The patient clearly has sleep apnea, but it’s not severe enough for the insurance company to cover therapy. Why? Unfortunately, there are varying opinions about how sleep apnea is diagnosed and when CPAP is the appropriate therapy. Primarily, the difference is between how Medicare (CMS) and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) define a diagnosis … Read More »
I wanted to start this week with a real warm and fuzzy post about how grateful we are for our sleep technologists. We call them night techs. Each October, the American Association of Sleep Technologists celebrates Sleep Tech Week to recognize the technologists who play a vital role in sleep centers across the country. Who performs … Read More »
Picture the typical person with sleep apnea. Odds are, you just thought of a man. But studies show that almost one in two sleep apnea patients is a woman. How likely are women to have this disorder…and how often are they treated?
This is the second post in a two-part series about women and sleep apnea. Our first post, Why Women with Sleep Apnea are Overlooked, investigates the differences in how women experience and report sleep issues and directly addresses the stereotype that sleep apnea is a man’s disease. In this post, we look at the causes … Read More »
This is the first post in a two-part series about women and sleep apnea. The second post, The Health Hazards of Sleep Apnea in Women, looks at the causes and effects of sleep apnea in women. In this post, we investigate the differences in how women experience and report sleep issues and directly addresses the stereotype that sleep apnea … Read More »
The California Sleep Society will hold its 9th annual educational symposium September 30 to October 1, 2016 in Anaheim, CA. As corporate members of this organization, we will be attending the symposium next week to learn about the latest advances in patient care and technology related to sleep medicine. We will meet with key opinion … Read More »
In 2013, 17.8% of American adults reported smoking cigarettes, down from 20.9% in 2005 and 42.4% in 1956 (when the U.S. government first started keeping such records). That’s great news! But it’s really important for people who already have sleep issues to stop or reduce their smoking as smoking affects the quality of your sleep … Read More »
The nail industry grew to $7.47 billion in 2012. In California alone, there were almost 8,000 nail salons. Many of the patients we schedule for in-center and in-home sleep studies wear nail polish, gels or acrylics. Our customer service department is frequently asked whether nail polish, gels or acrylics will interfere with testing. Jonathan Sherrill, RPSGT, … Read More »
Why does coffee help us start the day? Caffeine is a tricky substance. To our brains, caffeine looks like adenosine, a compound consisting of adenine (one of the four building blocks of DNA) and ribose. As it is created in the brain, adenosine binds to the adenosine receptors, causing drowsiness by slowing down nerve cell activity. Caffeine is … Read More »
What are the different types of sleep centers that offer diagnostic testing for sleep disorders and what are the benefits of each?
