sleep

CONTENTS 1 Foreword: Sleep in the 21st Century

2 Forget Counting Sheep

3 Choice and Support for CPAP

3 Don’t Shrug off a Bad Night’s Sleep

3 AADSM: Alternative to CPAP

3 Innovation in Dental Appliances

4 Panel of Experts

4 Options Increase for Chronic Snorers

SLEEP

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Sleep in the 21st Century

Perhaps it is because our parents

and grandparents lived and

workedina9-5economy,whereas

we now work and live in a worldwide,

24/7 economy. perhaps it is partly be-

causetheonlyeconomicallyfeasibleway

tostayintouchwithfriendsandrelatives

in distant cities back then was via“snail

mail”,whereasitisnowpossibleto“chat”

viatheinternetwithanyone,anywhere,at

anytime.andperhapsitispartlybecause

wenowhaveaplethoraofentertainment

options available continuously, whereas

for previous generations,“the sidewalks

wererolledupatnight.”

Butwhateverthereason,researchsug-

geststhatweareaveragingaboutanhour

lesssleeppernightthanourparentsand

grandparents.

ironically, this modern trend towards

reducedsleepisoccurringinconjunction

withrapidlyexpandingscientificevidence

thatshowsthatadequatesleepisasnec-

essaryforgoodhealthandwell-beingas

properdietandexercise.

forexample,didyouknow:

• recentepidemiologicalevidencelinks

“short sleep” with long-term weight

gain. chronic restriction of nighttime

sleep duration appears to cause hor-

monal changes that slow the body’s

metabolic rate (i.e., reduce the rateat

whichcaloriesareburned),thusmaking

habitual short sleepers more likely to

gainweight,andtogainweightfaster

overtime,thanindividualswithlonger

nightlysleepdurations.

• Becauseoftheirphysiology,teenagers

arevirtuallyincapableofinitiatingsleep

before11:00pm,soearlyhighschool

start times (e.g., 7:15 am) result in

chronicallysleeprestricted(andsleepy)

students. later high school start

times result in generally improved

alertness—and improved academic

performance!

• anyone who typically obtains two or

morehoursofextrasleeponweekend

mornings(whenthereisnoneedtoarise

forworkorschool),isprobablynotob-

tainingenoughsleepduringtheweek.

• althoughtheconventionalwisdomhas

longheldthatthebeneficialeffectsof

“extra”(extended)sleepareshort-lived

andmild,thisbeliefhasrecentlybeen

contradicted by scientific evidence

showingthatsleepisactually“banked”

—withthebenefitsofany“extra”sleep

that we obtain resulting in relatively

improvedalertnessandmentalperfor-

mancethatisobservableovertheen-

tirenextweek!

especially exciting and important are

recentadvancesinourunderstandingof

the biochemistry of sleep initiation and

maintenance processes, which have led

to a vastly improved understanding of

disorders like narcolepsy, and a deeper

general understanding of the nature of

alertnessandsleepiness.thisknowledge

is now actively being applied in labora-

toriesacrosstheworldtodevelopanew,

improvedgenerationofsafeandeffective

sleepmedications.

publicawarenessofsleepdisordershas

virtuallyexplodedoverthepast20years.

for example, obstructive sleep apnea, a

disorder that affects upwards of 18 mil-

lionpeople—80%ofwhichremainundi-

agnosed—hasonlyrecentlyenteredthe

americanlexicon.

the national sleep foundation is

dedicated to improving the sleep—and

thereby improving the alertness, health,

safety,andwell-being—ofallamericans,

through a variety of education and

advocacy efforts. to learn more about

sleepandthenationalsleepfoundation,

visitourwebsiteathttp://www.sleepfoun-

dation.org/.

thewaysthatweamericansworkandplayhaschangedremarkablyoverthepast20to30years.sohasthewayinwhichwesleep.

