott) Prosom (Abbott) Restoril (Tyco Healthcare) Rozerem (Takeda) Seconal (Lilly) Sonata (King Pharmaceuticals)

For more information on the sedative hypnotic products and sleep disorders, visit

http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/sedative_hypnotics/default.htm; www.fda.gov/womens/getthefacts/sleep.html and www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/inso/inso_whatis.html.
####

March 15th Let’s Talk Sleep Podcast Guest: Lena Kauffman, Sleep Review Editor

2007-03-14T02:11:00.000-05:00

My guest on a new podcast that will air March 15th on Let’s Talk Sleep will be Lena Kauffman, editor for Sleep Review who recently conducted interviews with five members of the Sleep Community for the Sleep Review Home Testing Podcast Series. Kauffman’s guests included Dr. William C. Dement, Dr. Barbara Phillips, Dr. Michael J. Breus, Dr. Dominic A. Munafo, and Dr. David White. The Kauffman podcast will be available to listeners through Let’s Talk Sleep or iTunes by no-cost, direct download.

Kauffman has been the editor of Sleep Review, The Journal for Sleep Specialists since 2005. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, and, as a medical science reporter and editor, has covered such diverse fields as home health care and diagnostic imaging.

Due to the issue being laden with controversy, no matter what is said about home sleep monitoring -- either for or against the issue – it appears that someone is distressed. The mainstream media had an overwhelming response to the recent study in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine that found home testing for sleep apnea to be as effective as in-laboratory polysomnography in terms of patient outcomes. The study title is Diagnosis and Initial Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea without Polysomnography: A Randomized Validation Study. There have been a number of posts about the topic on the sleep forums at binarysleep.com.

Having dialogue is a positive in that it is the responsibility of the Sleep Community to talk about these issues and concerns now and come up with solutions, guidelines and standards. Once the door is opened to home monitoring, those administering testing at home may not come from sleep backgrounds, thus potentially placing quality patient care at risk.

One of the most visible mainstream media reports on home testing came from FOX News Channel's resident medical expert Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld on Sunday Housecall who recently gave his opinion that there was no longer the need to go to sleep centers for testing he termed “a whole big deal” that may not always be necessary, and that people should look to home testing for a simpler approach. After the Annals of Internal Medicine study was released, there were numerous articles that appeared in the mainstream media, but were not comprehensive enough.

“The important thing about the mainstream media giving short headlines and sound bites on research studies is that patients and physicians read only this one little thing, and not be aware of the more complex issues,” Kauffman said. “By creating forums where experts can debate these issues, even if they are more devisive for a field, helps bring out more information in response to the studies.”

In the Sleep Review Podcast Series on Home Testing, guest opinions ranged from support for home testing to home testing being "a tempest in a teapot" and unnecessary. Kauffman gives a media expert opinion and overview of the messages relayed through the Sleep Review podcasts and covers educating insurers about home testing, existing reimbursement issues, the Veteran Administration’s current utilization of home sleep testing exclusively for its patients, and the fact that some private insurers are paying for home testing through contractual agreements with home testing companies.

I feel certain that many of you will be following the issue on home testing closely. I feel that as media members, Kauffman and Sleep Review represent an integral arm of the Sleep Community and that they chose to bring forth this very important issue using responsible journalism by informing readers and raising awareness. Kauffman invites listeners and readers to contact her with their ideas about home testing at lkauffman@ascendmedia.com

Be well, Sleep well,
Theresa

A facial, a pedicure, and a sleep study? Should we look closer at this headline: “Sleep Disorders Fuel Hot New Spa Trend in 2007” ? ?

2007-03-13T09:21:00.000-05:00

I just saw this issue resurface on the newswire in the form of a new market report, and as it captures my attention again, I continue to wonder if this trend will be thought of by sleep medicine and technology professionals as a "watering-down of the science of sleep.” Recommending patients learn relaxation techniques is one thing, but if I was prescribing treatment for sleep disorders, I know I would want to know what a spa or resort program consists of before sending a patient there.

Due to the March 12 Millennium Research Group analysis report and press release that spurred the newswire headline, “Sleep Spas Will Help Expand the US Respiratory and Sleep Management Market to over $2.4 Billion by 2011, According to Millennium Research Group,” such news may also fuel the Sleep Community to examine this issue a bit closer.

Looking at the concept from a 10,000-foot view, it concerns me to think that someone with a parasomnia, or some other sleep disorders besides insomnia, would seek help from a spa rather than from a qualified sleep specialist. Certainly a lot of factors impact such issues.

What do you think? Do you believe that we as a community should examine this issue closer. With stakes as high as $2.4 Billion, and the mainstream media likely being all over this headline today, I believe spas will certainly have the time to pay attention...

Sleep well, Be Well,
Theresa

Two New Podcasts Available: Ron Sherman, Sharon Kline from The Reading Hospital & Medical Center; Terrence Malloy, Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine

2007-03-08T02:06:00.000-05:00

My guests on the Let’s Talk Sleep with Theresa Shumard Program this week are Sharon Kline, RRT, RPSGT and Ron Sherman, RRT (pictured above) from The Reading Hospital & Medical Center Sleep Center (TRHMC) located in Berks County in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Mr. Sherman is the Director of Respiratory Care and Ms. Kline is the Neurodiagnostic Coordinator for the sleep center. The sleep center, which has recently undergone a major expansion, is involved in a wonderful community educational outreach event that helps mark the National Sleep Foundation National Sleep Awareness season. The Sleep Awareness Day, in its 7th year in Berks County, and sponsored by TRHMC, will be held March 15, 2007 at The Inn at Reading.

