Wednesday, October 30, 2013
American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine - Dr. Norman Blumenstock Receives Distinguished Service Award
AADSM Annual Awards
Distinguished Service Awards
The Distinguished Service Award is presented at the Annual Meeting to individuals who have exhibited exceptional initiative, leadership and service in the field of dental sleep medicine. At the discretion of the board, this award may not be presented every year.
2013 Winner - Norman Blumenstock, DDS
2013 Winner - Norman Blumenstock, DDS
Past Recipients
|
|
Pierre Robin Academic Award
The Pierre Robin Academic Award is presented at the Annual Meeting to individuals who have exhibited exceptional initiative and progress in the areas of education and academic research with original contributions to the field of dental sleep medicine. Final selection of the recipient is based on the nomination form, the submission of a current Curriculum Vitae and an assessment of submitted recent publications in the field. At the discretion of the Board, this award may not be presented every year.
The AADSM Board of Directors is currently accepting nominations from AADSM members who are in good standing. Applications will be accepted until March 3, 2014. Download AADSM Pierre Robin Academic Award Nomination form
2013 Winner - Aarnoud Hoekema, DMD
The AADSM Board of Directors is currently accepting nominations from AADSM members who are in good standing. Applications will be accepted until March 3, 2014. Download AADSM Pierre Robin Academic Award Nomination form
2013 Winner - Aarnoud Hoekema, DMD
Past Recipients
|
|
Honorary Member Award
The Honorary Member Award is presented at the Annual Meeting to individuals for continued advances in the field of dental sleep medicine. The award is based on an individual’s significant, original and sustained contributions of a basic, clinical or theoretical nature evidenced by publications, patents, academic appointments and other efforts. Candidates may or may not be current members of the AADSM. The award recipient will be invited to present a lecture at the AADSM Annual Meeting.
2013 Winner - David F. Dinges, PhD
2013 Winner - David F. Dinges, PhD
Past Recipients
|
Reference:
http://www.aadsm.org/AnnualAwards.aspx
|
Nocturnal Teeth Grinding May Suggest a Sleep Disorder
Posted: 10/24/2013 8:21 am
By Gerard Meskill, M.D.
The occurrence of gnashing or grinding of teeth is not new. The Bible makes reference to this phenomenon both in the Old Testament, "His anger has torn me and hunted me down; he has gnashed at me with his teeth," (Job 16:9) and in the New Testament, "But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 8:12). While this problem is many centuries old, it is only recently that we have come to understand why this may occur, particularly at night while we are asleep.
Teeth clenching or grinding -- a behavior known as bruxism -- is a common problem that can lead to broken teeth, enamel damage, headaches, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. The term "bruxism" comes from the Greek word "brychein," which means "to grind or gnash the opposing rows of upper and lower teeth." The American Academy of Orofacial Pain defines bruxism as "diurnal or nocturnal parafunctional activity which includes clenching, gnashing, gritting and grinding of teeth." Data on the prevalence of bruxism varies based upon research criteria, working definition, population samples, and clinical criteria. Indeed, almost everyone clenches or grinds their teeth at some point. However, this becomes pathologic (and thus clinically significant) when it leads to tooth damage or other symptoms, as described above. In 2004, Basić and Mehulić estimated that at least 10 percent of the adult population engages in clinically significant nocturnal bruxism.
For many years (centuries even), physicians and dentists alike have been perplexed as to the cause of this nocturnal behavior. However, we now understand that a significant cause of nocturnal bruxism is airway instability during sleep, such as what occurs in Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Intuitively, this makes sense. As we fall asleep, muscle tone regulation changes, leading to relaxation of our muscles. The upper airway largely is comprised of muscles and soft tissue. As we fall asleep, the tongue becomes less tense, regressing toward the back of the airway. The mandible, which is held in place by facial muscles, also has a tendency to retrude as those muscles relax. Since the base of the tongue is anchored to the mandible, this leads to further regression of the tongue toward the back of the throat. In individuals with narrower craniofacial anatomy, this can lead to significant upper airway resistance or obstruction during sleep. One possible defense against this process is to clench the teeth, holding the mandible in place to combat this retrusion and keep the airway more patent.
In recent years, clinical research has shown that treatment of the obstructive respirations during sleep leads to improvement or resolution of nocturnal bruxism in many cases. Oksenberg and Arons demonstrated that treatment of OSA with positive airway pressure (e.g., CPAP) led in many cases to resolution of nocturnal bruxism previously observed in affected individuals.