AUGUST 2009 YOUR GUIDE TO INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY AND TREATMENT FOR A BETTER NIGHT’S RESTYOUR GUIDE TO INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY AND TREATMENT FOR A BETTER NIGHT’S REST

Sleep

theuniversityofmarylandmedical

centerisamajor,innovativeteach-

inghospitalindowntownBaltimore

thatprovidescomprehensivehealth

caretopeoplethroughoutmaryland,themid-atlanticregionandbeyond.theuni-

versityofmarylandsleepdisorderscenterisfullservicefacilityfeaturingspecialists

fromabroadrangeofmedicaldisciplines.

twentymillionplusadultsareafflictedwithsleepapnea.

lessthan10%areadequatelytreated.Knownco-morbidities

include:heartdisease,diabetes,obesityanddepression.the

americansleepapneaassociationisanunbiasedsourceof

informationondiagnosisandtreatmentforthisdisease.

visitwww.sleepapnea.orgorcall888-293-3650.

A VErY spECIAL THAnKs To oUr prEMIUM sponsors ...

BY:nationalsleepfoundation

2 specialadvertisingsupplementforthewallstreetjournal

sleep

specialadvertisingsupplementforthewallstreetjournal 3

Nearlyhalftherespondentsinthe

latest survey of sleep habits by

the national sleep foundation

reported getting a good night’s sleep

everynight,buttheother50percentsaid

theysleepwellonlyafewnightsaweek

ormonth.

“many people feel helpless about

sleep,” says dave dickinson, president

andceoofZeoinc.,whichmakestheZeo

personal sleep coach. “they realize it

affectstheirhealthandperformance,but

feelthatit’soutoftheircontrol.”

the connection between lifestyle and

sleepiswellestablished.eating,drinking,

andpre-bedtimehabitsallhaveanimpact,

asdodailyscheduleandbedroomcondi-

tions.thecrucialquestionis:whateffectis

yourdailyroutinehavingonyoursleep?

theZeopersonalsleepcoachmonitors

brainwaves and provides users with a

graphical display of their sleep patterns

—light,deepandremsleep—aswellas

the number of times they wake during

the night (which many people do not

evenremember).Zeoprovidesapersonal

sleepscore,storesthedata,andcanmea-

suretheimpactoflifestylechanges,such

aseatingearlier,drinking lessalcoholor

cuttingbackoncaffeine.web-basedsoft-

wareallowsmoreextensiveanalysis,and

Zeocanhelpusersdeveloppersonalsleep

fitnessprograms.

different, but no less sophisticated,

technology lies at the heart of a sleep

monitoring system from Biancamed

expectedtolaunchin2010.thecompany

usestechnologybasedonhighlysensitive

radiofrequencymotionsensorstomonitor

close-by movement. Because the device

readsradiowaves,theuserdoesnotneed

to wear anything to bed.the monitor is

simplyplacedwithinayardortwoofthe

sleeping individual. software turns this

dataintoinformationonbreathing,body

movementandheartrate.theBiancamed

sleep monitor will measure sleep and

wakingpatternsandprovideinformation

for sleep coaching and behavioral inter-

vention. it will also assess the impact of

exercise,asignificantfactorforsleep,ac-

cordingtoconorheneghan,thecompa-

ny’schiefscientificofficer.

whilethesecutting-edgetechnologies

promise to eventually change the land-

scape of the sleep frontier, the current

value of more traditional technology

shouldnotbeoverlooked.davidunder-

hill,presidentofBattlecreekequipment

company, points to the bedroom com-

plaint heard frequently from couples—

one partner is too hot while the other’s

toocold.hiscompanyhassoldasolution

since the 1930’s—a low power electric

bed warmer that’s placed beneath the

sheetormattresspad.itcansootharthri-

tis pain, improve circulation and benefit

peoplesufferingfromavarietyofailments,

includingrestlesslegsyndrome,diabetes,

peripheralarterydisease,chronicfatigue

syndrome, fibromyalgia, reynaud’s dis-

easeandmultiplesclerosis.underhillsays

it’stheonlyproducthe’ssoldtoachieve

100percentcustomersatisfaction.