The institution from which these guests hail has more than special meaning to me. You see, this is the very sleep lab where I began working in the field of sleep (dare I say) more than two decades ago. It was nice to visit with old friends and catch up with all that TRHMC has to offer the community I call home – especially its commitment to good sleep!

My other distinguished guest this week is Terrence Malloy, RPSGT, from the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine & Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, gave a very interesting interview regarding the misrepresentation of sleep disorders and treatments as portrayed by the entertainment industry. We’ve all seen movies or television programs that really miss the mark where sleep is concerned. Maybe sleep professionals should offer their expertise to a few facilities in Hollywood!

You can hear both podcasts (at no charge) on iTunes or on Sleepmate Radio’s Let's Talk Sleep Web site.

Until next time, keep those moonfires burning :-)

Be well, Sleep well,

Theresa

Scientific Workshop and Annual Night of a Thousand Dreams Gala, Poll Results Kick Off National Sleep Foundation’s Biggest Week

2007-03-05T23:54:00.000-05:00

National Sleep Awareness Week 2007

Scientific Workshop on Women & Sleep

The National Sleep Foundation and the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine are working together to bring you a cutting-edge program on the unique issues concerning women and sleep. (Read more here)

Night of a Thousand Dreams Gala - Red Carpet Event of the Sleep Field

NSF's 7th Annual Night of a Thousand Dreams Gala to be held Tuesday, March 6, 2007 at the JW Marriott in Washington, DC. Attendees will have a chance to meet some of the world's renowned experts in the sleep field on a special night when NSF bestows a Lifetime Achievement Award to Sonia Ancoli-Israel, PhD (Read more here)

Watch this blog for Sleep in America Poll Results!

Be well, Sleep well,

Theresa

The Home Sleep Testing Controversy: Sleep Review Provides Vehicle to Raise Awareness Among Us

2007-02-26T22:42:00.000-05:00

Controversy is certainly no stranger to all of society, and most assuredly not to medicine or medical technology. Like our colleagues from other fields of medicine and technology, the Sleep Community has seen its share of growing pains accompanied by controversy over the years as the field matured and as technology advanced. There seem to be many similarities between the controversies surrounding home sleep testing versus sleep laboratory testing and issues of yesteryear such as hospital versus freestanding laboratories, or full-night versus split-night studies. I remember paste versus glue for electrode placement during patient setups even being quite the controversy in some circles of our community at one time. After all, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Whether we are for or against home sleep testing, raising our levels of consciousness regarding the pros and cons is a wise move for any sleep professional. Inspired by a study published February 2007 in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine titled Diagnosis and Initial Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea without Polysomnography: A Randomized Validation Study, Sleep Review brings forward diverse points of view related to the home testing controversy with its new podcast series made up of interviews with medical professionals and leaders on both sides of the issue.

I encourage you to tune into the Sleep Review "Home Testing Podcast Series" currently being conducted to educate yourself on both sides of the controversy while raising your own level of consciousness. While I was at a sleep conference late last year, after a pro/con debates were presented on home testing, the mediator asked attendees' opinions via a show of hands -- for or against home monitoring. I now wonder what people that frequent my blog think. Feel free to weigh in on the topic in the comment area below, or if you have difficulty with this feature, you may post at tshumard@comcast.net and your comments will be published on the blog.

Here are some points to ponder:

1. Do you feel that home testing is a bad or good move? Why?

2. Do you feel that reimbursements for home testing would limit the number of sleep studies done in your own lab or eliminate sleep technologist jobs or decrease the need for sleep specialist physicians?

3. Do you feel further validation is needed before reimbursements for home studies should be considered?

4. In your opinion, can studies done in the home have the same quality as laboratory studies?

Be well, Sleep well,

Theresa

New Podcast Available: Dr. Michael Breus

2007-02-26T22:24:00.000-05:00

Michael J. Breus, PhD, DABSM, is founder and senior partner of The Sleep Center Management Institute (SCMI), the sleep medicine expert for WebMD, and a member of the Sleep Review editorial advisory board. Dr. Breus is board-certified in both clinical psychology and clinical sleep disorders. He is senior vice president of clinical operations for the Areté Sleep Health sleep laboratories and founded the patient education Web site. His new book is "Good Night: The Sleep Doctor's 4-Week Program to Better Sleep and Better Health."

You can hear the podcast featuring Dr. Breus at www.letstalksleep.com or on iTunes.

I hope you also tune in March 5th when Terry Malloy, RPSGT from the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine & Technology talks to us about mishaps in portraying sleep disorders in film and television arts.

Be well, Sleep well,
Theresa

Patrick Sorenson, Colleen Bazzani Podcasts Available

2007-02-21T09:43:00.000-05:00

On Let's Talk Sleep, two new podcasts are available. Patrick Sorenson talks about pediatric sleep studies, and Colleen Bazzani talks about her 200-plus member A.W.A.K.E. CPAP patient support group in Minnesota. You can hear the podcasts on iTunes or Sleepmate Radio.

Be well, Sleep well,
Theresa

"We are first-time parents and are concerned about the amount of sleep our newborn child should get."

2007-02-21T09:08:00.000-05:00

We have a new grandchild and his parents sought the advice of Jodi Mindell, PhD. on the National Sleep Foudation Web site. Dr. Mindell gives some very good information you can pass along to parents.

Dr. Mindell writes, "When babies first come home from the hospital, they usually sleep 14-18 hours a day. That sounds like a lot of time but it isn't, because the sleep of newborns isn't consolidated.."

You can read a read a review by Lynne Lamberg on Dr. Mindell's book, "Sleeping Through the Night" on the Sleephomepages site where Ms. Lamberg reviews numerous sleep-related books in her regular column Books for Sleepless Nights. The book has been revised since the review was written, but is timeless- a great addition to any sleep center library.

