Elly Mackay Blog
Can Snoring Be Stopped?
It is interesting that many people get easily annoyed when they hear the loud snoring sounds from sleeping snorers when in reality 1/2 of all adults actually snore. We are speaking of millions of individuals who emit snore sounds once they sleep at night. From your youth until the present, you probably know so many people who are guilty of snoring and the majority of us eventually accepted snoring as part of the norm.
Unfortunately, along with snoring are its medical risks that endanger the snorer’s life and make the life of the non-snoring partner miserable as they endure long and sleepless nights without reprieve from their snoring partner’s annoying nighttime habit.
Snorers may suffer from daytime fatigue, chronic sleeplessness, and sleep deprivation as their sleep quality deteriorates every single night. The airway is blocked and the snorer often gasps for air in their sleep. They experience constant breathing gaps now and then that makes it difficult for the body to pump life-giving oxygen to the brain and the other parts of the body, which can affect certain body …
Surgery to Move Jaws Improves Outcomes in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients
Surgery that moves both jaws forward—known as maxillomandibular advancement (MMA)—is a significantly effective and safe treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), resulting in benefits that include improved breathing, daytime wakefulness and quality of life, as well as a lower cardiovascular risk, according to a new study.
MMA should be regarded as the preferred treatment for patients with moderate to severe OSA who cannot stick with the treatment of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or declined CPAP as a long-term treatment, researchers concluded in the study published in the February issue of the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery—the official journal of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS).
During OSA, airway muscles, large tonsils, the tongue, or excess tissue obstruct the airway, resulting in breathing dangerously stopping and starting during sleep. The condition can result in excessive daytime sleepiness, lower quality of life, and impaired cognitive function that impacts daily activities. The sleep disorder is associated with high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. CPAP, the standard accepted therapy for OSA, blows air to keep the
…Too Much, Too Little Sleep Linked to Increased Cardiovascular Disease Risk
The amount of time you sleep, including daytime naps, is linked to your risk of developing cardiovascular disease and death, according to a study of over 116,000 people in 7 regions of the world, published in the European Heart Journal.
The researchers found that people who slept for longer than the recommended duration of 6 to 8 hours a day had an increased risk of dying or developing diseases of the heart or blood vessels in the brain. Compared to people who slept for the recommended time, those who slept a total of 8 to 9 hours a day had a 5% increased risk; people sleeping between 9 and 10 hours a day had an increased risk of 17% and those sleeping more than ten hours a day had a 41% increased risk. They also found a 9% increased risk for people who slept a total of 6 or fewer hours, but this finding was not statistically significant.
Before adjusting for factors that might affect the results, the researchers found that for every 1000 people sleeping six or fewer
…How Does Sleep Protect Against Heart Disease? Mouse Study Offers Insight
Researchers say they are closer to solving the mystery of how a good night’s sleep protects against heart disease. In studies using mice, they discovered a previously unknown mechanism between the brain, bone marrow, and blood vessels that appears to protect against the development of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries—but only when sleep is healthy and sound. The study, funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, will appear in the journal Nature.
The discovery of this pathway underscores the importance of getting enough quality sleep to maintain cardiovascular health and could provide new targets for fighting heart disease, the leading cause of death among women and men in the United States, the researchers say.
“We’ve identified a mechanism by which a brain hormone controls production of inflammatory cells in the bone marrow in a way that helps protect the blood vessels from damage,” says Filip Swirski, PhD, the study’s lead author who also is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, in a release.
…5 Vitamin Deficiencies that Can Affect Your Sleep
We know that diet and sleep are deeply connected. But the truth is, we don’t know nearly enough yet about how individual nutrients impact our sleep. Here, I look at 5 vitamins that appear to play a role in how much sleep we get and how restful and high-quality that sleep is. As you’ll see, several of these vitamins may affect our risk of sleep disorders, including insomnia and sleep apnea. And at least two of them appear to play a role in regulating our circadian rhythms, the 24-hour bio rhythms that control our sleep-wake cycles.
I’m a big believer in leveraging a healthy diet to improve sleep. Often, diet alone doesn’t give us all the nutrients we need. Supplements can play an important role in filling those gaps. (I wrote recently about 10 of the most effective supplements for sleep.)
But before you run out and add the vitamins below to your supplement list, I encourage you to do two things. Look for ways to improve your vitamin intake through your diet. And talk to your doctor. Getting the
Itamar Medical Partners with CardioVisual
Sleep diagnostics company Itamar Medical Ltd has entered into a digital education partnership with CardioVisual to educate cardiovascular patients and physicians on the importance of diagnosing and treating sleep apnea to improve patient outcomes and streamline cardiology practice workflow.
