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An Area In The Brain Can Control Wakefulness And Sleep

It Is Also Involved In Recovery From Sleep Loss

Researchers have found that a single brain area controls both sleep and wakefulness. Previously, it was thought that the cerebral cortex, the area in contact with the skull, produces sleep-inducing slow brain waves, and wakefulness is controlled by the lower, mammalian part of our brain. However, according to recent discoveries, the thalamus is responsible for the states of consciousness, and for sending sensory information to the brain. Stimulating this area induced wakefulness in test animals, while lowering the stimulus in a rhythmic way resulted in a deep, non-REM sleep. REM sleep phase includes dreams, while non-REM sleep is the two main sleep phases; the former is the stage during which we dream, while the latter is the deep, restorative sleep. Also, the research showed that suppressing the stimulus to the thalamus prevented the recovery from sleep loss. Additional details click here.

New Procedure Can Detect Oxygen Levels In Snoring Children

It Provides A Relatively Inexpensive Way To Detect Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Identification of sleep apnea in children usually requires a detailed analysis involving an oximeter to record oxygen levels, brain activity monitors, detectors of eye movement and muscle tension and cardiac signal monitors. However, a recent research has determined that the pulse oximeter provides the most relevant data for computer analysis, and the additional data had limited value. This provides a relatively inexpensive way to detect blood oxygen levels in children who snore, and determine if they have severe sleep apnea. Click here for more info.

Teens Sleeping Less Than Seven Hours Related To An Adverse Cardiometabolic Profile

It May Increase The Risk Of Heart Disease When Reaching An Older Age

Sleep-deprived kids increase the risk of cardiovascular conditions when reaching adult age. The cause of poor sleep can be screen time, in the form of television viewing, or small screens, such as smartphones and tablets. There is also a lack of awareness among parents in reference to the kid’s sleep time. According to specialists, teens sleeping less than seven hours a night tended to have more body fat, elevated blood pressure, and less healthy cholesterol levels, which affect the cardiovascular system. In some cases, kids as young as 13 years already have adverse cardiometabolic profiles. A study showed that kids and teens with a shorter sleep duration and more restless sleep had the least healthy profiles. If untreated, the profiles will worsen when reaching adult age, increasing the risk of heart disease. More details click here.

CPAP Machines Might Be Uncomfortable, But Patients Can Be Motivated To Use Them

They Are Shown A Video Of People Struggling To Breathe At Night

CPAP machines are the most usual treatment for sleep apnea. But many patients avoid using it because they do not feel comfortable, even when they know that they are at risk of heart disease and stroke. According to researchers, his changes when the patients say videos of other people or of themselves struggling to breathe, which causes a complete change in behavior in the patient. Click here for more details.

This Smart Pillow Will Prevent Snoring

It Monitors The Sounds And Forces The Person To Change Position When It Detects Snoring

There is a new device for controlling sleep apnea. It is a smart pillow that detects when the person is snoring and forces him to change a position. It looks like a large pillow but includes technological gadgets such as 8 miniature Bluetooth speakers, adjustable memory foam pieces, a microphone that monitors snoring, two vibration motors, and a gyroscope that tracks motion while the user is asleep. The pillow monitors the sounds, and if there is snoring, it activates the motors to force the user to change position. It also can stream music through its speakers and does not disturb the sleep partner. It can even be programmed to gently awake, and also log the sleep and snoring data, Click here for more details.

Sleeping With The Hands Above The Head Can Mean Breathing Difficulty During The Night

It Can Also Lead To Back Pain

Sleeping positions are a habit, but some sleeping positions are better than others. Sleeping on the back with a higher pillow can reduce the risk of sleep apnea, but can also increase back pain and also snoring, because the spine is not properly aligned, and the soft tissue at the back of the tongue gets relaxed, obstructing the airway. Sleeping on the side, in a fetal position, is very common, but it can also cause spine misalignment if not using the proper pillows. However, there is another sleeping position, which can open up the lungs if suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. It consists of sleeping with the hands above the head, also called starfish position. Even if people find it uncomfortable and don’t sleep in this position, they wake up in this position. This means that the body is trying to breath more freely, which could be a symptom that there are problems sleeping at night. Also, this position may lead to back pain, which can be avoided by putting a pillow under the knees. More details click here.

Sleep Apnea Occurs When Being Asleep And Can Be Difficult To Detect

Among The Symptoms Are Excessive Fatigue, Snoring, And Morning Headaches

Sleep apnea is not easy to detect, because it occurs while sleeping. There are symptoms that can help identify it. The most common is excess snoring, which will probably be a cause to complain from the partner, but is not detectable if the person lies alone. Snoring also comes with regular breathing pauses, which disrupts sleep. The interruption in breathing leads to poor brain oxygenation, which results in headaches and excess fatigue when waking up, and also poor concentration and memory loss. It is important to check the symptoms, because, if sleep apnea is untreated, it can lead to serious health conditions, such as heart failure, diabetes, and strokes. Check all the symptoms of sleep apnea. Click here for more details.

Preventing Snoring Before It Appears With These Tips

Avoid Excessive Weight, Sleeping Pills, And Sleep On A Side, Among Others

Many people say that it is better to prevent a health condition than to wait until it has developed into an illness. In the case of snoring, there are ways to prevent it, such as avoiding an excessive body weight, because the excess fat in the neck area narrows the air passage. Also, avoid substances and medications that relax the throat muscles and the back of the tongue, such as smoking, antihistamines, and sleeping pills. Sleeping on a side also helps, because the gravity does not pull down the relaxed tissue at the back of the tongue, blocking the airway. In addition, people with shirt collar sizes over 17 are more prone to snoring due to their thicker neck. More Information click here.

Pulmonary Hypertension May Lead To Central Sleep Apnea

In This Condition, The Brain Fails To Send The Signals To The Muscles To Breathe

The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), in which the soft tissue in the throat relaxed, obstructing the airway. The brain detects the increase of CO2 and emits a signal to wake up. This results in disordered breathing. There is another less common type of sleep apnea called central sleep apnea (CSA), in which the brain does transmit the signals to the muscles to breathe. This condition is not detected by snoring, because there is no airway obstruction. It usually occurs when there is an injury to the brainstem, and in older adults. According to a study, patients with pulmonary hypertension have a high rate of disordered breathing. Also, these two factors can lead to central sleep apnea. More info click here.

A Biological Clock In The Brain Keeps Track Of The Sleep

It Could Help Design Drugs That Alter It For Treating Sleep Disorders

According to researchers, there is a chemical clock in the brain that generates a desire to sleep. It consists of a set of proteins which track how long a test mouse has been awake. These accumulate during waking hours at relatively even intervals, keeping to keep track of how long it has been since a mouse last slept. Also, the level of protein accumulation was related to a deeper and longer sleep. Also, the protein clock was reset during sleep. This might lead to new drugs for sleep disorders, in which they improve the additions of these proteins to induce sleepiness and treat insomnia. It also might help understand why some people require less sleep and perform efficiently after five hours of rest, which could be because they accumulate fewer proteins. More Information click here.