Pictured is my pride and joy, new grandson Owen Robert Lewis, born 2-17-07. I'm only slightly proud!

Be well, Sleep well,

Theresa

What do You Think of The New Look?

2007-02-16T18:49:00.000-05:00

My friends at DeVilbiss have helped me create a new look for the blog. Let me know what you think of it by clicking on the 'comments' link below.

How healthy is America?

2007-02-14T10:30:00.000-05:00

The 29th report from the Health, United States series, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is now available on the Bookshelf.

Also of interest on the bookself, click this link labeled Neuroscience and insert the word sleep into the search function to go directly to sleep-related chapters.

Neuroscience
Purves, Dale; Augustine, George J.; Fitzpatrick, David; Katz, Lawrence C.; LaMantia, Anthony-Samuel; McNamara, James O.; Williams, S. Mark.
Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates, Inc. ; c2001

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(Full Text Available)

Driving ability in sleep apnoea patients before and after CPAP treatment: evaluation on a road safety platform.

Mazza S, Pepin JL, Naegele B, Rauch E, Deschaux C, Ficheux P, Levy P.HP2 laboratory (hypoxia, pathophysiology) INSERM ERI 0017, Joseph Fourier University, Grenoble, France.

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PubMed is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine that includes over 16 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles back to the 1950s. PubMed includes links to full text articles and other related resources.

Be well, Sleep well,

Theresa

New Study Holds Promise for Decreasing Barriers to Sleep Medicine Instruction, Underdiagnosis of Sleep Disorders

2007-02-13T20:02:00.000-05:00

Integrated selective: An innovative teaching strategy for sleep medicine instruction for medical students.

Sleep Med. 2007 Mar; 8(2): 144-8. Bandla H, Franco R, Statza T, Feroah T, Rice TB, Poindexter K, Simpson D

OBJECTIVES: Sleep disorders are common among all age groups, but repeated studies have demonstrated that physicians underdiagnose sleep disorders. Lack of curriculum time and the limited number of faculty with expertise in sleep medicine have been cited as major barriers for sleep medicine instruction. This paper describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of an integrated selective in sleep medicine for fourth-year medical students. METHODS: A one-month required fourth-year integrated selective in sleep medicine was implemented at Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). A curriculum was developed, incorporating core competencies of sleep medicine and using a combination of instructional strategies. Three sources of data were used to evaluate the selective: an elective-specific questionnaire, learner ratings, and performance on a pre- and post-knowledge test. RESULTS: Twenty medical students (13 male; 7 female) have completed the selective to date. Lack of exposure to sleep medicine during the first three years of medical school was the most common reason for taking the elective. Student evaluation of the rotation averaged 1.5 on a five-point scale (1=best), above the average for fourth-year rotations. The mean examination scores increased significantly from pre- (56%) to post- (86%) selective (p

(Source: HubMed)

New Radio Podcast Now Available, Guest ASAA's Dave Hargett

2007-02-12T18:46:00.000-05:00

(Note: Next week on Let's Talk Sleep Radio, our guest will be

Patrick Sorenson, MA, RPSGT, discussing pediatric sleep studies.)

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For this week's broadcast featuring Dave Hargett, go to www.letstalksleep.com or go to iTunes and subscribe to the "Let's Talk Sleep" podcasts.

Dave Hargett serves as the Chairman of the Board of the American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA), entering his 4th year as Chair. The ASAA is the national non-profit organization that supports those with sleep apnea who need information about the disorder, advocates for them, and works to raise awareness about sleep apnea in the general public, in the workplace, and in the medical profession. The ASAA also fosters the A.W.A.K.E. Network of sleep apnea support groups around the country. See http://www.sleepapnea.org/ for more information about the ASAA.

Mr. Hargett is a sleep apnea patient turned sleep activist and sleep advocate. Diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea at age 45, he found almost immediate relief and effective therapy with a CPAP set at 13 cm of pressure. Today he is retired from a 30-year career with a major national retailer and spends much of his time on several volunteer activities. He lives in a southwest suburb of Chicago.

When he was first diagnosed and attended his first A.W.A.K.E. group meeting, Mr. Hargett said he had no idea that he would become so involved with sleep apnea. He leads two A.W.A.K.E. groups in the Chicago suburbs that meet monthly, speaks directly with patients on the phone and answers emails for the ASAA.

He also speaks about sleep apnea to church groups, service organizations, corporate employees, other A.W.A.K.E. groups, and wherever else he can find someone to listen! At the 1996 "Great American Sleep Walk" in Washington, DC, he represented all sleep apnea patients when he spoke at the rally on Capitol Hill.

Let's Talk Sleep "Abstract Listing Pick of the Week"-- Presiposing factors of restless legs syndrome in pregnancy

2007-02-09T01:10:00.000-05:00

I found this paper especially interesting because it correlates to the conversation I had witn Dr. Meir Kryger on the Let's Talk Sleep Radio program that aired earlier this week. Dr. Kryger discussed various aspects of sleep in women, and spoke about RLS during pregnancy. You can hear the podcast at no charge on iTunes or at www.letstalksleep.com , and you do not need an iPod to listen. (One listener from Israel I was talking with the other day said he downloads the MP3 files onto CD and listens in his car to and from work).

