Sydney medical student Michelle Emerson, 25, says she realised she had delayed sleep phase disorder while listening to a university lecture on sleep disorders. “If ever I have to wake up at what most people would consider a normal time, I’m ridiculously tired and if I could keep pressing the snooze button, I would,” she said. Her ideal bed time is around midnight or even later, but she says that is not conducive to her lifestyle and study. Study to examine whether melatonin could treat the disorder Doctors are at a loss to explain what causes the disorder, however, they suspect it is a dysfunction of the body’s internal clock which tells the body when to go to sleep and when to wake up. They believe the hormone melatonin – which controls the body clock – may be involved. Researchers at Sydney’s Woolcock Institute are running one of the first trials into delayed sleep phase disorder.
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Sleep disorder multiplies depression risk
A complicating factor is that the effects of depression and sleep apnea can be difficult to distinguish, says psychiatrist Michael Weissberg, M.D., co-director of the insomnia and sleep disorders clinic at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, in Denver. “There probably is an important connection between depression and sleep apnea, but it’s hard to sort out who has what,” Weissberg says. “Sleep disruption, particularly insomnia, can be a risk factor for developing depression, and a lot of symptoms of people who have sleep apnea — they feel lousy, they can’t think straight — are similar to symptoms people have in depression.” Health.com: Signs of depression in men The study shows only an association, not cause and effect, and the researchers can’t rule out the possibility that an unidentified factor could contribute to both sleep apnea and depression. But it’s plausible to think that sleep apnea could directly cause depression. The sleep interruptions that characterize the disorder have been shown in previous research to affect mood. And on a cellular level, the momentary drop in oxygen that occurs when a sleeping person stops breathing could lead to brain changes by triggering stress or inflammation, says Anne Wheaton, Ph.D., the lead author of the study and an epidemiologist in the CDC’s division of population health.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/30/health/conditions/sleep-apnea-depression/
Sleep960 Releases SleepScreener 3.0: A Web Based Patient Screening and Referral Generator Application for Sleep Disorders
In either case the health care professionals are alerted on their own Tablet or Smartphone of any high risk patients. One touch displays a detailed Sleep Profile report and another displays a populated Electronic Referral form. A final touch sends the signed referral to a designated facility licensed to use the application. Depending on how much time is spent discussing the results with the patient the entire process can take less than a minute. Additional enhancements now allow the medical practice to display their own messaging and videos to the patient. For example a custom Welcome message can be displayed before the patient begins the questionnaire.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://productivityapps.itbusinessnet.com/article/Sleep960-Releases-SleepScreener-30:-A-Web-Based-Patient-Screening-and-Referral-Generator-Application-for-Sleep-Disorders-2771756
Dipping Into The Blogpond 