Vivos Therapeutics Inc, a medical technology company that markets custom oral appliances and protocols for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), just launched a home sleep apnea test called VivoScore, which is powered by SleepImage.

VivoScore utilizes proprietary cardiopulmonary coupling technology developed by MyCardio LLC (better known as “SleepImage”). VivoScore consists of a single-sensor ring recorder that works with a mobile phone application and proprietary cloud-based algorithms to evaluate sleep quality and clinically diagnose sleep apnea.

“We believe the impact of our exciting new VivoScore product and technology will be significant to the health and wellness of millions who suffer from sleep apnea. Vivos-trained dentists and other healthcare providers will now have access to clinical-grade diagnostic technology at a very low cost that can be seamlessly coupled with our proprietary and highly-effective Vivos System treatment,” says Kirk Huntsman, Vivos chairman and CEO, in a release.

[RELATED: AADSM: Dentists Can Order Home Sleep Tests]

The SleepImage System, which is the underlining technology for VivoScore, is FDA cleared for the purpose of diagnosing OSA and evaluating sleep disorders in both children and adults.

Vivos …

Tampa General Hospital and USF Health are the first in Florida to use Respicardia’s remedē system for the treatment of central sleep apnea. In this approach, the cardiologist/electrophysiologist implants a pacemaker-like device under the skin in the patient’s chest with the goal of improving a patient’s breathing during sleep.

Central sleep apnea is a serious breathing disorder separate from the more commonly known obstructive sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain and the muscles that control breathing no longer communicate with each other and can result in pauses in breathing during sleeping that last anywhere between 10 and 30 seconds. Currently Tampa General is the only hospital in Florida offering the surgery.

“The device is proven to be effective at reducing the number of times breathing stops during sleep,” says Bengt Herweg, MD, FACC, FHRS, professor and director of electrophysiology for the division of cardiovascular sciences in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and medical director of electrophysiology for Tampa General Hospital, in a release. “Before the introduction of this device, other standard therapies for central sleep …

Chicago Sun-Times: Her groundbreaking research concluded dreaming is important for mental health because it helps people organize thoughts and deal with worries and emotions.

Ms. Cartwright, one of the first women in the world in the field of sleep research, died of a heart attack last month at her Lake Shore Drive home at 98, according to her daughter Carolyn.

In a 50-year career, she overcame preferential treatment for male scholars and sleep medicine’s early tendency to prescribe sleeping pills rather than study the reasons behind insomnia.

Working at various times at the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago and Rush University Medical Center, she studied dreaming, circadian rhythms and sleep apnea and wrote four books and hundreds of academic papers.

chicago.suntimes.com

[RELATED: A Sleep Researcher-Psychiatrist Remembers Friend & Colleague Rosalind Cartwright]

from Sleep Review https://www.sleepreviewmag.com/sleep-disorders/parasomnias/rosalind-dymond-cartwright-queen-of-dreams-dead/…

Today: Studies have found that during the pandemic people are spending more time in bed, but the quality of their sleep is worse. Here are a few tips to help beat insomnia.

These days, people are turning to over-the-counter sleep aids and alcohol to help them sleep. “Over-the-counter sleep aids are OK to use once in a while, Patel said. But if you’re using them frequently, they’re masking an underlying problem. And alcohol might help you fall asleep, but it wears off in a few hours, so you’ll wake up during the night. It can also worsen sleep problems like sleep apnea.

How to beat it: Try cognitive behavioral therapy. A therapist can help you change your thinking about sleep, develop relaxation techniques, reduce sleep stressors and minimize the amount of time you lie in bed awake.

Standard sleep advice says to only use your bedroom for sleep and intimacy. But your bedroom might be the only quiet space to work from home. And that proximity between your work space and your sleep space can keep deadlines and work

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A new study found that treating obstructive sleep apnea with CPAP therapy increased self-reported physical activity in adults with a history of heart disease.

During a mean follow-up period of 3.7 years, the group treated with CPAP therapy reported approximately 20% higher levels of moderate physical activity compared with the control group. The study also found the CPAP group was more likely to report activity levels consistent with expert recommendations.

“We were pleased to find that our CPAP users reported that they were better able to maintain their levels of activity over the four years of the study, and that they reported fewer limitations in moderate and vigorous activities including those that are important for independent aging, like walking up the stairs,” study coauthor Kelly Loffler, PhD, a research fellow at the Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia, said in a statement.

The study is published in the February issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

Nearly 30 million adults in the United States have obstructive sleep apnea, a chronic disease that involves …

Itamar Medical Ltd commissioned a survey, conducted in November 2020, based on a representative sample of more than 1,000 respondents from the United States, aged 18-65+.