Predisposing factors of restless legs syndrome in pregnancy.
Mov Disord. 2007 Feb 6; Tunç T, Karadağ YS, Doğulu F, Inan LE

The occurrence of restless legs syndrome in pregnancy is well known. However, the mechanism of this association is unclear. In this study, we aimed to identify the factors that predispose women to have restless legs syndrome during pregnancy. A total of 146 pregnant women were included in the study. Patients were asked questions regarding demographic characteristics, complications of pregnancy, medical therapy (vitamin and iron intake), sleep disorders, muscle cramps, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Electroneurography, routine blood biochemistry tests, complete blood count, and thyroid function tests were performed and vitamin B12, folic acid, serum iron, iron-binding capacity, ferritin, iron saturation, prolactin, estradiol, and progesterone were measured. Of the participants, 38 were diagnosed as having restless legs syndrome. In women with restless legs syndrome, additional medical problems, night cramps, and excessive daytime sleepiness were more frequent. In women without restless legs syndrome, serum hemoglobin levels were significantly higher and the use of supplemental iron or vitamins was greater. Among the women with restless legs syndrome, progesterone levels were slightly higher but this difference was not statistically significant. In summary, in this study, lower hemoglobin levels and supplementation deficits of iron and vitamins were found be the risk factors for restless legs syndrome in pregnancy.

For the full text, contact the journal publisher directly.

Have a great weekend!

Theresa

Public Meetings of the NIH Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board

2007-02-09T00:33:00.000-05:00

This resource provides the opportunity to view video coverage of recent and archived National Institutes of Health (NIH) Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board Meetings. You can check back at the link provided to view coverage of recent and archived meetings. The public meetings are held several times per year, and the last one listed in the archive section of the NIH Web site at this writing is from December 2006.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006
National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, NHLBI
Total Running Time: 05:46:49

Board Member Listing
Department of Health and Human Services
NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board

For further information, contact the NIH directly:

Center for Information Technology National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland 20892
local (301) 496-4357
toll free (866) 319-4357
TDD (301) 496 8294

Is Yours the "Best Sleep Facility?"

2007-02-08T00:09:00.000-05:00

I was talking to Mike Bederka , senior associate editor from ADVANCE Newsmagazines' Advance for Sleep.com yesterday, and he was telling me that the deadline is March 6, 2007 for the Advance Fifth Annual Best Sleep Facility of the Year Competition. Candidates may fill out a form on the publication's Web site where prize information may also be found. Entry requirements include participants explaining how their sleep facility excels by answering 10 questions.

Nominees will be judged solely on how well they meet these criteria — not on the writing ability of the person who submits the entry. Winners in the past have written at least a few paragraphs for each question and provided multiple examples to illustrate their points.

Good luck to all contestants!

Be well, Sleep well,
Theresa

Upcoming Sleep Symposia

2007-02-07T01:38:00.000-05:00

For additional conference information, see left side of this blog, "Sleep Symposia Calendar," and click on the hyperlinks.

Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment of Sleep Apnea & Snoring 2007, Orlando, FL, USA, Feb. 16-18
KSS 2007, Bowling Green, KY, USA, May 31-June 1
SSS 2007, Charleston, SC, USA, Mar. 1-4
SESW RAPT 2007, Virginia Beach, VA, USA, May 3-7
ATS 2007, San Francisco, CA, USA, May 20-22
ESRS 2008, Glasgow, Scotland, 2008
FOCUS 2007, Nashville, TN, USA, April 19-20
PNSA Biennial Meeting 2007, Stevenson, WA, USA, Mar. 9-11
Sleep 2007 (APSS), Minneapolis, MN, USA, Jun 9-14
worldsleep07, Carins, QLD, Australia, Sept. 2-6
Current Concepts in Sleep 2007, Tampa, FL, USA, Aug. 31-Sept. 1

If you have a meeting to list, send meeting name, location, dates, Web site and all contact information to: sleepsymposia@yahoo.com

World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) Report

2007-02-06T20:06:00.000-05:00

Neurologist Steve Poceta, MD reports on his blog from the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) Second International Congress on Sleep Medicine in Bangkok, Thailand, where Sleep Community physicians and researchers have gathered to compare stategies for evaluating and treating sleep disorders.

This is an excerpt from the report where Dr. Poceta said of a restless legs syndrome (RLS) paper presented there,

"Because of slow internet, I'll keep this posting short...An interesting paper from Europe comparted cabergoline, a long acting dopamine agonist, to L-DOPA in the treatment of restless legs syndrome. Both were equal in reducing the symptoms RLS, but the patients taking 2 to 3 mg of cabergoline had better long term results. They were less likely to drop out and less likely to develop augmentation and rebound.

In the US, cabergoline is licensed only to treat pituatary disorders, but it is related to Requip and Mirapex in its chemical action. It could be an option for a small number of RLS sufferrers."

I'll personally be looking forward to the materials that come out of this conference because it has traditionally showcased some very promising findings for sleep patients.

Here are members of the WASM Board of Directors:

President: Markku Partinen, Helsinki, Finland

President-Elect: Sudhansu Chokroverty, Edison, New Jersey, US

Secretary: Richard Allen, Baltimore, Maryland, US

Treasurer: Claudia Trenkwalder, Kassel, Germany

Assistant Secretary: Patrick Levy, Grenoble, France

Assistant Treasurer: Karin Stiasny-Kolster, Marburg, Germany

Members at Large

At-Large Africa: Allison Bentley, South Africa

At-Large Asia: Nana Tachibana, Kyoto, Japan; and Naiphinich Kotchabhakdi, Salaya, Thailand

At-Large Australia/Oceania: John Swieca, Australia

At-Large Europe: Claudio Bassetti, Zurich, Switzerland; and Luigi Ferini-Strambi, Milan, Italy

At-Large South America: Sergio Tufik, Sao Paolo, Brasil

At-Large USA: Max Hirshkowitz, Houston, Texas; and Wayne Hening, New York City, New York