This result was reproduced by Simmons and Prehn, who also demonstrated the same trend in patients with UARS. To distinguish this more subtle form of obstructive respirations during sleep, they used esophageal manometry to measure intra-thoracic pressure during sleep. As the upper airway becomes narrower, the body compensates by expanding the chest to create a more negative intra-thoracic pressure, thus increasing the driving force of air into the lungs. Unlike more severe OSA, in cases of UARS the increased effort to breathe may cause brief disruptions in the normal sleep pattern before the airway collapses, and therefore the measurement of intra-thoracic pressure serves to identify periods of time in which increased breathing effort is causing disruptions of normal sleep. Simmons and Prehn showed that patients with UARS who were treated with CPAP also had significant improvement in nocturnal bruxism, with more than half of the treated patients having complete resolution and most of the rest having at least partial resolution.
So if you grind or clench your teeth at night, wake up with temporal headaches or TMJ pain, or you have been told you're wearing down your teeth, you should consider seeing a sleep specialist, because you may have restricted airflow during sleep that could be causing cardiovascular problems as well. This issue may be as old as the Bible, but finally treatment is now available.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Children who snore may be at an increased risk of learning problems
October 14, 2013
By Tele management
(TeleManagement) Snoring is common among children, with between 3 and 12% affected by the condition. Some of these children suffer from obstructive sleep apnea – a condition where the airways become obstructed, causing the child to briefly stop breathing several times throughout the night.
By Tele management
Experts have known for some time that obstructive sleep apnea increases the risk of learning problems and behavioral problems in children. However, it was unclear whether children who snored but did not suffer from obstructive sleep apnea were also at risk from learning problems.
Researchers from the University of Louisville, US, compared 87 children who snored but did not have obstructive sleep apnea with 31 children who did not snore. The children, all aged from five to seven years, were monitored in a lab while they slept and given a series of tests the next morning. The tests were designed to measure learning abilities, attention, and general intelligence. The children’s parents also answered questions about their child’s behavior.
The researchers found that children who snored performed significantly worse on the tests.
Children with obstructive sleep apnea can experience improvements in their learning if they have their adenoids and tonsils removed, the researchers say. They suggests that any children with learning or behavioral problems who frequently snore should be checked by a sleep specialist to see whether they suffer from obstructive sleep apnea.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Getting the Most Out of Sleep
By C. CLAIBORNE RAY
Published: September 23, 2013
Q. To get the health benefits of a good night’s sleep, is it just the number of hours that counts? What if sleep is induced by a sleeping pill or is stressful because of a nightmare?
A. While duration is important, “the quality and timing of sleep are also critical to a good night’s rest,” said Dr. Ana C. Krieger, medical director of the Weill Cornell Center for Sleep Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
Optimal sleep duration varies widely, depending on a person’s genetic makeup, underlying health conditions and daytime activities, among other factors, Dr. Krieger said. An individual’s natural sleep rhythm and actual schedule may be poorly aligned, leading to inadequate sleep. Sleep specialists often suggest that a born early riser or night owl adjust schedules accordingly.
As for quality, Dr. Krieger said, sleep disorders can fragment sleep in ways that may not be obvious — except that the sufferer may not feel well rested.
“Nightmares or other sleep disturbances that interfere with sleep consolidation or the sleep/wake cycle may lead to unrefreshing sleep,” Dr. Krieger said. “Medications may also interfere with sleep.”
Because of chemical processes, medication-induced sleep may not be as refreshing as natural sleep, so sleeping pills should be used only under medical supervision. question@nytimes.com
Sleep Related Trucking Legislation Takes Fast Track to Obama’s Desk
Bucking the trend toward legislative gridlock, new legislation to limit sleep apnea “guidance” has passed the House and Senate, and is now headed to the President’s desk. The bill was approved in the House by a vote of 405-0 in late September, and the Senate (also unanimously) passed it in October.
“The best part,” writes Charlie Morasch, of LandLineMag, a trucking industry publication, is that “Truckers are being hailed for their efforts to support the proposed law.”
Introduced in mid-September by Reps Larry Bucshon (R-Ind) and Dan Lipinski (D-Ill), HR3095 required the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to go through its regulatory process and institute formal “rulemaking” instead of simply issuing “guidance” to physicians, drivers, and motor carriers.
As reported, the proposed Senate bill was co-sponsored by Sens Roy Blunt (R-Mo), and Mark Warner (D-Va). It aimed to “ensure that any new or revised requirement providing for the screening, testing or treatment of individuals operating commercial vehicles for sleep disorders is adopted through a rulemaking proceeding.”
“Both pieces of legislation were seen as a response to rumblings that FMCSA was preparing guidance that would urge physicians to require truckers with a Body Mass Index of 35 or greater to undergo overnight sleep exams,” writes Morasch. “Guidance – although it would carry the weight of FMCSA’s name – wouldn’t have required a public comment period or other measures common to the regulatory approval process.”
Source: Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA)
Regular Bedtimes Tied to Better Behavior
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
A regular bedtime schedule is unquestionably helpful for parents, but a new study has found it that it may be even more beneficial for their children.