another common enemy of sleep is

noise. ironically, the solution to noise

can be more noise—specifically the so-

called white noise generated by sound

machines like those made by marpac

corporation.countlesspeoplehaveused

themforyearstomaskthemyriad,sharp,

sudden,andintrusivesoundsofmodern

life.davetheisen,marpac’spresident,says

thecompany’smostpopularmodelisthe

980a sleep mate, an electro-mechanical

machine that creates the natural sound

of rushing air with adjustable tone and

volume.

itisimportanttorememberthatmore

serious conditions may require expert

diagnosis and testing, including a night

inasleeplab.actigraph,acompanythat

uses technology developed for the u.s.

militarytomeasurephysicalactivity,has

launched the actisleep monitoring sys-

tem, which can be used at home under

aphysician’sdirectiontoscreenforsleep

disordersandhelpdetermineifafullsleep

studyisnecessary.“webelievethiskindof

screeningcanbothcutcostsandimprove

conveniencefortheuser,”saysjeffarnett,

actigraph’spresident.

at the end of the night, it’s all about

gettingtherestweallneedtorestoreour

mindsandbodies.asZeo’sdickinsonputs

it,“sleepdeservestotakeitsrightfulplace

inhealthandwellnessalongwithexercise

anddiet.”

Forget Counting Sheep: New Technology May Hold the Key to a Good Night’s sleepserious sleep disorders require medical diagnosis andtreatment by a specialist in the field. But what aboutpeoplewhosometimesdon’tsleepaswellastheythinktheyshould?oroccasionallywakeuptiredandrestless?orjustwanttounderstandmoreabouthowandwhywesleepthewaywedo?

How did you sleep last night?

Night after night, millions

of people suffer from a lack

of restful sleep, and feel the negative impact on

their mood, energy level, and productivity during

the day. Most feel powerless to do anything

about it. Well, now there’s Zeo, a revolutionary

approach to the problem of poor sleep.

A revolution in the science of sleep.

The Zeo Personal Sleep Coach

is the first consumer product

and home-based program to

help you manage and take

control of your sleep. Visit

www.zeocoach.com to see how Zeo puts the

science of sleep at your fingertips.

You’ll discover how Zeo tracks and

records your personal sleep patterns and displays

your sleep data when you wake up: the time

you took to fall asleep, your time in deep sleep,

light sleep, and REM sleep, and how often you

woke up. That’s because understanding your

sleep is the first step toward improving it.

You’ll see why Dr. Michael Breus, Sleep Health

Expert at WebMD, calls Zeo “a revolution in

health and

wellness.”

Take control of your sleep today.

At www.zeocoach.com, you’ll learn about

uploading your sleep data to the Zeo Personal

Coaching website, where online tools help you

analyze your sleep and create a customized

action plan to help you get a better night’s sleep.

You’ll also learn about the 7 Sleep Stealers,™

and Zeo’s 7 Step Sleep Fitness™ program.

Order Zeo and enjoy free shipping.

Sleep expert and Fortune 500 sleep

consultant Dr. James Maas identifies Zeo as

“the first consumer device that accurately

tracks how effectively you sleep.” Go to

www.zeocoach.com now and discover why

Dr. Maas believes that Zeo is “absolutely

critical to being a daytime peak performer.”

Wake

REM

Light

Deep

12am 1am 2am 3am 4am 5am 6am 7am 8am

Zeo Personal Sleep Coach is neither a medical device nor a medical program and is not intended for the diagnosis or treatment of sleep disorders. If you suspect that you may have a sleep disorder, consult your physician.

ZeoTM

has the answer.

