Sleep :: Australasian sleep association, Perth – conference highlights

Snorers Cause Bed Partners to have EEG Arousals (91)Sean Tolhurst, University of Queensland and SNORE Australia – A new study has found that people with sleep apnea cause their bed-partners to have EEG arousals and sleep disturbance. Up until now there has been limited scientific information into how much a patient with Obstructive Sleep Apnea disturbs a sleeping bed partner. This study investigated the impact that snoring and sleep apnea events have on the bed-partner.

Does reduced sleep lead to overweight children? (48)Sarah Blunden, University of South Australia

A study of Australian schoolchildren in Darwin has raised the possibility that impaired sleep in children could contribute to being overweight.? A higher body mass index (BMI) was associated with reports of sleep problems and with daytime sleepiness in particular, though not consistently with reduced sleep time or symptoms of disordered breathing

?Adolescents and their changing sleep patterns (S1)Mary Carskadon, Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour, Brown University, Providence, USA

A growing need for autonomy, increasing access to social opportunities and increased access to electronic entertainment are just some of the factors that account for the marked changes in an adolescent’s sleep behaviour.?? Bioregulatory changes that occur during adolescence also appear to contribute to altered sleep patterns by applying ‘pressure’ or giving ‘permission’ to stay up later.

?Sleep and Breathing in the Elderly (S2)Mary Morrell, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, Clinical and Academic Unit of Sleep and Breathing, Royal Brompton Hospital, London

Mary Morrell discusses the state of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in older people.? How prevalent is it, what are the causes and the symptoms??? How should CPAP therapy be administered to this age group?? Given the high prevalence of SDB in older people further research is needed to identify which individuals are likely to benefit most from therapy.?

?Face shape may help predict obstructive sleep apnea (11/12)Richard Lee, Centre for Sleep Health & Research, Royal North Shore Hospital

Craniofacial abnormalities are important anatomical risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). A combination of various facial dimensions and angles has been identified as a way of predicting OSA. A new photographic technique for detailed analyses of the craniofacial phenotype has been developed which may be used in the clinical assessment of patients with OSA.?? Preliminary data from the trial of this technique suggest it is a simple and robust method for identifying craniofacial risk factors in patients with OSA.

?Treating perceptions about sleep may help prevent postnatal depression (27)Dr Paula Mitchell, University of Ballarat

A new study has found that there may be more new mothers with seriously depressed mood levels than are currently being identified by standard screening method. The study examined the relationship between impaired sleep, perceptions about sleep and postnatal depression (PND).? Its findings suggest that interventions aimed at correcting faulty perceptions about sleep could prove to be an effective treatment in some new mothers experiencing sleep disturbance and a powerful preventative measure for women at risk of PND.

?Response to a hypoxic event in preterm and term infants (7)?Rosemary Horne, Monash University

A failure to arouse in response to a hypoxic event has been proposed as a? mechanism for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Preterm infants are at increased risk for SIDS. In this recent study preterm and term infantsarousal responses to mild hypoxia during the first six months of life were compared. Results show both groups arouse readily to hypoxia in active sleep (AS), however the greater degree of desaturation seen at both 2-4 weeks and 2-3 months in preterm infants is compatible with their greater risk of SIDS.

?Non-indigenous school children sleepier during the day (47)Sarah Blunden, University of South Australia

A comparison between indigenous and non-indigenous Australian school children in Darwin has found those from non-indigenous backgrounds suffer more from excessive daytime sleepiness.

??Australasian Sleep Association Conference


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