Elizabeth Shannon's Page

By Dr. David O. VolpiIt is common knowledge that untreated sleep apnea can have dire health effects, but researchers in England found out that loss of sleep also increases a person’s risk of nodding asleep at the wheel, and getting in a car accident. That endangers not only the person suffering from the sleep disorder, but any person driving around them at any given time.The study, which was organized…See More

In early October, the Canadian Stroke Congress updated their stroke care guidelines to state that proper diagnosis and screening of sleep apnea is critical to stroke prevention.The Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Stroke Care was first released in 2006. This is the fourth update to the guidelines, and the first time the best practice guidelines have included a section on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).OSA is a breathing disorder that causes a person’s breathing during sleep to be…See More

There have been multiple studies published in the last few years regarding the effects of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and other sleep disorders on children and teens.In early 2013, Penn State researchers published the results of a study showing that children who have learning, attention and/or behavior problems may in fact be suffering from a condition known as excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) — even if…See More

If you, or someone you know, have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), you’re probably familiar with a treatment called CPAP, or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure.While some people find the mask worn for CPAP treatment uncomfortable—more on that later—it has been proven to be a highly effective way to keep the airways open that become obstructed in sleep apnea patients, and reduce or prevent snoring and paused breathing.There’s a new study that found that CPAP treatment also…See More

Over the past three years, I have been writing the Wake Up! You’re Snoring blog with two main objectives: first, to educate you, the public, about sleep disorders, and second, to provide compelling reasons—preferably scientific evidence—why a person who may have a sleep disorder should get diagnosed and, if necessary, properly treated.There is no shortage of scientific studies being released on a regular basis showing links between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), insomnia, and other sleep…See More