News & Announcements
Irregular Sleep Pattern and Mood
By: Joshua Roland, MD, FAASM It is fairly intuitive that mood and sleep have a bidirectional relationship. When we sleep poorly, we are more likely to not be in our best disposition and have a compromised emotional threshold the following day. We also know anxiety,...
A Sleep Tech’s Firsthand Experience with COVID
By: Edwin M. Valladares, MS, RPSGT, Manager, USC Sleep Disorders Center COVID-19 is an elusive buggee monster until it hits home. At the beginning of 2021 I contracted COVID-19. One day I felt like my lungs were slightly inflamed, like getting dust in your lungs and...
The President’s Corner
By: Rafael Pelayo, MD, FAASM Dear California Sleep Society, I hope you are as safe and healthy as possible during this time. It has become routine for the sleep professionals in our state to see patients via Zoom and to wear full PPE when working with patients in the...
The AHI Challenge
By: Robyn Woidtke, MSN, RN, RPSGT, CCSH In 2017, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force stated that screening for sleep apnea is not recommended in symptomatic adults, including those with unrecognized symptom[1]. This is an interesting conundrum as many individuals...
The Year 2020, Social Determinants of Health Amplified: Sleep Disparities
By: Robyn Woidtke, MSN, RN, RPSGT, CCSH The country is in the midst of the worst public health crisis most of us have experienced. The health disparities which existed prior to COVID-19 have only been exacerbated by the virus. The National Institutes of Health have...
Taping Your Mouth Closed During Sleep; Is that a Good Idea?
By: William T. Hart, MD Many products are being sold over the counter and are promoted to improve sleep. Recently I have noticed peddling of misinformation and potentially ineffective therapies are common on the internet. One of these is selling mouth tape for...
Light Therapy
By: Patrick Moday, BBA, RPSGT, RST, CCSH “Light is to darkness what love is to fear; in the presence of one, the other disappears.” Marianne Williamson, A Year of Miracles: Daily Devotions and Reflections. Light therapy (aka phototherapy and heliotherapy) is used to...
The Pandemic of Sedentariness
By: Emmanuel During, MD We will all remember the year 2020. A tragic year of confinement, emotional and financial strain across the society and across the globe. It seems that a lot can be said about this, but not much can be done, except for physically distancing,...
Severe Restless Legs Syndrome in the Setting of Iron Deficiency and Chronic Blood Loss
By: Sam A. Kashani, MD Introduction Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis-Ekbom Disease (WED), is a common sleep-related movement disorder characterized by an uncomfortable sensation in the legs associated with an urge to move the leg that usually...
A Quality Approach in Times of Uncertainty: Taking a Look at the ISO 9001 Framework
By: Robyn Woidtke, RN, RPSGT The status quo is no longer the status quo. I decided not to write about COVID-19 with regards to reopening and other such issues, however, with the crisis, there is also opportunity. Opportunity to re-evaluate current practices...
Call for Applications – 2024 BRPT’s CCSH Pathway 3 Educational Grant
Once again this year, the BRPT is excited to offer a series of CCSH Educational Grants to provide assistance to RPSGTs who are interested in pursuing the CCSH credential through Pathway 3. These educational grants are intended for RPSGTs who are unable to apply...
California Assembly Effort Would Repeal Daylight Saving Time
Assembly Bill No. 1776 would repeal daylight saving time in California, requiring the state to observe year-round standard time. The proposal would require passage by a two-thirds vote. Read more here.
Oregon Senate Committee Votes to End Daylight Savings
ORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Sick of setting your clocks forward and backward every year? You could soon be in luck, because some Oregon legislators are trying to save you the trouble. A bill proposing that the state should abolish the one-hour change from standard to...
AASM Foundation Free Webinar: Free Webinar: Sleep Health in K-12 Education and How We Can Help
Register today!
The Changing Paradigm Of Medicine, Is Sleep Medicine Keeping Up?
Although not a relatively new concept, the shape of medicine is changing. The P4’s of medicine came to fruition around 2008, when Dr. Leroy Hood coined the term, which includes the following concepts. Personalized: adapting to the physiological and personal needs of...
Later School Start Time: The Personal Story of Amrit Joshi
Balancing healthy sleep habits, academic excellence, and athletic performance is a task achieved by few, yet sought by many. As a senior at a prestigious high school and an all-league varsity athlete, I can testify that balancing these activities undoubtedly feels...
Sleep Technologists Appreciation Week
Sleep Technologists Appreciation Week Join us October 22-28, 2023, in celebrating Sleep Technologists Appreciation Week!
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) – Awareness Month and Safe Sleep Practices
Sleep health professionals are in the perfect position to advocate for safe sleep practices in their communities. Although the rate of SIDS has declined over the years, it still occurs. Although October is SIDS awareness month, we should be thoughtful of this year...
Dementia and Sleep
By: Patrick Moday, BBA, RPSGT, RST, CCSH You know, the first sign of dementia is when you repeat yourself. You know, the first sign of dementia is when you repeat yourself. Dementia Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, remembering, and reasoning —...
Community
By: Jonathan Sherrill, RPSGT, RST Greetings fellow sleep professionals, With so many changes happening in the community of sleep, I would not be surprised if we set a new attendance for our annual conference, October 6-7, 2023, in San Diego, California. Community: A...