Sleep Medicine
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Early treatment with CPAP may reduce dementia risk for patients with OSA
Sreelatha Naik, MD, FCCP, said the apparent benefit of CPAP therapy is not a surprise; however, more studies are needed to determine if treating sleep apnea can truly mitigate the higher risk of dementia.
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GLP-1 receptor agonists for managing OSA: Practical insights from an endocrinologist-sleep specialist
Brian Wojeck, MD, MPH, outlines the clinical considerations sleep medicine specialists will increasingly need to know to treat patients with obesity-related sleep apnea.
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Home high-flow nasal cannula therapy
Home high-flow nasal cannula therapy is a promising alternative form of respiratory support to NIV and CPAP. The treatment has been associated with a reduced number of acute exacerbations.
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Novel obesity medications open door to new era in treatment of OSA
In December 2024, the FDA approved tirzepatide, a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist previously approved for type 2 diabetes and obesity, as the first prescription medication for adults with moderate to severe OSA and obesity.
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Ending Daylight Saving Time
Daylight Saving Time faces opposition due to its impact on sleep, health, and safety. Experts point to sleep-wake cycle disruptions, fatal car accidents, and a higher prevalence of stroke and heart attack as an argument for Permanent Standard Time.
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Sleep and athletic performance
Considering the recent Olympics, it is timely to review the importance of sleep for optimal athletic performance. When surveyed, 20% to 50% of athletes report poor or insufficient sleep, with consequences across four categories.1 2 Athletic performance: Objective measures of athletic performance, such as oxygen-carrying capacity during cardiopulmonary exercise and even sport-specific accuracy measures, like…
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Hospital to home tracheostomy care
Patients with tracheostomies require comprehensive planning to avoid adverse events. Technological improvement has enhanced our ability to support these patients with complex conditions in their home settings. However, clinical practice guidelines are lacking, and current practice relies on a consensus of expert opinions.1 2 3 Once a patient who has had a tracheostomy begins transitioning…
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Post-intensive care syndrome and insomnia
There has been a recent interest in post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), as an increasing number of patients are surviving critical illness. PICS is defined as “new onset or worsening of impairments in physical, cognitive, and/or mental health that arises after an ICU stay and persists beyond hospital discharge.1 We know that poor sleep is a…
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Is it time to embrace a multinight sleep study?
Since the 1960s, sleep researchers have been intrigued by the first-night effect (FNE) in polysomnography (PSG) studies. A meta-analysis by Ding and colleagues revealed FNE’s impact on sleep metrics, like total sleep time and REM sleep, without affecting the apnea-hypopnea index, highlighting PSG’s limitations in simulating natural sleep patterns.1 Lechat and colleagues conducted a study…
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The not-so-silent night: Challenges in improving sleep in inpatients with Dr. Vineet Arora
Q: Are there interventions that can be readily implemented to improve sleep quality for hospitalized patients? Dr. Arora: A patient’s first night in the hospital is probably not the night to liberalize sleep; you’re still figuring out whether they’re stable. But by the second or third day, you should be questioning—do you need vitals at…
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Seasonal variations in sleep architecture
Do you feel like you sleep worse in the spring and have more difficulty keeping your schedule on track? There are new data to support the way you feel based on our deeper understanding of seasonal variations in sleep architecture. Patients in a recent study had 43 minutes less total sleep time and approximately 30…
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CPAP in overlap syndrome: Unveiling the evidence
The overlap syndrome (OS), which refers to the co-occurrence of OSA and COPD, was first described by Flenley in 1985 (Flenley DC. Clin Chest Med. 1985;6[4]:651). Over the years, numerous studies have demonstrated an increased risk of hospitalization and mortality in patients with OS (Brennan M, et al. 2022;1-10). Despite these findings, limited evidence exists…
