Sleep Technology

Dance marathons captivated popular attention in the United States from the 1920s to the 1950s. These events were examples of competitive sleep deprivation. Contestants, who remained in nearly continuous motion for hundreds or even thousands of hours on the dance floor by forcibly delaying sleep onset, exhibited symptoms of behaviorally induced insufficient sleep syndrome (ISS). Reporters from local dailies who followed these contestants documented irresistible sleep attacks, physical exhaustion and episodes of delusional ideation due to severely restricted rest breaks.

As we are now into 2018, there are exciting things in store for members of AAST across the board! From programs to education to events, there will be many tools and resources at the disposal of sleep professionals going forward. We caught up with the six chairs of the various AAST committees and asked them to describe what members should be most looking forward to in the year ahead with regards to their respective committees. Here is what they told us:

Unlike what many people think, sleep apnea is not just a sleep problem.  Sleep apnea is failure to breathe properly during sleep. This means vital organs don’t get the oxygen they need.  It is a serious problem, especially for the heart. During sleep, the body should be resting.  With sleep apnea, the body struggles due to low oxygen levels causing increased stress on the heart.