Learn more or order at www.zeocoach.com

32 Karen Pines Street Dedham, MA 02026

978.264.3264

Client Approval

____________Initials

Client: ZEO

Publication: Wall Street Journal

Insertion Date: 08/07/09

JOB NUMBER: ZEO 001 FILE NAME: Zeo_HowSleep_10.87x10.5_WSJ_F4

Live Area: N/A

Trim: 10.87" (w) x 10.5" (h)

Scale: 100% Actual Size

Creative Director: B. Pruett

Art Director: T. McMahon

Account Mgr: S. Sprague

BiancaMed Limited,NovaUCD, Belfield Innovation Park,

Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.T 011 353 1716 3799

E info@biancamed.comwww.biancamed.com

� A highly cost effective service for measuring sleep as part of product and clinical trials

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sleep deserves to take its rightful

place in health and wellness along with exercise

and diet.

2 specialadvertisingsupplementforthewallstreetjournal specialadvertisingsupplementforthewallstreetjournal 3

sleep

They say necessity is the mother of

invention. sometimes frustration

helpstoo.

about a decade ago, patrick strong

dd, fcad was treating sleep apnea and

chronicsnoringpatientswithdentalap-

pliances, which fit over the teeth and

thrustthejawforward,causingtheairway

atthebackofthethroattoopen.dental

appliances were effective and gaining

popularity.Buttherewasaproblem.

“we had a 50 percent breakage rate,”

strongsays.“Buteveryonesaidthisisthe

bestwecando.”

strongnoticedsomethingelse.about

half the people who suffer from sleep

apnea also grind their teeth at night.

that grinding was helping wear down

their oral devices. originally trained as

a dental technician, he started work-

ing on the problem. he took his ideas

to the lab that manufactured the

appliances he used.he came home stymied.

“they said my ideas were interesting,

buttheyweregoingtokeepmakingthe

appliances the way they were taught to

makethem.”

strong’s wife urged him to put his

ideas to work—himself.

today, he’s president of

strong dental, maker of

thesuad—strongupper

airway dilating—device,

which he believes is the

onlydentalsleepappliance

designed not only to treat

snoring and obstructive sleep

apnea but also withstand the forces

oftoothgrinding.

“we reduced that 50 percentage

breakageratetolessthanhalfapercent,”

he says.

strong puts his own mouth where his

money is. a severe sleep apnea sufferer,

he’swornhislab’sdentalapplianceforthe

last six years.

formoreinfomation,1-800-339-4452

The american academy of dental

sleepmedicine(aadsm)promotes

research and clinical use of oral

appliancesandupperairwaysurgeryfor

the treatment of sleep-related breath-

ing disorders, such as obstructive sleep

apnea (osa), and provides training and

resourcesforthosewhoworkdirectlywith

patients.aadsmpresidentjeffreypancer,

d.d.s., answers some questions on oral

treatmentsforsleepdisorders.

Q. How serious is this problem?

Dr. Pancer: the numbers are signifi-

cant.a2002studyfoundthatone insix

americansover50hasatleastmildosa

andthatonethirdofthesepatientshave

severe osa. experts estimate that 80 to

90 percent of adults with osa remain

undiagnosed and untreated. that’s why

the aadsm, which has more than 1,500

members,workstoraiseawarenessofthe

risksofuntreatedosa.

Q. What kind of treatments are

available?

Dr. Pancer: treatments include cpap

(continuous positive airway pressure),

oralappliancetherapy,positionaland/or

weight loss therapy, and surgical proce-

dures.themostcommon iscpap,which

is highly effective – if patients wear the

mask attached to the cpap machine to

bed.studieshaveshowntheydonotal-

waysdothis.oralappliancetherapyisef-

fectiveforpeoplewithmildtomoderate

osawhoeitherpreferittocpaporwho

are unable to comply successfully with

cpaptherapy.oralappliances looksimi-

lartomouthguards,butshouldbefitted

by a dentist trained in sleep medicine to

maintainunobstructedbreathing.patients

withsevereosashouldalwaystrycpap

treatment first.

