Bad Night’s Sleep May Raise Blood Pressure in Kids

By Denise Mann
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Dec. 16, 2013 (HealthDay News) — Kids who don’t get enough sleep at night may experience a slight spike in their blood pressure the next day even if they are not overweight or obese, a new study suggests.

The research included 143 kids aged 10 to 18 who spent one night in a sleep lab for observation. They also wore a 24-hour blood pressure monitor and kept a seven-day sleep diary.

The participants were all normal weight. None had significant sleep apnea — a condition characterized by disrupted breathing during sleep. The sleep disorder has been linked to high blood pressure.

According to the findings, just one less hour of sleep per night led to an increase of 2 millimeters of mercury (mm/Hg) in systolic blood pressure. That’s the top number in a blood pressure reading. It gauges the pressure of blood moving through arteries.

One less hour of nightly sleep also led to a 1 mm/Hg rise in diastolic blood pressure. That’s bottom number, which measures the resting pressure in the arteries between heart beats.

Catching up on sleep over the weekend can help improve blood pressure somewhat, but is not enough to reverse this effect entirely, report researchers led by Chun Ting Au, at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
So, even though the overall effect of sleep loss on blood pressure was small, it could have implications for risk of heart disease in the future, they suggested.

Exactly how lost sleep leads to increases in blood pressure is not fully understood, but Au and colleagues speculate that it may give rise to increases in stress hormones, which are known to affect blood pressure. The findings are published online Dec. 16 and in the January print issue of Pediatrics.

Participants in the study slept anywhere from seven hours or less to more than 10 hours. The less sleep they got, the higher their blood pressure was the following day.

U.S. experts said the new findings emphasize the importance of good quality sleep for all kids.

“The study separates the effect of sleep apnea from sleep loss, and conclusively shows that sleep loss in the absence of sleep apnea raises both systolic and diastolic blood pressure,” said Dr. Sanjeev Kothare, a pediatric sleep expert at NYU Langone Medical Center, in New York City.

“Pediatricians must screen for diabetes, and [high blood pressure] in teenagers with sleep loss besides screening for snoring and sleep apnea in obese teenagers,” Kothare said.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, children aged 5 to 12 need 10 to 11 hours of sleep. Teens need about 9.25 hours of sleep each night to function best, but for some, 8.5 hours is enough.

“Being healthy is not only getting regular exercise and eating right, but also trying to get the appropriate amount of sleep,” said Dr. Rubin Cooper, chief of pediatric cardiology at Cohen Children’s Medical Center, in New Hyde Park, N.Y.

To encourage better sleep, “start a bedtime routine that helps your children wind down before bed and limit texting or social media at night,” Cooper said. “Keep a similar schedule on weekdays and weekends.” Other sleep hygiene tips include avoiding caffeine before bedtime.

These measures may be even more important among kids who are overweight and obese. “If you have kids who are staying up late and getting up early on top of obesity and sleep apnea, it is the perfect storm,” Cooper said. But exactly how big of a difference better sleep would make in this scenario is unknown, he noted.

Although the study found an association between kids getting less sleep and a slight increase in blood pressure, it did not establish a cause-and-effect relationship.

The bottom line is that “sleep isn’t optional for adolescents,” said Dr. Metee Comkornruecha, an adolescent medicine specialist at Miami Children’s Hospital.

More information

Find tips on improving sleep at the National Sleep Foundation.

Resources: Health.Com

Treating Sleep Apnea May Lower Hard-to-Control Blood Pressure

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Dec. 10 (HealthDay News) — People with sleep apnea and hard-to-control high blood pressure may see their blood pressure drop if they treat the sleep disorder, Spanish researchers report.
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the standard treatment for sleep apnea, a condition characterized by disrupted breathing during sleep. The sleep disorder has been linked to high blood pressure.
Patients in this study were taking three or more drugs to lower their blood pressure, in addition to having sleep apnea. Participants who used the CPAP device for 12 weeks reduced their diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number in a blood pressure reading) and improved their overall nighttime blood pressure, the researchers found.

“The prevalence of sleep apnea in patients with resistant [high blood pressure] is very high,” said lead researcher Dr. Miguel-Angel Martinez-Garcia, from the Polytechnic University Hospital in Valencia.
“This [sleep apnea] treatment increases the probability of recovering the normal nocturnal blood pressure pattern,” he said. Patients with resistant high blood pressure should undergo a sleep study to rule out obstructive sleep apnea, Martinez-Garcia said. “If the patient has sleep apnea, he should be treated with CPAP and undergo blood pressure monitoring.”

The report, published in the Dec. 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, was partly funded by Philips-Respironics, maker of the CPAP system used in the study.

The CPAP system consists of a motor that pushes air through a tube connected to a mask that fits over the patient’s mouth and nose. The device keeps the airway from closing, and thus allows continuous sleep.
Sleep apnea is a common disorder. The pauses in breathing that patients experience can last from a few seconds to minutes and they can occur 30 times or more an hour.

As a result, sleep quality is poor, making sleep apnea a leading cause of excessive daytime sleepiness, according to the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a spokesman for the American Heart Association and professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, agrees that most patients with hard-to-control high blood pressure also suffer from sleep apnea.

“Close to three out of four patients with resistant [high blood pressure] have been found to have obstructive sleep apnea, and this sleep apnea may contribute to the difficulty to control the blood pressure in these patients,” he said.

Although this study showed a benefit from CPAP in controlling blood pressure, questions remain about the treatment’s overall effectiveness, Fonarow said.

“Whether these improvements in blood pressure can be sustained in the long term and will translate to improved health outcomes will require additional studies,” he said. According to the chief medical liaison for Philips Respironics, Dr. Teofilo Lee-Chiong, the CPAP device allows the patient to sleep, and thus lets the blood pressure drop normally as it would at night.