Be well, Sleep well,
Theresa

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

2007-02-05T18:10:00.000-05:00

Don't you just love hearing this song? The characters on this video are fun, so I thought I'd post it in case you have a pediatric patient in your sleep lab tonight. Look over on the left side of this blog page -- I have some sleep-related activities listed for children, or for the kid in all of us :-)

Meir Kryger, MD "Women and Sleep" & Richard Gelula "GASC" Shows Now Available

2007-02-04T11:01:00.000-05:00

To hear our latest radio shows (Oh my gosh, Dr. Kryger was so interesting and talked about women and sleep issues, and Richard Gelula has me all jazzed up about taking the sleep challenge!) on Let's Talk Sleep, go to www.letstalksleep.com

Or, hear the podcast on iTunes http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

...YOU DO NOT NEED AN iPOD to use iTunes - You can listen to iTunes on your computer, and one sleep tech says that last week she listened to the show while she was scoring records.

After free iTunes 7 download, go to the podcast section of the iTunes Store and search "Let's Talk Sleep"

Have a great week!
Theresa

Carpe diem, take THE CHALLENGE, and sieze... the night

2007-02-04T10:36:00.000-05:00

Friends,

If you've been following all the news about the NSF's Great American Sleep Challenge (GASC), you know it's time to take that challenge to get better sleep. Go to www.sleepfoundation.org/challenge

Be well, Sleep Well, ....and go seize the night with the GASC!
Theresa

Viva La France! Nap on the Job

2007-02-01T00:17:00.000-05:00

Kudos to French Health Minister Xavier Bertra for proposing a $9 million spend on studies about napping and a public awareness campaign aimed at easing sleep woes in France. About one in three French people suffer from sleep problems.

"Why not a nap at work? It can't be a taboo subject," Bertra said. He called for further studies and said he would promote on-the-job naps if they prove useful.

I think that Americans can only hope for government officials to wake up and smell the coffee regarding the safety benefits of workplace napping in our chaotic 24-hour society!

Be well, Sleep well,
Theresa

Kleine-Levin Syndrome Broadcast Features Emmanuel Mignot, M.D., Ph.D.

2007-01-31T22:19:00.000-05:00

Emmanuel Mignot, M.D., Ph.D., noted Sleep Disorders Community physician and Stanford University scientist, appeared in a news feature today about Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS), as reported by Health Reporter Lisa Malak of CBS sister station WFRV in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), KLS is a rare disorder that causes recurring periods of excessive drowsiness and hypersomnolence where sufferers can sleep up to 20 hours per day. Symptoms, which may last for days to weeks, include excessive food intake, irritability, disorientation, lack of energy, and hypersensitivity to noise. Some patients may also experience hallucinations and an abnormally uninhibited sex drive. Affected persons are normal between episodes, although depression and amnesia may be noted temporarily after an attack. It may be weeks or more before symptoms reappear. Onset is typically around adolescence to the late teens. The disorder is 4 times more common in males than in females. Although the typical onset of KLS occurs early in life and usually disappears with advancing age, episodes may recur later during life. Symptoms may be related to malfunction of the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that governs appetite and sleep. Synonyms for KLS include Familial Hibernation Syndrome and Periodic Somnolence and Morbid Hunger.

Dr. Mignot is a Stanford University Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Director of the Center for Narcolepsy, is internationally recognized as having discovered the cause of narcolepsy. He is also known for his discovery of a polymorphism of the "clock" gene that appears to alter individuals' internal biorhythms and for the finding of a gene variant that predisposes to sleep apnea.

You can read more about KLS here (click) and watch the video that includes Dr. Mignot here (click)

Dr. Carlos Schenck- Inaugural Broadcast Available!

2007-01-29T11:33:00.000-05:00

The interview with Dr. Schenck went very well. He's so committed to our field and to parasomnia patients, and I'm so happy he could join us. You can hear the interview at www.letstalksleep.com

I'd love to hear from those of you that have seen parasomnia patients in your sleep centers.

Be well, Sleep Well,
Theresa

WASM - World Association of Sleep Medicine

2007-01-25T15:56:00.000-05:00

Advancing sleep medicine worldwide.

WASM 2nd International Congress
Bangkok Thailand 3 - 8 February 2007

Submission of abstracts is encouraged - these can be made online at http://www.wasm2007.info

FIRST WASM e-Newsletter now available !

To find out about sleep medicine in the rest of the world, click here.

Proud Napper or Napaphobic - - Which one are you?

2007-01-24T20:21:00.000-05:00

"First of all, we need to be vigilant about nappist vocabulary, often used non-too-subtly by napaphobics. Proud nappers must inhibit people from using such phrases as stealing a nap, sneaking a nap, going down for a nap, and caught napping. Nappers have naps. They don't take, steal, or sneak naps. Nappers don't go down for a nap, they prepare for a nap. Nappers are never caught napping, because there is no crime to catch. Nappers are merely seen napping."------By Prof. William Anthony, author of "The Art of Napping" and "The Art of Napping at Work."

Great American Sleep Challenge Gearing Up!

2007-01-24T14:28:00.000-05:00

Does having more energy, feeling refreshed and zipping through the day with a rejuvenated spirit sound intriguing or, maybe even impossible? It could be easier to achieve than you think.

One solution may be to get a better night’s sleep! An astonishing 70 million Americans experience sleep problems that impact relationships, health, productivity at work and even driving skills. In order to combat this growing epidemic, the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) will launch the NSF Great American Sleep Challenge TM, a nationwide, online interactive campaign designed to focus America’s attention on getting better sleep.