Q. If you think you have a sleeping

disorder, where should you go for help?

Dr. Pancer: the aadsm recommends

that dentists send patients to a sleep

specialist fordiagnosisofanysuspected

sleep disorder breathing problem.

patients interested in oral appliance

therapy can use the “find a dentist” fea-

ture on ourweb site (www.aadsm.org) to

locate a member dentist in their area

who is trained in dental sleep medicine.

Obstructive sleep apnea—the

repeatedinterruptionofbreath-

ingduringsleep—isoneof the

most common sleep disorders.some 18

million people suffer, according to the

national sleep foundation. fortunately,

itisalsooneofthebestunderstoodand

readily treated disorders. unfortunately,

treatmentisnotassimpleas“swallowing

apill”.

sleep apnea sufferers are likely to be

prescribed sleeping with a cpap (con-

tinuouspositiveairwaypressure)device,

essentiallyamaskthatfitsoverthenose

and/or mouth, connected to a machine

thatblowsairtohelpkeepbreathingair-

waysopenduringsleep.cpaphasproven

highlyeffective,so longasyouwearthe

mask.thereinliestherubformany.

“it’sjustafactthateveryfaceisdiffer-

ent,”saysjohngoodman,presidentand

ceoofcpap.com,anonlineretailerofcpap

equipment. “face shape, nose size, ear

placement—notwopeoplearethesame.”

when a doctor prescribes cpap, the

patient’s face is fitted for a mask. But

choicecanbelimitedtothestockcarried

bythelocalmedicalequipmentsupplier.

online retailers often stock a greater

range of brands and sizes. goodman

estimates cpap.com carries more than

1,000differentproductsandsizes.

comfortisthecriticalfactor.themask

mustsealbuttoomuchpressureisuncom-

fortable and prevents sleep—or causes

the user to abandon the mask. help

is hard to come by. “it’s still very much

ahit-or-misssystem,”goodmansays.

for this reason, cpap.com started a

relatedweb site, cpaptalk.com, a forum

wheremorethan42,000cpapuserstrade

views, helpful hints, information and,

perhapsmostimportantly,support.

“it’s a place where people can find

encouragement,” goodman says. “they

cantalktosomeonewhohasdealtwith

similar issues. they get help working

things out. it’s also self-enforcing. Bad

advice tends to get jumped on in a hurry.

people keep telling us, the community

aspect is invaluable.”

Choice and Support: Make CpAp More effective

Don’t Shrug Off a Bad Night’s Sleep

 

 

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AADSM: Oral treatments Offer Alternative to CpAp for sleep Apnea patients

Innovation in Dental Appliances

sponsors

He doesn’t think his snoring is serious.* * *

* umm.edu/sleep | 800-492-5538 *

w e h e a l . w e t e a c h . w e d i s c o v e r. w e c a r e .

What he doesn’t know is that his snoring is a sign of sleep apnea,

which could cause a stroke, high blood pressure and heart

disease. He doesn’t know that he’ll be diagnosed and treated at the

state-of-the-art Sleep Lab at the University of Maryland Sleep

Disorders Center. And he hasn’t learned how soundly he’ll

sleep once its multidisciplinary team of specialists work together

to develop an individualized treatment plan just for him.

091274_UMM_6.45x7.73_wsj.indd 1 7/29/09 1:08:23 PM

When we’re in pain or not feeling

well, we seek help from a doc-

tororhospital.Butloseanight’s

sleep? snore? feel tired during the day?

we’re just as likely to shrug it off and get

on with our lives. in the process, we may

beignoringamoreseriousmedicalcondi-

tion, one of 58 sleep disorders the medical

profession is working hard to understand,

diagnose and treat.

according to theuniversity ofmaryland

sleep disorders center, approximately 40

million americans suffer some form of

chronicsleepdisorder,andmanyofthese

conditionsareneveridentifiedortreated.