British researchers interviewed mothers when their children were ages 3, 5 and 7, asking how often their children had a regular bedtime: always, usually, sometimes or never. The mothers and the children’s teachers also completed questionnaires about behavioral difficulties.
Almost 20 percent of 3-year-olds had no regular bedtime, compared with 9.1 percent of 5-year-olds and 8.2 percent of 7-year-olds. After controlling for many social, economic and parental behavioral factors, the scientists found that children with a regular bedtime, whether early or late, had fewer behavioral problems. And the longer irregular bedtimes persisted, the more severe the difficulties were.
The study, published Monday in Pediatrics, also found that children who had irregular bedtimes at ages 3 and 5 had significant improvements in behavior scores if their bedtime was regular by age 7.
Still, the lead author, Yvonne Kelly, a professor of lifecourse epidemiology at University College London, warned against exaggerating the importance of the findings.
“Getting kids into a regular bedtime routine does appear to have important impacts on behavioral development,” she said. “But there are lots of things that have beneficial effects. Having a regular bedtime is only one of them.”
Monday, October 7, 2013
Advice About Sleep Deficiency in Midlife, Part 2
By NICOLE HIGGINS DeSMET
Published: September 18, 2013
This week’s Ask an Expert features Orfeu Marcello Buxton, a neuroscientist who will answer questions about the causes and health consequences of sleep deficiency, particularly in middle age. He researches chronic sleep deficiency in the workplace and home and how it contributes to disorders like obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
 |
| Orfeu Marcello Buxton, neuroscientist and sleep researcher. |
Dr. Buxton is an associate neuroscientist the Division of Sleep Medicine in the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, as well as an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health. He received his doctorate from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
Dr. Buxton notes that adults can express their priorities “in what we don’t do,” and too often sleep (along with healthy behavior) gets short-changed. But sleep, he says, is a foundation of healthy aging and a source of resilience. His research, for example, has shown that sleep restriction or disruption increases obesity and diabetes risk, by decreasing insulin secretion, increasing blood glucose levels slowing metabolism (the study is here). He has also found that characteristics of the work environment, including managers’ actions, can affect sleep (study is here).
Here are examples of some questions that Dr. Buxton is prepared to answer. (Note: Dr. Buxton is a researcher, not a physician, and he emphasizes that his responses should not take the place of recommendations from your health care provider.)
1. Why is sleep important?
2. What are some mechanisms by which sleep affects metabolism, and obesity and diabetes risk?
3. Why do we now think that work or the workplace affect sleep?
Please leave your questions in the comments section. [Update: Part 1 of Dr. Buxton’s responses can be found here.]
Wife who was fed up with her husband's snoring is charged with attempted murder after stabbing him with a butcher's knife as he slept
Dawn Weiser, 44, left her husband with a punctured spleen, lacerated liver and three other stab wounds- She plead not guilty in court on Wednesday
- Doug Weiser managed to fight his wife off him and call police
|
An Arkansas woman who was fed up with her husband's incessant snoring has been charged with attempted first degree murder after repeatedly stabbing him in his sleep with a butcher's knife.
Dawn Weiser, of Springdale, plead not guilty in court on Wednesday after leaving her husband with a punctured spleen, lacerated liver and three other stab wounds from the attack.
The 44-year-old mother of two was sleeping in a spare room with her son after an argument earlier in the evening with her husband Doug about his snoring.
Dawn Weiser (left) has been charged with first degree attempted murder for stabbing her snoring husband Doug (pictured right)
She is alleged to have crept back into the bedroom in the early hours of the morning and began stabbing her husband with a butcher's knife.
Her 43-year-old husband was able to wrestle the knife from her and call police, after being stabbed several times.
Mrs Weiser told police she awoke to a loud noise during the night and walked in to find her husband with stab wounds.
She went on to insist that an intruder was responsible for the stabbing, despite her husband saying she was responsible for his wounds.
Dawn Weiser tweeted about her husband's snoring before the attack
Dawn Weiser is pleading not guilty to charges of attempted first degree murder after the attack with a butcher's knife
Investigators say Dawn later confessed to stabbing her husband and hiding the knife and told police she couldn't stand being kept awake any longer.
Dawn was so angry at her husband's snoring that she had spoken about it on social media.
A week before the alleged attack she wrote on her Twitter account: 'A certain someone is about to have an appointment made to address SNORING. #notnamingnames.'
Details of the attack, which took place on August 29th, came out as Mrs Wesier made her first court appearance on Wednesday on an attempted first degree murder charge.
She pleaded not guilty and has been sent for trial in December.
The court was told her husband filed for divorce a week after the alleged attack.
Doug Weiser pictured fishing before the attack, which left him with three stab wounds
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)