Beginning February 5 through March 31, 2007, Americans who want to achieve better sleep and improve their overall well-being are encouraged to log on to http://www.sleepfoundation.org/challenge/and sign up. It is easy to participate; all of the tools, which include a questionnaire to set desired sleep goals and a one week, online sleep journal, are presented in consumer-friendly language. Once they have completed their Sleep Challenge, participants will have the ability to assess their sleep needs and be one step closer to feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to go. And, by participating in the Sleep Challenge, all entrants qualify to win “dreamy” sleep-related prizes.

The School of Sleep Medicine Alumni

2007-01-22T22:43:00.000-05:00

Do you recognize yourself or anyone in this photo? What a great shot! This group is The School of Sleep Medicine (SSM) February 2003 Alumni. The school is nestled in right next to the Stanford University Campus in Palo Alto, California.

The first woman on the left in the front row here is Sharon Keenan, SSM Founder and Director, to her left, William C. Dement, and fifth and sixth from the left are Joyce Black and Andrea Patterson. I was delighted to find this and many other great photos of some of my favorite "sleep friends" on SSM's Alumni page. This one's going in my scrapbook!

Here's Some History

In 1979, Sharon Keenan joined William C. Dement's internationally recognized team at the Stanford University Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Center. The Stanford team was instrumental in the accumulation of basic science and clinical sleep research, which ignited a rapid rise in awareness of sleep disorders. National and international scholars frequented Stanford to learn from Dement and his colleagues, including such notable figures as Christian Guilleminault, Merrill Mitler, Vincent Zarcone, and Laughton Miles.

It became evident that courses had to be organized in order to manage the increasing demand for information regarding the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders. By 1982, Mary Carskadon, Dement, and Keenan had begun organizing courses for physicians and technologists. Their work culminated in the creation of The Stanford University Sleep Disorders Center Training and Education Program, with Keenan as Director.

Keenan was responsible for managing the training for technologists and fellows within the sleep center, as well as organizing a series of two-week courses each year. Keenan remained Director until the university closed the program in 1989. At that time, it was practically the lone source of systematic education in sleep medicine. Dement, Guilleminault, and the late German Nino-Murcia encouraged Keenan to keep the program alive.

In 1989, she established an independent program dedicated to education in sleep medicine and clinical polysomnography. Roy Smith, who had also worked with Dement's team, provided invaluable support in the transition out of the university and brought his teaching and technical expertise to what would become The School of Sleep Medicine (SSM). Administrative offices were set up in Keenan's garage in Palo Alto, and teaching continued in local hotels and on the Stanford campus through the Summer Conference Office. In 1992, the school first settled on Yale Street in Palo Alto and in 1995 moved to its present location on Sheridan Avenue.

In 1997, SSM incorporated and a year later became a member of the newly formed Stanford University Center of Excellence for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Sleep Disorders.
SSM has set a high standard for continuing medical education in sleep medicine and has contributed to the growth of the clinical specialty. The School of Sleep Medicine, Inc. has been accredited by the ACCME since 1994. As of 2003, 80 percent of all board certified sleep medicine specialists were SSM alumni.

Be well, Sleep well,

Theresa

Joint Commission Seeks Input On Potential National Patient Safety Goals

2007-01-22T21:12:00.000-05:00

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations today released for review a list of DRAFT Goals and Requirements that will be considered for potential inclusion in the 2008 National Patient Safety Goals. The National Patient Safety Goals, which are updated annually, are designed to require health care organizations to protect patients from the negative impact of specific health care errors.

The draft Goals include requiring organizations to:

improve recognition and response to changes in a patient’s condition
reduce the risk of post-operative complications for patients with obstructive sleep apnea
prevent patient harm associated with health care worker fatigue
prevent catheter misconnections

Potential Requirements for review also include requiring organizations to investigate and initiate planning for the use of technology to assist with patient identification, and to reduce the likelihood of patient harm associated with the use of anticoagulation therapy.

The full text of the potential Goals on the list are posted on the Joint Commission website and has been distributed for comment to health care professionals, providers, consumers and other stakeholders. The deadline for feedback is Friday, January 26, 2007.

The list of potential Goals and Recommendations has been developed by a panel of well-known patient safety experts, including nurses, physicians, risk managers, pharmacists, and other professionals who have hands-on experience in addressing patient safety issues in a variety of health care settings. Each year, this Sentinel Event Advisory Group reviews the current Goals
The field review offers the opportunity for others to share their judgment about the relevance, priority, clarity, ability to measure compliance, time needed to implement and cost of implementation of each potential Goal and Requirement under consideration.

For more information about the field review, please contact Jennifer Hoppe, senior research associate, Division of Standards and Survey Methods, Joint Commission, at 630.792.5936 or jhoppe@jcaho.org.

Textbooks "Taste Better" When Purchases Advance Peer Educational Web Portals

2007-01-21T12:24:00.000-05:00

My crowded bookshelves always have room for more sleep textbooks. Back before the Internet offered the array of sites that provide textbooks today, those with an interest in sleep education were burdened with phoning publishing houses directly to acquire these resources. With few toll-free numbers available at that time, a hold time of 20 minutes was not uncommon, and frankly worried the call holder’s pocket, not to mention the lost time sitting on hold while they could be using to get some sleep before their nightshift started.

Although somewhat pricey on a sleep tech’s wage, we eagerly devour the contents (many times sans concern about the financial sacrifice), to enhance our own knowledge bases to be better healthcare providers. Certainly, it is the responsibility of each individual drawing a wage from a field to seek and to acquire continuing education and training. This is especially the case for healthcare providers that seek educational enhancements and tools, while at the same time complying with state profession regulatory rulings on training requirements. I've never seen a thing wrong with someone taking the responsibility for investing in their own future.

