Recently, a study done by Sleep Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, long periods of sleep at doesn’t make up for sleep loss that goes on for extended periods of time.  

Earlier in the morning or late at night circadian rhythms are at the lowest point. The study suggests that people with sleep loss had slower reaction times during that time. The reaction times were not affected from sleep loss during the later afternoon/early evening.

“Many people have a false sense of reassurance that they can quickly recover from a chronic sleep debt with just one or two days of good sleep,” the lead author of the study, Daniel Cohen, said in a news release. “. . .However, the lingering effect of chronic sleep loss causes performance to deteriorate dramatically when these individuals stay awake for an extended period of time, for example, when they try to pull an ‘all-nighter.’ “

You can find the whole study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Sleep loss can often be linked to other health issues.

If you do not feel rested when you wake up and just can’t seem to get enough sleep you could be suffering from sleep apnea. Dr. Ban Barbat can help you determine if you are getting the best nights rest possible. Contact our Metro Detroit Cosmetic Dentist office today for more information.

Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com

When your wife threatens to smother you to stop your heavy \snoring, it’s time to look into serious solutions!

All joking aside, when his physician recommended a sleep study for John’s heavy snoring, Sleep Apnea was diagnosed. This explained his daily fatigue, urges to nap, and feeling of not being alert. “I woke up everyday feeling tired,” he explained. Sleep Apnea is a serious problem that affects millions of Americans and is coming to light as one of the most under-diagnosed, life threatening medical disorders in our society. It is statistically more dangerous than drunk driving and has been associated with high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, weight gain, depression and stroke.

The Greek word “apnea” means without breath.

Those who suffer with Sleep Apnea endure a nightly pattern where they stop breathing for up to a minute, then wake up gasping for air.This can occur for a hundred or more times a night. To help John (not his real name) overcome his problem and receive steady oxygen levels throughout the night, a CPAP machine was recommended by his physician. A CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure)device is a mask that fits over the face and forces oxygen into the airway under pressure.

Although it serves its purpose, the CPAP almost seems medieval. Not only is it very encumbering, it limits movement during sleep and can make it
difficult to sleep. For these reasons, it is estimated that nearly 50% of CPAP users drop out of treatment. Regardless, John tried the CPAP and
struggled to become used to it. On top of that, he experienced leaks in the mask and needed to go back for several adjustments. Finally, he admitted, “I
knew this was never going to work. I wasn’t getting much more sleep than i was before because of the awkwardness of the CPAP. I’d often end up taking it off during the night for frustration.

Because one’s tongue, tonsils and soft palate are directly related to night-time breathing, involvement of specially trained dentists has become beneficial to treating many Sleep Apnea sufferers. With the results of John’s sleep study and interaction with his physician, Dr. Barbat was able to develop alternative treatment, one that was comfortable, convenient and effective at the same time.
Dr. Ban Barbat began by creating a custom- made mouthpiece for him at her Michigan Cosmetic Dental Office and He sleeps SOUNDLY & COMFORTABLY now!

A recent study indicates that there is a statistically significant association between type two diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) during the REM sleep cycle. Dr. Kamran Mahmood and his colleagues from the University of Illinois in Chicago and colleagues evaluated a multi-ethnic sample of 1008 patients including Caucasians (16.9 percent), African Americans (66.9 percent) and Hispanics (14.9 percent) for OSA using polysomnography, an evaluation of brain waves and other body functions during sleep.

Dr. Mahmood states “Type 2 diabetes is a multi-factorial disorder. REM-related OSA and its metabolic effects need to be investigated in more depth, and this can provide another unique avenue for intervention and control of type 2 diabetes.” The prevalence of type two diabetes was 30.1 percent in patients with OSA compared to 18.6 percent in patients without OSA

“We believe that REM-related OSA is a marker of early OSA, especially in women and patients younger than 55 years,” Mahmood noted in a prepared statement. “Generally, OSA is worse in REM sleep compared to non-REM sleep because of neurologically mediated impairment of skeletal muscles of upper airway and ventilation. This may be the reason for closer association of REM-related OSA and type 2 diabetes.”

Does your signifigant other complain about your snoring? Do you wake up in the morning feeling drained and unrested? Dr. Ban Barbat may be able to help. OSA also know as sleep apnea is a serious problem that your dentist can help you with.

Source: Reuters

A new study shown at CHEST 2009, the 75th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), shows that golfers with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) that received nasal positive airway pressure (NPAP) for their disorder improved their daytime sleepiness scores and lowered their golf handicap by as many as 3 strokes. Researchers suggest that the possibility of improving your golf game may be a great motivation to improve NPAP compliance rates within the golfing community.

“OSAS can lead to daytime sleepiness, fatigue, and cognitive impairment, all side effects which can negatively impact a person’s ability to golf to the best of one’s ability.” said Marc L. Benton, MD, FCCP, Atlantic Sleep and Pulmonary Associates, Madison, NJ. “As any golfer knows, when your ability to think clearly or make good decisions is compromised, the likelihood of playing your best is greatly diminished,” said Dr. Benton. “Through treatment with NPAP, we can improve many cognitive metrics, such as attention span, memory, decision-making abilities, and frustration management, which may, in turn, positively affect a person’s golf game.”

Study resultes showed that the best golfers, defined as HI <12, had the most substantial improvements in their game. Within this group, the average HI dropped from 9.2 (+/- 2.9) to 6.3 (+/- 3.0); the SQ score from 10.8 (+/- 1.9), to 2.8 (+/- 2.6).

“The biggest handicap improvements occurred in the lower handicap, often older golfers. This group typically would be expected to trend in the opposite direction due to age-related deterioration in strength and endurance,” said Mr. Friedman. “The drop in handicap among the better golfers probably reflected that the major limiting factor was not golf skill but cognitive compromise that improved when the sleep apnea was treated.”

Dr. Ban R. Barbat, a dentist in the greater Detroit area, can help improve not only your golf swing but your quality of life.