“people go to great lengths to tolerate in-

credibly abnormal symptoms,” saysdr.ste-

venm.scharf, the center’s director.“it’s one

moreeffectofour24/7society.”

the results can be painful, expensive and

deadly.daytime sleepiness interferes with

normalactivitiesinfouroutof10adults.the

annualdirectcostofsleep-relatedproblems

tops$16billionintheunitedstatesalone.

morethan100,000trafficaccidentsayear

arefatigue-related.

with a staff of specialists from various

disciplines—internal and pulmonary med-

icine, neurology, psychology, critical care

andpediatrics—thecentertakesacompre-

hensive approach to diagnosis and treat-

ment of all kinds of sleep disorders.its sleep

labconductsmorethan1,000adultand300

pediatricsleepstudiesayear.

theinstitute ofsleepmedicine atstaten

islanduniversityhospital, one of the largest

sleepcentersinthenewYorkcitytri-state

area,seesmorethan3,000patientsayear

withallkindsofsleepdisorders,according

to its director, dr.thomas m. Kilkenny. its

sleep lab, one of the few in the area with

americanacademyofsleepmedicineac-

creditation, has eight beds and nine reg-

istered technicians. “we can run seven

nightsaweek if thecase loadrequires it,”

Kilkennysays.“weconduct2,400sleeptests

ayear,whichfacilitatediagnosisbyenabling

sleepspecialiststoseepreciselywhatishap-

peningtothesleepingpatient.”

accordingtoscharf,themedicalprofes-

sion has developed a good understand-

ingofsleepdisordersthemselves,andthe

challengenowistoassesstheirimpacton

other areas of health. “for example, we

know sleep apnea is a risk factor in

high blood pressure, heart disease and

strokes,” he says. “the question is why.”

studiesatthemarylandcenterareinvesti-

gatingtheeffectsofsleepdeprivationon

criticalcarenursesworking12-hourshifts;

whethernappinghasapositiveornegative

impactonneuro-cognitivedevelopmentin

toddlers;andtheimpactofsleepapneaon

pregnancy.thestatenislandsleepinstitute

iscurrentlyresearchingtheroleoftechni-

ciansintheefficacyofsleeptests.

the most critical thing, according to

scharf,istocontinuetoraiseawarenessof

sleepdisorderssopeopleseekhelpbefore

potentiallyseriousillnessesdorealdamage.

at sleep centers, doctors spend their waking momentsexaminingsleep

...a place where people can find encouragement.

4 specialadvertisingsupplementforthewallstreetjournal

sleep

Can a person really change the quality of their sleep?

Yes! in my practice i have found once

people objectively understand their sleep

patterns and why they change each day,

theycandirectly impact their sleepquality.

everyone agrees achieving the appropriate

amount of deep sleep (where physical res-

torationoccurs),remsleep(wherememory

consolidation occurs) and decreased awak-

eningsimprovesyoursleepquality.Youjust

needaplantogetyouthere.

wehaveallheardthegenerictipstoget-

tingabetternightsleep,butrarelydothey

applyonapersonallevel.justlikewithany-

thing else, the most effective way to sleep

betteriswhenyouhavebothidentifiedthe

specificareasinyourlifestylethatneedtobe

modified,andfollowedapersonalized plan of

actiontoaddressthem.onlyrecentlyhasthe

technology existed to measure your sleep

quality.itisnowthetimeforpeopletoem-

bracetheconceptofsleepfitnessthrough

personalizedsleepcoaching.

