Sleep News Weekly || February 16, 2018: Fired for sleep apnea? Chinese shoppers awoken in IKEA, dodgeball for narcolepsy, more
SHC vets the latest news on sleep so you don't have to.
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This news curation is SHC’s weekly effort to bring people the latest in sleep health links culled from the last week, categorized in newspaper-like “sections” and related, in some way, to sleep.
Who is this weekly news curation for? Note our subtitle: “News that Everyone Can Use… Because Everyone Can Use Some Sleep.” Our SleepNews Weekly feature is for ordinary people, sleep-disordered patients, families, all kinds of healthcare practitioners, policymakers, trend trackers.
If you have thoughts about any of these news headlines, feel free to share them in the comments below! We love to hear from readers! Cheers, TGIF, and have a great weekend!—The Curator
The Sleep News Weekly column will shift into a monthly, thematic special curation starting in mid-March 2018. Stay tuned!
WORLD NEWS
Dateline: February 9, 2018 from Science Daily (Japan)
Sleepless in Japan: How insomnia kills
“In March of 2011, over 7000 hospital staff in ten hospitals in the district of Rosai were given a self-administered anonymous questionnaire. The questions included information about the respondent’s gender, age, and medical profession, as well as questions about their sleeping history two weeks prior to responding to the survey, as well as detailing their overtime work, and their history of disease and chronic pain. It also asked them to assess their own feelings of depression and fatigue. …The results were alarming.” … (click headline for more)
NATIONAL NEWS
Dateline: February 7, 2018 from Berea Online (KY)
Beshear: Nearly 700 Kentuckians file claims in nearly $500,000 sleep disorder drug settlement
“The 2016 settlement ends a multistate investigation into Cephalon, a wholly owned subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceuticals, alleging its anticompetitive actions delayed generic versions of Provigil from entering the market for several years. …A total of 696 Kentuckians who filed a claim will receive a portion of roughly $493,000. As part of the settlement, Kentucky’s Medicaid program will receive nearly $500,000.” … (click headline for more)
OP-ED
Dateline: February 6, 2018 from Observer-Reporter
EDITORIAL: Schools should consider later start times for teens
Editorial opinion from the LNP, Lancaster, PA: “Our high school students aren’t snowflakes in need of coddling. They’re exhausted. And getting wearier by the day.” … (click headline for more)
BUSINESS
Dateline: February 6, 2018 from Chief Executive
Simple and Effective Ways Busy Executives Can Beat Jet Lag
“While your smartphone automatically resets to represent the new time, your bodies internal software doesn’t operate as efficiently … With that said, jet lag doesn’t have to equate to an automatic sentence of decreased performance and quality of life. In fact, using these four strategies, you can lessen the effects of jet lag during your next extended trip.” … (click headline for more)
WORKPLACE
Dateline: February 8, 2018 from New York Post
Sleep apnea sufferers claim discrimination after losing jobs
“[Ronnie] Allen, who first started driving Greyhound buses in 2011, says he started wearing a mask and lost weight after he was placed on a leave of absence due to his apnea. … But the company fired the Harlem man in 2014 anyway, according to his suit. … Greyhound said it could not comment on pending litigation, but noted that drivers with sleep apnea are tested annually for treatment ‘compliance.’” … (click headline for more)
WOMEN’S HEALTH
Dateline: February 13, 2018 from Psychology Today
No Time for Sleep: Pregnancy mental health and sleep
“With a countdown of less than 9 months (depending on when pregnancy is detected!), many pregnant women give sleep a low priority, thinking that they’ll catch up while they’re “off” after the baby is born. …The problem is that sleep lost during pregnancy is never regained, and women start their new lives with their infants in a state of sleep deficit. It’s no surprise that studies show that sleep deprivation in pregnancy is common with up to 40% of pregnant women struggling with sleep problems.” … (click headline for more)
CONSUMER NEWS
Dateline: February 8, 2018 from Why We Snore