Key findings:

• 89% of respondents believe they know what sleep apnea is
• 33% of respondents did not know they could significantly reduce the health risks associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stroke by treating sleep apnea
• 24% of respondents did not know of the existence of home sleep testing
• if prescribed/required, 56% of all respondents would choose a home-based testing solution, as opposed to an in-lab test
• The top 3 concerns respondents expressed as reasons to not take a sleep test were: cost (27.5%), inconvenience (20%), and fear of infection given the pandemic (16%)
• 25% of respondents stated that they were either unaware that snoring could be a sign of a more serious health issue or did not believe it to be true
• 23% of respondents suggested that they would think twice before seeking medical help for a sleep problem, with 28% stating outright that they would not seek medical care at all
• 33%

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Psychologists add perspective to 2020 and share tips for better sleep in 2021.

By Earl C. Crew, PhD, Kelly Baron, PhD, DBSM, Michael V. DeSanctis, PhD, LP, ABPP, DBSM, Christina McCrae, PhD, CBSM, and Skye O. Margolies, PhD, DBSM

Having used the past few months to ponder it in full, the conclusion about 2020 remains the same: the year was a bit of a nightmare for sleep.

Between the COVID-19 pandemic, racial violence, pervasive wildfires, a contentious election season, and an economic collapse, it’s hardly surprising that people with insomnia, nightmares, and other concerns about poor sleep have flooded sleep medicine clinics.

At a time when our immune systems and mental health need as much support as they can get, sleep is like a frontline worker—essential. But how can we possibly sleep well when the future has been so uncertain? Especially since COVID-19 robbed many of their routines, social connection, and coping resources.

Early into the pandemic, we at the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine (SBSM) created a task force to help the public better understand how sleep might change …

Psychology Today: There is nothing that feels sexy about living with untreated sleep apnea.

The snoring, the exhaustion and irritability, the mood swings, the lack of focus, the physical symptoms (headache, dry mouth, sweating at night)—all make people feel uncomfortable and not themselves. 

Problems with sex and intimacy are themselves an often-overlooked signal of a possible undiagnosed sleep apnea condition. It’s important for couples to be aware of this, and to take action by seeking an evaluation from a physician, especially when intimacy problems occur along with other symptoms of OSA. When it goes undiagnosed and untreated—which happens all too often, unfortunately—sleep apnea presents significant problems for emotional intimacy, sexual desire and sexual function—in both men and women. Here’s how.

Sleep apnea pushes couples apart, physically and emotionally. Sleep apnea is a condition of disordered sleep breathing, and a hallmark symptom of sleep apnea is loud snoring. (Be aware, not everyone who has sleep apnea snores loudly all the time. Symptoms of sleep apnea vary among individuals, and between men and women. It’s possible to have sleep apnea

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Becker’s ASC Review: During the pandemic we have seen increases in alcohol consumption, weight gain and reports of post-COVID-19 sleep difficulty — all of which point to the need for an increased focus on sleep medicine.

In light of this and the fact that 90 percent or greater of patients with obstructive sleep apnea are currently undiagnosed, I think sleep medicine and surgery for obstructive sleep apnea are the areas in otolaryngology with the biggest growth potential. It is my hope that a recent focus on the importance of sleep to combat stress and build resilience will lead people to assess their sleep quality and seek help for sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea.

beckersasc.com

from Sleep Review https://www.sleepreviewmag.com/sleep-disorders/heres-where-2-ents-expect-the-most-growth-potential/…

Nyxoah SA, makers of a European Union CE-validated neurostimulator for obstructive sleep apnea that is working on getting US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, has received FDA approval for the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) conditional labeling for the Genio neurostimulation-based OSA therapy, currently being evaluated in the DREAM pivotal IDE study.

This revised labeling ensures that patients who receive the Genio system and those already implanted can now undergo full-body 1.5T and 3T MRI diagnostic scans within approved parameters, and access the benefits of Genio bilateral stimulation therapy.

The DREAM (Dual-sided Hypoglossal neRvE stimulAtion for the treatMent of Obstructive Sleep Apnea) study is an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) trial designed to support the marketing authorization of the Genio system in the United States. This is a multicenter study being conducted worldwide including sites in the United States, Germany, Belgium, and Australia.

[RELATED: Nyxoah Partners with Vanderbilt to Develop More Neurostimulation Tech for OSA]

Olivier Taelman, CEO of Nyxoah, says in a release, “The approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), received only a week after similar CE mark …