National Sleep Awareness Roundtable

CDC Finds Most Americans Experience Insufficient Sleep

admin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:26:22 +0000

A new study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds a majority of Americans experience insufficient rest or sleep at least once during a 30-day period. The findings come from an analysis conducted in 2008 of data from all 50 states (as well as D.C. and three U.S. territories) using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The system, run by state health departments in conjunction with CDC, gathered information through a random telephone survey of more than 400,000 adults 18 years and older. Participants were asked “During the past 30 days, for about how many days have you felt you did not get enough rest or sleep?” While over 30 percent reported no days of insufficient rest or sleep, 41 percent reported between one to 13 days, almost 17 percent reported 14 to 29 days and 11 percent reported insufficient rest or sleep for the entire 30-day period.

According to the National Sleep Foundation’s 2009 Sleep in America™ poll, the number of Americans who report they get less than six hours of sleep on average increased significantly from 13 percent in 2001 to 20 percent. The poll also found the number of Americans who report they get eight hours or more has decreased from 38 percent in 2001 to 28 percent. Sleep experts say most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night for optimum performance, health and safety. As a result of the study, the CDC recommends that health care providers consider adding sleep assessments to routine office visits in order to make needed interventions or referrals to sleep specialists.

Read about the CDC study.
Learn about How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?

Provide Input on Healthy People 2020

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:22:41 +0000

Healthy People 2020 provides 10-year national objectives for promoting health and preventing disease. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is currently accepting recommendations on the development of the document.

Check out the Healthy People 2020 Web site where you can submit comments, find information on regional meetings and learn more about the process.

OSA More Prevalent in Patients with Severe Asthma

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:06:42 +0000

Researchers have found obstructive sleep apnea to be more common in patients with severe asthma compared with patients with moderate asthma, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Sleep apnea is a disorder in which breathing is briefly and repeatedly interrupted during sleep. The “apnea” in sleep apnea refers to a breathing pause that lasts at least ten seconds. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat fail to keep the airway open, despite efforts to breathe. The study — conducted by researchers at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec — followed 26 patients with severe asthma, 26 patients with moderate asthma and 26 control patients without asthma who were of similar age and body mass index. Patients underwent a complete overnight home polysomnography and filled out quality of life questionnaires. Using more restrictive scoring criteria, sleep apnea was found in the majority of patients with severe asthma (50 percent), while apnea was only found in 23 percent of patients with moderate asthma and 12 percent of control patients. Overall, apnea was significantly more prevalent in patients with severe asthma and more prevalent in patients with asthma compared with the control group.

Read the study abstract.
Learn more about obstructive sleep apnea and sleep.

Short Sleepers Could Develop Prediabetes

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:04:53 +0000

People who sleep on average less than six hours a night could develop impaired fasting glucose, or prediabetes, which can eventually lead to type 2 diabetes, according to research presented this week at the American Heart Association’s Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention. Researchers looked at the health records of almost 1,500 people taking part in the Western New York Health Study and found participants identified as short sleepers (less than six hours each night) were nearly five times as likely to convert from normal blood sugar levels to impaired fasting glucose compared with those getting six to eight hours of sleep. Normal fasting blood glucose levels are considered less than 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). Levels of 100mg/dL to 125 mg/dL are defined as impaired fasting glucose. If you suspect you have diabetes, it’s important to see a health professional. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to hypertension and increased risk of heart attack. It also damages the eyes, kidneys and other vital organs. The earlier one develops the disease, the greater the potential for long-term damage, especially if the diabetes isn’t diagnosed and brought under treatment.

Read the WebMD article.
Learn how obesity can lead to type 2 diabetes.