Sleep Technology

A Brief History of Polysomnography The earliest recorded theory of sleep is from c450 BC. At that time, a Greek physician by the name of Almaeon described sleep as a loss of consciousness as blood recedes from the surface of the body¹. A few other theories came out regarding sleep. However, all theories encompassed a similar theme: Sleep was seen as a passive state in which the brain was simply “turned off.”

While You Were Sleeping: What Sleep Technologists Need to Know This Week Your media watchdog for headlines and trends relevant to sleep technology and patient education.

Long before the Cleveland Indians took up the nickname “Indians” and introduced their controversial mascot Chief Wahoo, they were named the Cleveland Naps!  But, unlike the naps that help recharge Cleveland Cavalier basketball star LeBron James, the Cleveland Naps of the early 1900’s were not named after a favorite activity of MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL athletes, but rather after the player/manager Napoleon “Nap” Lajoie.

Insomnia Wire is an occasional supplemental news report  capturing insomnia news of relevant interest to sleep technologists and sleep health educators not featured in our regular news series, This Week in Sleep Medicine.

They call it “the grind.” Long bus rides, late night fast food, hotels of bad and mediocre quality, roommates that snore louder than any home run hometown crowd noise, and living conditions that can be anything from air mattresses, to stolen motel pillows or even dog beds on a bus floor.

Laree Fordyce, BTech, CCRP, RPSGT, RST, CCSH, is the director of clinical sleep services at Maple Respiratory Group, the president and technical director of Sound Sleep Solutions, and a member of the AAST Board of Directors.

While You Were Sleeping: What Sleep Technologists Need to Know This Week Your media watchdog for headlines and trends relevant to sleep technology and patient education.

It is very common to have patients with occasional to frequent restless nights followed by increased sleepiness during the day, and subsequent performance issues. In addition to the immediate impact of excessive daytime sleepiness and dysfunction, there is potential to develop chronic insomnia. There is also considerable data that links chronic insomnia to increased risk for diabetes, obesity, hypertension, plus an impact on the personal safety of an individual with chronic insomnia.

Welcome to the third Trends article. In the previous edition, we explored a perspective on how our field has evolved from a trade to a profession to meet the needs of the complex patient and numerous other demands in our modern sleep disorders settings. In this issue, we’ll take a comprehensive look at the role of the sleep navigator from both a bird’s-eye view and from a worm’s-eye view and share recommendations on how you as a sleep professional can fit into this role.

While You Were Sleeping: What Sleep Technologists Need to Know This Week Your media watchdog for headlines and trends relevant to sleep technology and patient education.