When a new student of a profession enters their field, the huge selection of “must reads” and "would really LOVE to reads" can be daunting, thus, in-field clearinghouse tools can greatly assist. I have purchased many of my own textbooks through rather well-known book distributors, and have been quite satisfied with the transactions, as a rule. However, I was always pleased to find programs where not-for-profit educational sites received donations as part of the proceeds from the larger distributors’ sales if book orders were placed through the smaller groups’ Web sites.

This concept is a win-win for situation for those of us that are consumers of both gently used or new textbooks, plus online (trusted) educational resources that come from the heart of our own sleep medicine and technology peer groups. I found such a program at Binarysleep. Andrew Korbel, a board-credentialed sleep technologist from Texas, launched this World Wide Web portal that is fueled by the core principals of community, education, and expression. The site is a recipient in a donation program through book-distributing giant, Amazon, and donations allow the site to continue its educational work. An ongoing attribute of Binarysleep.com is education and credentialing preparation for those involved in sleep technology. Quizzes, and a "live chat" are available to registered users, and you’ll often see seasoned peers helping many of their new-to-the-field counterparts experiencing technological pitfalls through pointing the “newbies” to professional industry standards or troubleshooting techniques. Andrew deserves the gratitude of many new sleep techs for providing a path illuminated by seasoned professionals sharing their trusted resources and knowledge.

I’m happy now to have found this donation program that benefits my new-to-the-field colleagues through Binary and Amazon, because this is how this consumer will make textbook purchases from now on. Hats off to Andrew and colleagues for giving something back to the sleep community.

Be well, Sleep Well,
T

iVilllage & Healthology Provide Valuable Sleep Education Resouces

2007-01-20T16:59:00.000-05:00

Healthology is one of the leading producers and distributors of physician-generated health and medical information on the Internet for consumers, patients and health professionals. With one of the largest and most distinguished libraries of original video and text-based health content on the Web, Healthology provides seamless solutions for online, health information needs.

iVillage & Healthology's Consumer Health Library contains numerous sleep educational Webcasts, sets of interactive lecture series, and text articles --all at no cost -- that feature interviews with some noted and board certified sleep medicine specialists. When visiting the homepage, readers should search "sleep" to view some topics by specialists including:

Arthur J. Spielman, PhD, Professor of Psychology, City College of New York; James C. O'Brien, MD, FCCP , ABSM, President, Talk About Sleep; Michael Thorpy, MD, D,ABSM, Director, Sleep Wake Disorders Center; Montefiore Medical CenterAssociate Professor of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Saul A. Rothenberg, Ph.D., D,ABSM, Licensed Psychologist, Connecticut and New York; Rafael Pelayo, MD, D,ABSM, Assistant Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine; Gary Zammit, PhD, D,ABSM, Sleep Disorders Institute; Brooke Judd, MD, ABSM, Dartmouth Medical School; and Daniel J. Buysse, MD, D,ABSM, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Be well, Sleep Well,
T

Sadness Over Passing of California Dreamin' Vocalist

2007-01-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

Learning of the passing of so many artists that painted the canvas of Baby Boomer popular culture during my youth makes me gloomy to see them leave this world. With the death of Mamas and the Papas band member Denny Doherty yesterday, his music will still live on, but somehow it only puts another painful hit on those of us that remain behind. Doherty died at the age of 66 from kidney ailment complications. For you Gen X and Gen Y readers, The Mamas and the Papas, broke the mold for traditional unisex musical groups by presenting a blend of '60s upbeat pop and folk music while trailblazing the path for future bands made up of both women and men to be within acceptable limits. Their number one hit "California Dreamin" is one of my personal favorites. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Denny, we’ll miss your angelic voice, but we can smile and hold our lighters up knowing you’re probably vocalizing some great harmonies with the late Papa John Phillips and Mama Cass Elliot now as you sleep the final sleep.

Sleep well, Denny.

T

NASA Sleep Educational Videos

2007-01-19T22:33:00.000-05:00

This is a very interesting site called the Open Video Project, and if you go to this link and input the word “sleep” into the search function, you can view an array of NASA video files on the subject. Many are suitable for showing when you do your outreach visits to local schools when raising awareness about sleep in your communities. All you would need is a laptop, a projector, and a wireless connection. Ask the school to provide this for your presentations if you do not have access to this equipment.

About the Open Video Project:
Anticipating a future with widespread access to large digital libraries of video, a great deal of research is currently focused on many areas related to digital video. Research in these areas requires that each investigator acquire and digitize video for their studies since the multimedia information retrieval community does not yet have a standard collection of video to be used for research purposes.

The purpose of the Open Video Project is to collect and make available a repository of digitized video content for the digital video, multimedia retrieval, digital library, and other research communities. Researchers can use the video to study a wide range of problems, such as tests of algorithms for automatic segmentation, summarization, and creation of surrogates that describe video content; the development of face recognition algorithms; or creating and evaluating interfaces that display result sets from multimedia queries. Because researchers attempting to solve similar problems will have access to the same video content, the repository is also intended to be used as a test collection that will enable systems to be compared, similar to the way the TREC conferences are used for text retrieval.

Be well, Sleep Well,

Theresa

Happy 10th Anniversary Brendan & Debbie!

2007-01-19T16:19:00.000-05:00

I just have to take a moment to congratulate my longtime friends, Brendan Duffy, RPSGT, and Debbie Carr, RPSGT, on their tenth anniversary together. No, they're not a couple, but certainly a couple of great sleep techs that have worked wonderfully together in Port Jefferson, NY for the past decade. Brendan (many of you endearingly call him “Labman2” on the Binarysleep Forum ) and Debbie are currently part of the great team at St. Charles Hospital Sleep Disorders Center, part of the Catholic Health System of Long Island.