Safety Risks of Buying a Used CPAP Machine
“One of the most important things to remember about buying a used CPAP machine, as with any used medical equipment, is that it might be contaminated. Contamination is a big risk with CPAP machines anyway, since they’re constantly blowing air into your nose, throat, and lungs. You need to take care in cleaning your own CPAP machine, which only has germs from you, and, even so, CPAP has been associated with higher pneumonia risks. When you introduce the potential for cross-contamination with another user, you are exposing yourself to even more risks.” … (click headline for more)
CULTURE
Dateline: February 6, 2018 from Deadline
Joyce Gilliard, Injured Crew Member From ‘Midnight Rider,’ Launches Safety PSA
“On Feb. 20, it will be four years since Sarah Jones’ life was taken away on a train trestle in Georgia during the first day of shooting the Gregg Allman biopic Midnight Rider. Several other crew members were injured, including hairstylist artist Joyce Gilliard whose arm was almost torn off as she narrowly escaped death on the train track. Gilliard has now committed herself to safety issues and just pulled together a PSA that, coincidentally, includes family members of three of the people Deadline happened to write about last week when we addressed the issue of brutally long hours and the hazards of what is known as Drowsy Driving.” … (click headline for more)
PUBLIC HEALTH & SAFETY
Dateline: February 5, 2018 from Good4Utah
Is drowsy driving as dangerous as drunk driving?
Journalist Don Hudson: “So, what happens to a good driver when he or she gets tired? Without the danger of actually getting in a car and driving drowsy down the freeway, we set to find out. At the Tanner Clinic in Layton Dr. Benjamin Christiansen’s neuropsychology department conducted some non-drowsy and drowsy tests on me.” … (click headline for more)
SPORTS
Dateline: February 3, 2018 from Akron News Reporter
Mother on a mission for narcolepsy awareness
“This past Friday, Amanda [Burns] put on her biggest event thus far. Twelve teams, including those from the Akron Volunteer Fire Department, Otis Volunteer Fire Department and Washington County Sheriff’s Office, took to the court at the Otis School gym to give it their all in a dodgeball tournament. The pee wee wrestling club was also on-hand serving dinner to the teams and attendees who packed the stands to watch.” … (click headline for more)
RESEARCH
Dateline: February 9, 2018 from The Daily Iowan
New study probes potential lifesaving sleep-intervention processes
“The study indicates that arousal from sleep in response to increased carbon dioxide can occur independent of breathing, research assistant and coauthor Callie Ginapp said in an email to The Daily Iowan. …This is especially relevant in the case of sudden infant death syndrome and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, she said.” … (click headline for more)
TECHNOLOGY
Dateline: February 5, 2018 from Medgadget
Respicardia’s remedē, a Pacemaker for Lungs, Now Treating First Sleep Apnea Patient
“People with serious central sleep apnea tend to stop breathing frequently throughout the night. Each occurrence wakes them up and prevents getting a full night’s rest, which is compounded by additional negative health effects that arise. Respicardia’s remedē system includes an implant placed under the skin that has an electric lead reaching for the phrenic nerves, which it stimulates regularly to send a signal to the diaphragm to move the lungs. The system actually monitors the natural electrical activity along the phrenic nerves, aligning with, boosting, and even shifting the signal as necessary with every breath.” … (click headline for more)
WEATHER
Dateline: February 14, 2018 from The Battalion
Feeling the Heat When Trying to Sleep
“I’m having trouble sleeping when I’m at school, and I think that my off-campus apartment may be the culprit. I appreciate that the heat works in my apartment, but it seems to be very hot no matter what, and I don’t think there’s a thermostat anywhere. I tried opening my window, but that caused ice to form on the windowsill. Any suggestions? I’ve called my landlord, but I’m not getting much of an answer (“the heat works,” “you college kids never sleep,” etc.). I’m losing sleep here!” … (click headline for more)
THE FUNNIES
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