Iowa Sleep Blog

Home Sleep Apnea Testing

Monday, September 19, 2016
By Vicki Richmond, RPSGT, Technical Director Home sleep testing is becoming popular with patients and and more insurance companies require them, rather than in laboratory testing as a starting point. Home sleep tests are capable of diagnosing sleep apnea, but are unable to diagnose other sleep disorders like narcolepsy, parasomnias, and sleep movement disorders. The question…

The Cost of Untreated Sleep Problems

Monday, May 16, 2016
While it might seem easier to push through a hard week or month at work or school by staying late working or studying extra hours, you are actually doing more harm than good. Last month, NPR did a report on how sleeplessness impacts workers and the workplace. They found that, when sleep deprived, you’re grouchier and more error-prone, which isn’t great for you or your employer. Sleep…

I've Been Diagnosed with OSA--Now What?

Monday, October 19, 2015
 If you’ve ever been told you snore, or suddenly stop breathing during your sleep, you may be experiencing obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a common disorder where a sleeper experience one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths because of excess skin blocking the airway the throat while they are asleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a couple seconds to more than 30…

A Sleep Consultation at Iowa Sleep

Monday, December 01, 2014
Sleeping is one of the few conditions of the body that is naturally recurring – indeed, no one needs to be taught to fall asleep. That said, sometimes we do need to be taught how to best fall asleep. Yet, taking action and asking for help when sleep doesn’t come easy isn’t always, well, easy. The doctors and specialists at Iowa Sleep want you to know you are not alone. According to the National…

Monitoring Your Sleep Keeps Getting Easier – iPhone Operating System Adds Sleep Activity Tracker

Tuesday, June 10, 2014
We’ve told you about how Fitbits can help your sleep, but now sleep tracking for iPhone and iPad users will require little more than downloading the phone’s new operating system, iOS8, this fall. Apple announced on Monday that iOS8 will include a health-monitoring app called HealthKit, which can log the user’s footsteps, heart rate and sleep patterns. Don’t panic if you already have a mobile…

How Accurately Do Personal Fitness Monitors Measure Sleep?

Monday, June 02, 2014
The proliferation of personal fitness monitors used to measure sleep has prompted researchers to study the accuracy of these devices. Dr. Montgomery Downs, a sleep researcher at West Virginia University, conducted a study designed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Fitbit when compared with the polysomnography and standard actigraphy tests used by sleep doctors for diagnosis of most…

How Treating Sleep Disorders Reduces the Risk of Heart Disease

Friday, May 30, 2014
If your family has a history of heart disease, it’s more important than ever to be aware of sleep disorders and their side effects. Although the connection between sleep disorders and heart conditions is not fully defined, there is a relationship between the two. Sleep disorders have been associated with heart conditions such as congestive heart failure, hypertension, stroke, cardiac…

What Can My Personal Fitness Monitor Tell Me about My Sleep?

Tuesday, May 27, 2014
A quick note before answering: our free webinar on use of a personal fitness monitor is coming up! The webinar is from 12-12:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 5. Register at www.insightsaboutsleep.com. Watch from the conveniences of your office or at home! Back to the question Personal fitness monitors—including the Fitbit, the Jawbone UP and the Nike Fuel Band—are big business. Sales in the United…