When should someone consider consulting a sleep specialist?

thefirst–andmostimportant–thingto

understand is that we all need sleep.while

we sleep, basic restorative functions occur

inourbrainsandinourbodies.i’mcontinu-

ally surprised by how people ignore clear

symptoms.itisnotnormalnottogetagood

night’ssleep,ortosnoresoloudlyyoudrive

yourspousefromtheroom,ortofallasleep

insituationswhereyoushouldn’t.Yourbody

istellingyousomethingiswrong.payatten-

tionandseekhelp.therearemorethan58

different sleep disorders. a sleep specialist

can determine the nature of the underly-

ingproblemandwhattests,suchasasleep

study, are necessary. depending on the re-

sults,otherspecialistscanbebrought in to

developapersonalizedtreatmentplan.not

onlywilltreatmentmakeyoufeelbetter,but

if leftunaddressed,disorderedorabnormal

sleep can cause major medical problems

such as depression, heart disease, strokes

andhighbloodpressure.

What can you do if you snore so loudly you drive your spouse from the bedroom?

unfortunately,thisisacommonsituation

as snoring affects one in four americans.

snoring of this degree is often associated

with obstructive sleep apnea, a serious

healthcondition.thechronicsleepdepriva-

tion caused by snoring – for both you and

yourbedpartner–canleadtootherhealth

risks. the nocturnal separation will lead to

alossof intimacy.forallthesereasons,you

shouldseeaphysicianwithexpertiseinthe

evaluation and treatment of snoring and

sleepapneapromptly.thisshouldincludea

thorough examination of all potential sites

of obstruction (nose, soft palate, tongue

base,etc.)andtheavailabilityofhomesleep

studieswhenappropriate.asnosinglether-

apyisappropriateforallsufferers,thephysi-

cianshouldhavemultiplealternativesavail-

able to treat any site of obstruction, ideally

inaminimallyinvasivewaythatwillreduce

recoverytimeandtheriskofcomplications.

What can you learn from a sleep test?

sleep tests are a highly effective means

of diagnosing sleep disorders and recom-

mendingtreatment.wemonitor16different

parametersovera10-hourperiod,including

eye movement, electrocardiogram activity,

brainwaves,breathingstatus,oxygen levels

and physical movements. we can also vid-

eotapethepatientso thespecialistcansee

exactlywhatheorsheisdoingwhilesleep-

ing.thereport fromatypicalsleeptestcan

run800pagesormore.inmostcases,based

ontheinitialdiagnosisandtheresultsofone

sleeptest,weareabletodeterminethena-

tureofthedisorderandrecommendaplan

oftreatment.wetrytogetpatientsanswers

promptly.ifasleeptestisrequired,wework

toscheduleitwithintwoweeksandhavethe

diagnosisdevelopedwithintwoweeksafter

that.wecanalsousesleepteststohelpsleep

apnea patients using cpap therapy make

necessaryadjustmentstotheirequipment.

Panel of Experts

MICHAEL J. BREUS, PHDclinicalpsychologist;diplomatoftheamericanBoardofsleepmedicine

What should a CPAP user know?

cpaptherapy ismosteffectivewhenthe

patient is actively involved with optimizing

their sleep quality and comfort. healthcare

professionalsareabletoprovidethebasics

when it comes to treating sleep apnea,

but treatment nuances like fit and comfort

are personal factors patients typically have

to figure out themselves. deciding which

products and sizes work best are essential

forlongtermsatisfactionandthisisoftena

difficultprocess.additionally,patientsareof-

tenunawarehowmanyequipmentoptions

areactuallyavailabletothem.inaneffortto

easethetransitionintosleeptherapy,cpap.

comhasplacedahighemphasisonprovid-

ingcustomerswithalargequantityofprod-

uctinformationandfeedback.newandold

usersalikeareencouragedtoeducatethem-

selvesaswellasconsiderwhichproductfea-

tureswillbestsuittheirneeds.cpaptherapy

is a process, the more a patient knows, the

smoothertheprocessislikelytogo.