Obstructive sleep apnea has been shown to increase the risk for stroke, sudden cardiac death and cardiovascular mortality. The treatment of obstructive sleep apnea has also been shown to reduce AFib recurrence post ablation. The educational program is delivered through CardioVisual, a multimedia interactive heart health app created by cardiologists for both healthcare professionals and patients. Through the interactive app, videos describe the importance of diagnosing and treating sleep apnea and the clinical benefits of Itamar Medical’s WatchPAT home sleep apnea testing device.
“There are an estimated 36 million cardiovascular patients who have undiagnosed sleep apnea, putting them at further risk for cardiovascular mortality. Itamar Medical’s WatchPAT technology is recognized within the US cardiology community as a simple and reliable tool to accurately diagnose sleep apnea at home,” says Gilad Glick, president and CEO of Itamar Medical, in a release. “The
…Communicating About Noncommunicable Diseases [Editor’s Message]
Do your part to reduce sleep-related risk factors for the top 10 health threat of noncommunicable diseases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has ranked noncommunicable diseases as one of the top 10 health threats in the world for 2019.1 Defined as chronic diseases resulting from a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental, and behavioral factors, noncommunicable diseases cause 15 million premature deaths each year of people who are between 30- and 69-years-old, the WHO states. Cardiovascular diseases account for the most deaths, followed by cancers, respiratory diseases, and diabetes. Among many things, this year WHO will work with governments worldwide to help them meet the global target of reducing physical inactivity by 15% by 2030.
Closer to home, sleep professionals can do their part to reduce sleep-related risk factors for these chronic and deadly diseases. Here are some places to start.
Familiarize yourself with the literature on the links between sleep disorders and the most deadly noncommunicable diseases. An easy way to do this is to sign up for a free NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) account at
…Will Chocolate Keep Me Awake Or Affect My Sleep On Valentine’s Day?
This week I was not traveling because I have some big news to share with you next week.
Not traveling means I got a chance to catch up on a few journal articles and podcasts (both listening and being a guest) and sometime during the week, I realized it’s almost Valentine’s Day!
What is one of the first things we think about when we think of Valentine’s day?
In my house, it’s Chocolate of course!
Amazingly, 58 million pounds of chocolate will be purchased during the week of Valentine’s day, if you do the math a Hershey’s Kiss is roughly 4.5g. If there are 454 grams in a pound (or about 100 “kisses”), this would equal 5.8 billion kisses, that’s almost enough to give every person on the planet a Hershey’s Kiss!
That my friend is a lot of love and chocolate.
The big question everyone asks is, “will a belly full of chocolate have an effect on my sleep?”
The ANSWER: Probably NOT. Information supplied by the Hershey company shows that caffeine content differs depending upon the type …
Must Try Snoring Remedies
Snoring is an annoying habit. The deafening buzzing sound can drive you insane and won’t allow you to sleep a wink at night. Habitual snoring can affect your sleep quality leading to sleep deprivation and daytime fatigue. You may feel constantly drained of energy and always drowsy during the day, so you are unable to focus on your tasks and even puts you at risk of accidents like falls as well as road accidents if you drive to get to and from work.
Snoring is especially common among older adults and it can also keep the people around you awake, tossing and turning in bed for hours on end and imagine them having to go through this on a daily basis. While there is no known cure yet for snoring and sleep apnea, the condition that causes one to snore habitually, there are remedies you can try to at least reduce snoring and make it easier for you and your partner to finally sleep soundly at night.
Aside from making lifestyle modifications, another remedy you can try is to assume …
Study: Sleep Apnea More Dangerous for Women’s Hearts
Obstructive sleep apnea, which often comes with severe snoring, is a common yet dangerous sleep disorder. According to one recent study, this condition may be especially dangerous for women’s heart health.
…The study looked at data on 4,877 people available through UK Biobank. Results showed that for men and women who reported obstructive sleep apnea or snoring, heart imaging revealed an increased thickness in the left ventricular wall, which is the heart’s main pumping chamber.
However, the difference in thickness was greater for women.
Reena Mehra, M.D., M.S., Director of Sleep Disorders Research at Cleveland Clinic, did not take part in the research, but said sleep apnea risks do vary between men and women. “There are known sex-specific differences in obstructive sleep apnea, in terms of risk across the lifespan and symptoms,” she said. “We know that obstructive sleep apnea is 2-5 times more common in men than it is in women; but when women become post-menopausal, their risk for obstructive sleep apnea actually increases.”
Dr. Mehra said the study results suggest the changes in the hearts of the snoring
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