There are currently 5.3 million Americans living with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia. In fact, every 67 seconds, someone develops the disease. Many people don't realize that Alzheimer's is the third leading cause of death in our country, and the only disease in the top 10 that cannot be prevented, cured, or even slowed. Much of today's research is focusing on prevention--and it turns out that treating sleep disorders like sleep apnea is an important component. 

You know what a smart phone is...but what about a smart CPAP machine?

On the most basic level, a PAP (positive airway pressure) machine is a medical device that blows pressurized air through the airway to prevent the throat closing during sleep apnea. But increasingly advanced technology in these machines is leading to all sorts of capabilities, including air pressure that is perfectly adjusted to your needs and the ability to track your CPAP compliance. 

Everyone's had that experience before. You're staring up at the ceiling, wishing that you could manage to fall asleep.  You might find yourself counting sheep, or calculating the hours left before your alarm will go off. You think "If I fall asleep now, I can get five hours of sleep.  If I fall asleep now, I can get four hours.  Now..."  It makes for a long night--but here's some consolation: you might actually be catching some winks without even realizing it.

Commercial bus and train operators are responsible for millions of lives. In recognition of this fact, most are subjected to frequent drug and alcohol testing. However, there is another condition that can cause impaired driving that is often over-looked--sleep apnea.

Here on the Sleep Better, Live Better Blog, we're hosting a series of guest posts to talk about alternatives to CPAP therapy for those who won't or can't use this method to treat their sleep apnea. Last week, we looked at a surgical alternative, bimaxillary advancement surgery.

This week, we're looking at an innovative procedure that aims to prevent the the airway closing up using electrical impulses like those used in pacemakers. Read on to learn more about Upper Airway Stimulation!

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a serious medical concern. It is caused by the buildup of fat in liver cells and is commonly found in obese people and those with high cholesterol. It afflicts up to 25% of adults in the United States. It can lead to swelling of the liver, damage, and eventually liver failure--which is serious becuase it has no cure. 

On top of that, liver damage is connected to another common, serious health condition--sleep apnea. Studies show that this sleep disorder can worsen or even cause liver damage and fatty liver disease.

Many patients ask their doctors (and us) about alternatives to PAP therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). While PAP is the gold-standard for treating OSA, there are many patients who can’t tolerate it, refuse to use PAP every night or are looking for an occasional alternative to using PAP every night.

In this blog series, we will ask experts to explain alternative therapies. Each expert will detail how the therapy works, who is a good candidate (and who isn’t) and where to go for more information.

What if there were a one-time procedure that could cure your sleep apnea for good, no mask required? Bimaxillary advacement surgery--a complicated term for moving both the upper and lower jaw forward--attempts to do just that. 

You know about the causes and negative symptoms of sleep apnea. But what are the direct physical causes of this sleep disorder? What happens when you experience an apnea?

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when soft tissue in the throat blocks off the airway, partially or completely preventing oxygen from entering the body. For this blog post, we’re going to take a closer look at what causes this obstruction, what physical characteristics make you more likely to develop sleep apnea, and how the closing of the throat can be prevented.

Living in the modern world, we might not notice just how much light we're surrounded by. From streetlights to television screens, we are constantly inundated by artifical luminescence, and we are only just now starting to realize the dangers of it. Blue light in particular, which is released in heavy quantities from smartphone screens, tablets, and even ereaders, has negative effects on our sleep schedules.

Have you ever gone to bed ready to sink into a deep, restful sleep--only to find that your stoamch is bubbling because of that heavy dinner you ate, keeping you up? Or that your brain is still buzzing from that sugar or caffeine you had with dessert? Or that you can't stop thinking about a midnight snack? Eating inappropriate foods before bed is a common cause of insomnia. Read on to learn about what foods make for a sound sleep.