“Patients have to get used to it, and most patients do,” said Lee-Chiong, who is also a professor of medicine at National Jewish Health at the University of Colorado Denver.

The sound of the device is akin to a fan and can be lessened by placing the device under the bed or using earplugs, he added.

The cost of CPAP machines vary but can range from a few hundred dollars to $1,000, Lee-Chiong said. CPAP is covered by most insurance, including Medicare, he noted.

For the study, Martinez-Garcia and colleagues randomly assigned 194 patients with sleep apnea and high blood pressure to CPAP or no CPAP. During the study the patients continued to take their blood pressure medications.

The researchers found that those receiving CPAP lowered their 24-hour average blood pressure 3.1 mm Hg more than those not receiving CPAP.

In addition, those treated with CPAP had a 3.2 mm Hg greater reduction in 24-hour average diastolic blood pressure.

The difference in systolic pressure wasn’t statistically significant between the two treatment groups, the researchers noted.

Over the 12 weeks of the study, about 36 percent of those receiving CPAP had at least a 10 percent drop in nighttime blood pressure, compared with 22 percent of patients not receiving CPAP, they added.
The systolic pressure, the top number, measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats. The diastolic pressure, the bottom number, measures the pressure in the arteries between beats.

More information

For more information on sleep apnea, visit the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Resources: http://news.health.com/2013/12/10/treating-sleep-apnea-may-lower-hard-to-control-blood-pressure/

How Respironics Trilogy 100 - Helping COPD Patients Breathe Easier?

In case no one has informed you lately, there is now new hope for Respiratory Failure patients in their own home. In days past, typical COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) patients that retain CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) had little choice but to go to the emergency room and incur a hospital stay; typically in the Intensive Care Unit. Mechanical ventilation or some other type of respiratory assist device would be used to help get their carbon dioxide levels under control and they would be sent back home, only to repeat the process several days later.

Introducing the Trilogy 100

Now, thanks to Phillips/Respironics and your local durable medical equipment (DME) company---you have a new option. The device is called a Trilogy and operates as a ventilator does, but does so non-invasively. That means no tube has to be put into the trachea and the device can be used with a mask, similar to a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) or BiLevel machine. This means the patient's comfort level is increased tremendously and they can breathe much easier as well.

I recently had a patient tell me, "This thing has changed my life. In fact, I believe it's saved my life because before using it, I could never get enough air." Testimonials such as this one are numerous and those of us working in the medical field are delighted to hear them. Making a difference in someone's life and taking care of problems are some of the main reasons most of us are in the medical field.

On the technical side, the Phillips/Respironics Trilogy can used both invasively and non-invasively and the controls and parameters are adjustable in much the same way hospital ventilators are. Modes of ventilation offered are VC, PC, AC, SIMV and BiPAP S, T or S/T. You can set the Tidal Volumes, Frequency, Inspiratory Time, choose between Square and Ramp wave forms and it includes all the bells and whistles that are typical of most vents. The advantage for someone requiring control of their CO2 retention is that the device can not only offer tidal volume control, but also has pressure support in it's AVAPS setting, making the device easier to breathe through than a standard Bilevel device.

Whether, you are a patient, have a family member who you feel would benefit or are a patient advocate for a Respiratory Failure patient and feel the Trilogy would be of benefit, talk with your doctor, case manager or medical equipment company and help someone who "can't seem to get enough air" finally breathe easier.

For Orders Call 877-290-8636 or Visit our Product Page on: Request Order Trilogy 100

Video Of How To Use The Trilogy 100

Below you can watch how to use Trilogy 100 brought you by http://healthbleep.magnify.net.

COPD Patients Can Claim Normal Life Back

Yes, a COPD patient recovered after a severe COPD problems. You too can do the same with constant treatments that can help in expanding your successful life. 

There are lot of factors that may affect life but COPD is one of the worst of them. There are different types of treatments about COPD but only few might works well. The main problem of COPD is losing breathe due to damage lungs.

There's no cure for COPD, and you can't undo the damage to your lungs. But COPD treatments can control symptoms, reduce your risk of complications and exacerbations, and improve your ability to lead an active life.

Some patient claims that COPD can be best treated with Surgery. Others rely on the most simple way to fight against this kind of disease. One of the best therapies that may help will be oxygen concentration. Supplemental oxygen can lessen your burden of catching breathe.

Two of the Most Common Therapies That Works

Two of the most common therapies are oxygen therapy and Pulmonary rehabilitation program. 
Oxygen therapy. If there isn't enough oxygen in your blood, you may need supplemental oxygen. There are several devices to deliver oxygen to your lungs, including lightweight, portable units that you can take with you to run errands and get around town. Some people with COPD use oxygen only during activities or while sleeping. Others use oxygen all the time. Oxygen therapy can improve heart function, exercise capacity, depression, mental clarity and quality of life. In some people, it may also extend life. Talk to your doctor about your needs and options.

Pulmonary rehabilitation program. Comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation may be able to decrease the length of any hospitalizations you require, increase your ability to participate in everyday activities and improve your quality of life. These programs typically combine education, exercise training, nutrition advice and counseling. If you are referred to a program, you'll probably work with a range of health care professionals, including physical therapists, respiratory therapists, exercise specialists and dietitians. These specialists can tailor your rehabilitation program to meet your needs.

When exacerbations occur, you may need additional medications, supplemental oxygen or treatment in the hospital. Once symptoms improve, you'll want to take measures to prevent future exacerbations. This may include quitting smoking, avoiding indoor and outdoor pollutants as much as possible, exercise and treatment for GERD. 

Learn more about COPD Here