News & Announcements
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...
Sleep and the COVID Pandemic
By: Sam A. Kashani, MD Since the COVID-19 pandemic started in early 2020, we have all been subjected to give up our usual routines and coping skills, such as going to the gym, socializing with friends, and many other activities that constitute our daily life...
It Goes to Show, You Never Can Tell
By: Rafael Pelayo, MD It seems that the news about the Coronavirus pandemic got markedly worse after we lost an hour of sleep due to the daylight-saving shift. Correlations are not causation, but lack of sleep makes us more susceptible to viral infections. So...
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...
Idiopathic Hypersomnia Is More Than Just Sleepiness
By: Logan D. Schneider, MD Idiopathic hypersomnia is a sleep disorder that is primarily characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS; the inability to remain awake or alert during the day) and, in some patients, an excessive need for sleep (often sleeping more...
Volunteering – Cost: Personal Time and Effort, Reward: Priceless
By: Patrick Moday, BBA, RPSGT, RST, CCSH Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue....