Since 2009, the number of veterans' claims for sleep apnea has increased by over 150%, USA Today reports.

The surge in reports of sleep apnea can be attributed to growing awareness of the condition, according to officials of the Department of Veterans Affairs. This disorder is becoming increasingly recognized as a serious health concern, which is permitting veterans to apply for and receive appropriate treatment.

Last week, a Chinese man was found dead in front of his TV after staying up for several nights in a row to watch the World Cup.

The cause? Sleep deprivation.

Summer has come, which means we can look forward to longer evenings, warmer days, and midsummer festivities. However, summertime changes in weather and scheduling can make it challenging to maintain sleep patterns. With 15 to 20 percent of adults experiencing short-term insomnia, seasonal sleep disturbances are a legitimate concern.  So how can you make sure you are rested and refreshed to enjoy all that the coming months have to offer?

Patients with more family support show better adherence to CPAP therapy for sleep apnea.

This according to the findings of a new study presented today at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine annual Sleep Conference.

Quick Q&A and Resources

Q: What is ICD10?

Answer: 

The International Classification of Diseases (also known by the abbreviation ICD) is the United Nations-sponsored World Health Organization’s "standard diagnostic tool for epidemiology, health management and clinical purposes." The ICD is designed as a health care classification system, providing a system of diagnostic codes for classifying diseases, including nuanced classifications of a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances, and external causes of injury or disease (source: Wikipedia). 

Q: How is ICD10 different from ICD9?

Research you can't ignore:

• Untreated sleep apnea increases erectile dysfunction in men and loss of libido in women.

• Treating sleep apnea can improve sexual function and sexual desire in men and women.

We know that lack of sleep, daytime sleepiness, restlessness and snoring can put a strain on relationships. With as many as 20 million Americans suffering from sleep apnea and many patients undiagnosed and untreated, there are lots of relationships suffering from lack of intimacy.

Scientists suspect that the consequences of sleep apnea that affect sexual function are caused by lack of sex hormones in men and women. Sleep apnea causes frequent waking in the night. Some people awake as many as 100 times an hour due to closures of the airway. This may cause levels of sex hormones, like testosterone to drop, causing sexual dysfunction.

Babies Born to Obese Mothers with Sleep Apnea are at Increased Risk for Admission to the NICU.

We posted earlier this week about the link between gestational diabetes and OSA. Now we're looking at the affects of OSA on the newborn baby. A 2012 study showed that babies born to obese mothers with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at increased risk for complications after birth.

The study tested 175 obese pregnant women at home using unattended home sleep testing. About 15% of the women had sleep apnea.

The results:

Just about every sleep disorder that afflicts humans is Youtube-worthy when it affects our dogs! (You have to watch the whole video, the last one's the best). The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of restless leg syndrome is my childhood lab sound asleep under the dining room table blissfully chasing rabbits in his sleep. But I know, all too well, that restless leg syndrome is not that funny or cute- especially during pregnancy.

A recent study of pregnant women showed that those with gestational diabetes were 7 times more likely to also suffer from obstructive sleep apnea.

In August 2013, researchers conducted overnight polysomnography (a sleep study) on 45 women. 15 of the women were pregnant AND had gestational diabetes, 15 women were pregnant and did NOT have diabetes and 15 women were not pregnant and did NOT have diabetes.

The results, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinoloy & Metabolism:

75% of the pregnant women with gestational diabetes ALSO suffered from obstructive sleep apnea

This is the first post in a series about sleep disorders affecting women during pregnancy. We first published this post in the Summer of 2013.