AAST Blog
The latest on all issues affecting sleep technologists, including trends, insights, tips and more.
By:
AAST Associate Editor
September 17th, 2020
This blog is based off of the AAST 2019 Annual Meeting Session "Parasomnias." For more information on this session and other session recordings click here. From nightmares to sleepwalking to REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), parasomnias can occur in many forms without the patient even knowing they are experiencing an event. For sleep professionals, it is imperative they can educate patients with parasomnias as these sleep disorders can have lasting and physically damaging effects.
Sleep Disorders | Sleep Medicine | sleep disorder breathing and children | Research
By:
Regina Patrick, RPSGT, RST
June 20th, 2019
The neurocognitive disorder Alzheimer’s disease affects an estimated 5 million Americans. Its prevalence is expected to triple by 2060. People affected by Alzheimer’s disease have increasing problems with memory, judgement and doing daily tasks of living as the disease progresses. Various studies have indicated that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and that people with OSA have increased levels of certain biomarkers (e.g., amyloid beta protein) associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists have recently noted increased levels of biomarkers associated with Alzheimer’s disease in young children with OSA.
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Sleep Disorders | strange sleep
By:
AAST Editor
April 18th, 2019
Sleepwalking, yelling in your sleep, violently thrashing in bed and hurting those you love. No, it’s not a demonic possession; it is REM sleep behavior disorder, or RBD. RBD is a sleep disorder that common presents itself in older men and causes people who suffer from it to physically act out their dreams. Its cause is unknown, but its effects can be terrifying.
Sleep Disorders | night shift work
By:
Tamara Sellman, RPSGT, CCSH
March 27th, 2019
This article originally appeared in SleepyHeadCENTRAL.com on March 9, 2019. Reprinted by permission of the author. On Feb. 20 and 21, the National Safety Council (NSC) presented its first annual Workplace Fatigue Conference. It convened a diverse cross-section of leaders in the field of workplace fatigue management.
Sleep Disorders | strange sleep
By:
AAST Editor
March 21st, 2019
What does a German fairytale and a severe sleep disorder have in common? A lot, apparently.
Sleep Disorders | night shift work
By:
Reg Hackshaw, EDD
November 21st, 2018
Drowsy watchkeepers on vessels navigating open waters can be a major hazard during military and commercial shipping operations. The sinking of the H.M.S. Bonetta, a 19th century British warship, was a dramatic example of human error related to hypersomnolence at sea (HSS). The consequences resulting from a sailor who fell asleep during his shift on the ship’s bridge are preserved in a historical account. This article surveys the significance of HSS based on the findings of an extensive research study and subsequently highlights events surrounding the loss of the Bonetta. Reviews of subjective scales used to identify HSS, and a computer application that estimates likelihood of drowsiness during the night shift, conclude this two-part series.
By:
AAST Editor
August 23rd, 2018
Mary McKinley, R. EEG T., RPSGT, MA, is presenting the breakout session “Complementary and Integrative Therapies for the Management of Insomnia in Chronic Disease” at the AAST 2018 Annual Meeting, Sept. 28-30, 2018, in Indianapolis. We caught up with McKinley to discuss her background and the future of sleep medicine.
Sleep Disorders | polysomnography | aasm | heart disease
By:
Richard Rosenberg, PhD
August 20th, 2018
I was a postdoctoral fellow at Argonne National Laboratory and had the pleasure of working with George Sacher. At the time, he was president of the Gerontological Society of America and had spent his life working on ways to increase lifespan. He was a proponent of hormesis, the idea that moderation was the path to a longer life. Of course, some things should be off the list, like a moderate amount of murder.
Sleep Disorders | Sleep Medicine | polysomnography
By:
Regina Patrick, RPSGT, RST
August 2nd, 2018
The advent of actigraphy in the 1990s made it possible to indirectly record a person’s sleep-wake cycles based on the person’s activity level, with increased activity indicating wakefulness and decreased activity indicating sleep. In actigraphy, a device — an actigraph — which is typically worn on the wrist, continually records movement data over a prolonged time — one week or more.
By:
Richard Rosenberg, PhD
May 29th, 2018
Every healthcare professional walks into the examination room with predetermined biases regarding the patients they see. Fifty-year-old obese man? OSA, of course. Twenty-year-old woman with daytime sleepiness? Could be narcolepsy. A man comes to the sleep center with his wife and she has a black eye? REM behavior disorder (RBD) is suddenly on your radar.
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