JOHN GOODMANpresidentandceo,cpap.com

STEVEN M. SCHARF, MD, PHDdirector,sleepdisorderscenteruniversityofmarylandmedicalcenter

ERIC J. COHEN, MDdirector,curesnoringcenter

THOMAS M. KILKENNY, MDdirector,instituteofsleepmedicinestatenislanduniversityhospital

Options Increase for Chronic Snorers

Snoring is an annoyance, not only

forthesnorerbutalsoforanyone

sharing the bedroom. But snor-

ingcanalsosignalmoreseriousmedical

problems, sleep apnea being the most

common. italsocanleadtosleepdepri-

vation which can cause serious medical

problemsofitsown.

“it’s important to understand no two

peoplearethesame,andthereareahost

ofcausesofchronicsnoring,”saysdr.eric

j.cohen,anear,noseandthroatspecialist,

and director of the cure snoring center

innewYorkcity.hepointsto largeton-

sils and adenoids, obstructed nasal air-

ways,poormuscletoneinthetongueand

throat,andalongsoftpalateanduvulaas

someoftheculprits.

according to cohen, advances in the

understanding of sleep disorders and

medicaltechnologyinrecentyearshave

resulted in more and better options for

the diagnosis and treatment of snor-

ingandsleepapnea.perhapstheeasiest

causestoaddressarelifestyle issues.for

example, obesity and being overweight

cancontributetosleepdisorders.healthy

dietandexercisecanleadtobettermus-

cle tone and decreased weight, and can

helpreduceoreliminatesnoringorsleep

apneaevents.

sleepingpills,tranquilizers,alcohol,and

antihistamines relax the throat muscles,

increasing the chance of airway closure

duringsleep(i.e.,sleepapneaevents).all

shouldbeavoidedbeforebedtime.

when chronic snoring is associated

withsleepapnea(thecessationofbreath-

ing during sleep), potential treatments

includecpap(continuouspositiveairway

pressure) devices and oral appliances,

bothofwhichcanbehighlyeffective.

for some chronic snoring conditions,

surgery is an option to consider. cohen

saysthathistorically,surgicalprocedures

havebeenpainfulandnothighlyeffective.

technologicaladvanceshaveledtonewer,

in-officeproceduresthatarelessinvasive

andmoreeffective.themost recentde-

velopment–thepillarprocedure–isone

of themostpromising. itworks through

threetinypolyesterimplantsonthesoft

palate, the region where loss of muscle

tone is particularly likely to produce

snoringandobstructivesleepapnea.the

pillarssupportandstiffenthetissuethat

causesobstructiontotheairwaypassage.

clinical studies have shown significant

decreases in snoring intensity among

patientsundergoingthepillarprocedure.

“it’sminimallyinvasivewithmildpost-

treatmentdiscomfortandtreatssnoring

without destroying the native tissue,”

cohensays.“it’satremendousadvancein

thetreatmentofsnoring.”

noonelikestoadmittheyhaveaproblem,but90millionamericanssnore,accordingtothenationalsleepfoun-dation,and37milliondosoonaregularbasis.

It doesn’t have to.

The minimally invasive Pillar® Procedure is an in-office treatment for adults with chronic snoring. Visit PillarProcedure.com to learn more and find a doctor in your area who performs this treatment.

Bear in mind that all surgeries carry risks. This treatment is not for everyone. Please contact your physician to see if it is right for you. The Pillar Procedure is not to be used in the treatment of anyone under the age of 18. The most commonly reported complication from the Pillar Procedure is a partial extrusion, which may require replacement of the implant. Most complications are temporary and resolve within 24 to 72 hours. Additional important safety information about this product can be found at www.medtronicENT.com.

Sleep Better. Feel Better. Live Better.1

Don’t let snoring come between you. come between you. come between you. come between you.

For further information, please call Medtronic ENT at 800-874-5797 or 904-296-9600. You may also consult our website at www.PillarProcedure.com.

Pillar® is a registered trademark of Medtronic, Inc.© 2009, Medtronic, Inc.

1. Nordgard S et al. Palatal implants for the treatment of snoring: long-term results. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2006;134:558-564.