Two better sleep techs you’ll never meet, and if I ever get a sleep study done, it is them I want monitoring my waves! I met Labman and Debbie years ago at a North East Sleep Society (NESS) meeting, and they’ve been dear to my heart ever since. Happy 10th, my friends!

Be well, Sleep Well,
Theresa

"Sleep" in The Song

2007-01-17T22:46:00.000-05:00

I know so many of you know and collect the songs that contain the word sleep (or dream, night, moon, or stars) in the titles or verses.

I found a great list at Wikipedia, and these are just the ones under "T"

Talking in Your Sleep" by Crystal Gayle
"Talking In Your Sleep " by The Romantics
"Thetawaves" by System of a Down
"Tired Of Sleeping" by Suzanne Vega
"To Go To Sleep" by British Sea Power
"Toxic Holiday" by Stars
"Together In Electric Dreams" by Human League
"Trouble Sleeping" by The Perishers
"Troubled Sleep" by Cormac McCarthy

Enjoy!
T

Carlos Schenck, M.D., Author of "Paradox Lost: Midnight in the Battleground of Sleep and Dreams"

2007-01-17T20:59:00.000-05:00

I spoke with Dr. Schenck today, and what a great doctor he is! I've always wanted to meet him. I can't help but think how fulfilling his life must be since he's lucky enough to see patients successfully treated for parasomnias, and living brand new lives (without the old fears). Bed partners must really be appreciative!!!

I discovered today that my daughter stole his book, "Paradox Lost: Midnight in the Battleground of Sleep and Dreams" from my office to read. Boy, is she lucky Mom already read it....and she had better return it as well!

It was so refreshing -- Dr. Schenck spoke a lot about sleep technologists to me. He credits the success of diagnosing parasomnia patients to diligent sleep technologists that assist in the cause nationwide and abroad. Keep up the great work, Guys & Gals!

He talked about the potential for parasomnia comorbidities, and how important it is to keep vigilent when we have sleep apnea patients in our labs for sleep studies. He's so right! I remember some cases where an obstructive sleep apnea patient had some very loud outbursts and thrashing, pulling leads off and shouting while I was performing their sleep studies.

I know you all will enjoy listening to Dr. Schenck on the show Jan. 29th. He's a very informative presenter.

You know, we're approaching that National Sleep Foundation (NSF) National Sleep Awareness Week (NSAW) time of year again (I call it Sleep Holy Week #1- APSS is Sleep Holy Week #2). It's almost like you can feel it in the air if you're in the Sleep Community. All of my sleep friends are like kindred spirits ready to celebrate! Pretty soon, we'll start seeing sleep stories on local TV stations, and read it in every newspaper we pick up. And lest we not forget National Sleep Technologist Appreciation Week is usually right after! Be sure and show your gratitude to the tech, the foot soldiers in the quest for good sleep.

Maybe you want to jot these down:

NSAW 2007 - Save the Dates!

* National Sleep Awareness Week: March 5-11
* NSF Women & Sleep Workshop: March 5-6, JW Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC
* 7th Annual Night of a Thousand Dreams Gala: March 6, JW Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC

Until next time,

Be well, Sleep Well,
T

The Sleep Cycle

2007-01-16T11:33:00.000-05:00

If you have ever wondered about why people have to sleep or what causes dreams, then read on. In this article, you'll find out all about sleep and what it does for you.

Go to "How Stuff Works" to see some good sleep staging information.

Be well, Sleep Well,

T

Did you ever wonder where the term "cat nap" originated?

2007-01-16T11:13:00.000-05:00

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat , cats conserve energy by sleeping more than most animals, especially as they grow older. Daily durations of sleep vary, usually 12–16 hours, with 13–14 being the average. Some cats can sleep as much as 20 hours in a 24-hour period. The term cat nap refers to the cat's ability to fall asleep (lightly) for a brief period and has entered the English lexicon – someone who nods off for a few minutes is said to be "taking a cat nap".

Burglar takes time for a nap

2007-01-04T20:58:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting article I ran across. Hey, when you're sleepy, take a nap, I guess :-)

Burglar takes time for a nap

Attempts by a burglar were thwarted when a homeowner recently found the intruder fast asleep on the floor of the owner’s home. The burglar allegedly broke into a San Jose, California home, helped himself to dinner and liquor and then took a nap on the floor.
He apparently made himself at home for about two hours in the residence. During that time he helped himself to a can of beans and had a drink from the bar, and then curled up and took a nap on the living room floor.
The homeowner had moved out the week before, but stopped by the house about 2:30 p.m. and noticed the front door was open. Concerned that something might be afoot, he fetched a neighbor for help.

OSA Today Article on Drowsy Driving Prevention

2006-12-22T10:19:00.000-05:00

I ran across this article from OSA Today that discusses an informative YouTube presentation about drowsy driving by Craig Schwimmer, MD, Medical Director at the Snoring Center in Dallas, TX. Kudos to OSA Today for raising awareness about the perils of drowsy driving and also bringing to light that those drivers with untreated sleep apnea are at higher risk.

Be Well, Sleep Well,

T

Greetings from T

2006-12-21T13:32:00.000-05:00

I can't tell you just how happy I am to be talking with you all here -- kindred spirits in their love for all things "SLEEP."

We'll discuss so many aspects of this fair maiden (sleep) and satisfy our need to know more about "her" as we roll along with this blog-- so appropriately named -- Let's Talk Sleep.

Thanks for talking about her with me!

Be Well, Sleep Well,

Theresa ("T")

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