Tag Archives: sleep deprivation
Sitting, lack of sleep can shorten your life
Sitting, lack of sleep can shorten your life
You already know that smoking is bad for you and that drinking too much alcohol may shorten your life. Now a new study says that spending too much time in a chair and depriving yourself of necessary sleep should join a short list of behaviors known to increase your risk of premature death.
Sleep loss could be the reason you’re feeling cranky
A lesson in sleep loss
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) call insufficient sleep a “public health problem” and estimate that 30% of Americans get less than 6 hours of sleep a night.
Lack of sleep is linked to motor vehicle crashes, industrial disasters, and medical and other occupational errors. Diseases linked to sleep insufficiency include hypertension, diabetes, depression, obesity and cancer.
Contributing factors include round-the-clock access to technology and work schedules as well as disorders such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea.
Until now, it has not been clear what causes the emotional impairments triggered by sleep loss.
These factors could be robbing you of sleep
You know the drill by now—no caffeine after 3 pm, avoid late night spicy foods if you don’t want to be up with indigestion, kick the blanket-hogging dog out of the bed. But if you’re practicing good sleep hygiene and still tossing and turning at night (or feel exhausted every. single. morning.) one of these other factors could be robbing you of rest.
Epileptic Seizures Could Be Linked To Sleep Deprivation
The medical community has long known that people who suffer from epilepsy experience sudden electrical activity in the brain, and now there is significant evidence suggesting that sleep – particularly sleep deprivation – can trigger epileptic seizures.
CPAP America To Conclude 2015 New Jersey Speaking Seminars
Next week, CPAP America will be wrapping up their speaking engagements for the fall season.
On Tuesday, October 6th at 6:30 pm, Ed Frost, Founder and Chief Clinical Officer of CPAP America will be speaking at the Deptford Free Public Library (670 Ward Dr, Deptford Township, NJ 08096) as part of our speaking seminar A Lesson In Sleep: The Good, The Bad and the Sleep Deprived.
On Thursday, October 8th, CPAP America’s final speaking engagement of the year will take place at Cherry Hill Public Library ( 1100 Kings Hwy N, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034).
Topics Include:
- Home sleep testing vs. in-lab testing
- Disorders that affect your sleep, and the consequences of leaving them untreated
- How you can improve your sleep and quality of life when living with sleep apnea
- How to avoid chronic diseases, improve how you feel, and achieve better performance in your work and fitness practices
- Fitting a CPAP Mask and the importance of cleaning your CPAP equipment
A native of Bridgeton, New Jersey, Frost is a Registered Respiratory Therapist and has managed 27 sleep labs. He currently sits on the New Jersey State Board of Respiratory Care and is a speaker for A&T Lectures, LLC.
If you would like more information about CPAP America’s speaking engagements or would be interested in booking our company, feel free to call (800) 569-0167 or email us at sales@cpapamerica.com.
New Jersey Senators Booker, Sweeney, Helping To Curtail Driving Fatigue
The aftermath of the horrific crash that severely injured comedian Tracy Morgan and killed his friend, James “Jimmy Mack” McNair, has brought the issue of trucker fatigue to the national forefront. Two New Jersey Senators, Cory Booker and Stephen Sweeney, have played major roles over the last several years regarding efforts to curtail driving fatigue in the Garden State.
Booker recently introduced a bill called the Truck Safety Act, which would require truckers to be paid by the cumulative hours they’ve worked, as opposed to the miles they’ve covered. When truckers are paid on the miles they drive, they put everyone who travels with them on the road at a serious risk if they’re suffering from sleep deprivation, or if they have specific medical conditions that hinder their driving skills. A study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania and sponsored by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the American Transportation Research Institute of the American Trucking Associations found that almost one-third (28 percent) of commercial truck drivers have mild to severe sleep apnea.
Kevin Roper, the driver of the Walmart tractor-trailer that hit Morgan’s limo bus, did admit that he was sleepless for 24 hours prior to the accident. Whether Roper suffers from sleep apnea or other medical afflictions is unknown, and while FMCSA regulations do not specifically address sleep apnea, a person with a medical history or clinical diagnosis of any condition likely to interfere with their ability to drive safely, can’t be medically qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle for purposes involving interstate commerce. However, the driver can return to work if they’ve been successfully treated for their respective medial ailment. Whether Booker’s efforts are successful remains to be seen, but it’s possible that the fatal accident involving McNair could have been prevented as a result of state regulations.
Senator Sweeney has also been doing his part to prevent people from driving who are sleep deprived. Sweeney was largely responsible for the passing of Maggie’s Law, which was originally passed by New Jersey state legislature in 2003. Because of Maggie’s Law, drivers who have killed someone after not sleeping for more than 24 hours can be charged with vehicular homicide. The bill is named after Maggie McDonnell, a Washington Township, New Jersey resident who was killed in 1997 by a driver who was awake for more than 24 hours.
CPAP America will keep you posted on the efforts of our lawmakers to establish safer conditions for drivers in the state of New Jersey.
