Month: September 2016

  • Can I Smoke During My Sleep Study?

    In 2013, 17.8% of American adults reported smoking cigarettes, down from 20.9% in 2005 and 42.4% in 1956 (when the U.S. government first started keeping such records). That’s great news! But it’s really important for people who already have sleep issues to stop or reduce their smoking as smoking affects the quality of your sleep … Read More »

  • Do Acrylic Fingernails Interfere with Sleep Study

    How Will Acrylic Nails or Nail Polish Affect My Sleep Study?

    The nail industry grew to $7.47 billion in 2012. In California alone, there were almost 8,000 nail salons. Many of the patients we schedule for in-center and in-home sleep studies wear nail polish, gels or acrylics.  Our customer service department is frequently asked whether nail polish, gels or acrylics will interfere with testing. Jonathan Sherrill, RPSGT, … Read More »

  • Coffee Image

    When Should You Drink Your Morning Coffee?

    Why does coffee help us start the day? Caffeine is a tricky substance. To our brains, caffeine looks like adenosine, a compound consisting of adenine (one of the four building blocks of DNA) and ribose. As it is created in the brain, adenosine binds to the adenosine receptors, causing drowsiness by slowing down nerve cell activity. Caffeine is … Read More »

  • The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Work Performance

    Busy professionals experience many pressures that impede their ability to obtain optimal amounts of sleep. Working according to shift patterns, working across different time zones simultaneously and international travel¹ are all common causes of sleep loss. In addition, the use of artificial lighting and hand-held technologies at night², ever increasing pressure to perform (and to … Read More »

  • Man Holding Hand over Chest Image

    Does CPAP Save Lives?

    A study published this month in the New England Journal of Medicine tested the effects of CPAP therapy on heart disease.  Positive Airway Pressure devices, called PAP, deliver pressurized ambient air through a delivery system (tubing and mask), to eliminate apnea events during sleep. PAP, including CPAP, BIPAP, Auto-PAP, and ASV-PAP, is the most effective treatment for … Read More »

  • Mouse Image

    Sleep Trigger Found in Mice May Help Treat Insomnia in Humans

    Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a circuit in the brains of mice that regulates their sleep-wake cycle.  As many as 25-30% of Americans suffer from chronic insomnia, the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep through the night (learn more about insomnia here). Louis de Lecea, PhD., professor of psychiatry … Read More »

  • Lonely drunk man sleeping after a bottle of wine image

    How Does Alcohol Affect Sleep?

    We’ve covered the effects of using electronics before bed in several blog posts (check out the most recent one here). According to some doctors, drinking alcohol before bed may be even more disruptive to your sleep. Learn about the effects of alcohol on sleep.