Sleep Review

MISSION, Kan., Dec. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- (Family Features) For many people who wish to work toward a healthier weight, one of the greatest obstacles is figuring out where to begin. These tips from SlimFast consultant and registered dietitian Maryann Walsh show it doesn't take a drastic lifestyle overhaul to make an impact. Continue Reading Photo courtesy of SlimFast Eat Mindfully Many people who struggle with their weight benefit from being more conscious about what they're eating and why. For example, consider your eating habits, such as eating even when you're not hungry whether that's because it's mealtime and you think you should eat, you're satisfying a craving or using a tasty snack to cope with stress. Recognizing why you're eating is an important step toward correcting destructive eating patterns, but so is paying attention to the other details of the eating experience, including what you eat and how it makes you feel. Ultimately, this may allow you to choose healthier foods that nourish your body for the long-term, rather than the brief satisfaction that comes with less nutritious choices. Consider Intermittent Fasting One weight-loss method many people find success using is intermittent fasting, which involves abstaining from all food and beverages for a specified time period each day or week. While going too long without food can sometimes lead to excess hunger then overeating later, in shorter, controlled fasting timeframes one can often more easily achieve a caloric deficit, which is required for weight loss. Prepare for your fasting phase by choosing foods that support satiety. Options like SlimFast's Intermittent Fasting line of meal bars and protein shakes can help avoid a sense of deprivation with tasty flavors like the Vanilla Cupcake Snack Shake Mix and Vanilla Almond Crunch Complete Meal Bar. The shake mixes deliver 15 grams of slow-digesting protein, compared to whey protein, to help curb hunger, along with more than 20 vitamins and minerals. The meal bars clock in with 15 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber. Manage Stress When you're stressed, your body produces cortisol, which also raises insulin and can drive hunger and trigger cravings for comfort foods. In fact, that's the very reason people tend to overeat when they're under pressure. Light exercise and meditative practices can help you manage your mental strain. You might also consider talk therapy with a friend or professional or spend time unwinding with a book or music. Get Proper Sleep Poor sleep habits affect your weight in numerous ways. One is that when you're feeling tired, your hunger and satiety hormones, ghrelin and leptin, can be affected, leading to an increase in caloric intake and subsequent weight gain. Additionally, when you're tired, you're more likely to take shortcuts like skipping workouts or opting for unhealthy convenience foods. All are reasons to make better rest a bigger priority. Track Eating and Exercise When you're not paying attention to what you eat and how you move, you may not even realize how your habits are affecting your health. Logging what you eat, especially if you use a tool like an app that helps you see the nutrition breakdown, may give you a clearer idea of the quality and quantity of your intake. Similarly, when you're specifically writing down the time you're committing to physical activity, you'll find it easier to identify patterns and pinpoint where you can make adjustments to increase your exercise. Visit SlimFast.com to find more resources on weight management and intermittent fasting. 3 Tips for Intermittent Fasting If you're new to the idea of intermittent fasting, these tips can help you find greater success so you can see results. Pace yourself. Make a gradual transition so your body gets used to going without food for shorter periods of time before you work up to extended fasting periods. Stay hydrated. Avoid confusing thirst for hunger by upping your fluid intake. Staying hydrated and energized while you fast helps keep fatigue and brain fog at bay. Options like fruit-flavored SlimFast Intermittent Fasting Energizing Hydration Supplement Drink Mix won't break your fast and can help you add variety as a flavorful alternative to water. They can provide the energy and focus you need between meals and are perfect for those who feel groggy or run-down while fasting. Set goals. Know what you want to achieve and why, so your "why" can keep motivating you to follow your intermittent fasting plan even when you're tempted to quit. Photo courtesy of Getty Images (woman and man exercising) Michael French [email protected] 1-888-824-3337 editors.familyfeatures.com About Family Features Editorial Syndicate A leading source for high-quality food, lifestyle and home and garden content, Family Features provides readers with topically and seasonally relevant tips, takeaways, information, recipes, videos, infographics and more. Find additional articles and information at Culinary.net and eLivingToday.com. SOURCE Family Features Editorial Syndicate

Acurable, a UK-based medical device company, announced it raised €11 million ($10.8 million) in a Series A funding round led by Kibo Ventures. Mundi Ventures, Comprador Holdings and Kindred Capital participated in the raise. The company will use the funds to accelerate the international expansion of its first home sleep testing device, the AcuPebble SA100, which enables users to detect and monitor obstructive sleep apnea. Acurable will also develop new products for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and cardiovascular conditions. The AcuPebble SA100 was launched in the UK and Spain in 2021. The company is looking to scale within the two countries and expand in Europe and North America. The device received a CE mark in Europe for the automated diagnosis of OSA at home. Last year, it received FDA 510(k) clearance in the U.S. to sense, record and interpret physiological signals, like a patient's respiratory pattern, while they sleep to prescreen for OSA. MARKET SNAPSHOT Several companies provide at-home sleep apnea diagnostic testing offerings, including Israeli-based Itamar Medical, which broadened the capabilities of its at-home sleep apnea diagnostic testing line in 2021. Its WatchPAT system attaches to a user's index finger, chest and wrist, measuring and recording peripheral arterial (PAT) signal, heart rate, oximetry, actigraphy, body position, snoring and chest motion to identify events of sleep apnea. In 2021, it expanded its capabilities with SleePath, allowing users to document subjective data from its test directly into the connected app, providing physicians a fuller picture via self-reports and sleep study metrics. In 2020, ResApp launched SleepCheck, an at-home sleep apnea screening app, and that same year French firm Withings released Sleep Analyzer, an under-the-mattress sleep-tracking mat that can be used to detect sleep apnea.

Sept. 21, 2022 11:05 UTC - In the first six weeks of treatment, US patients used eXciteOSA on 81% of days - - Signifier Medical Technologies releases white paper and announces upcoming webinar - BOSTON & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Signifier Medical Technologies LLC (“Signifier” or the “Company”), a Boston-based medical technology company, announced today the results of an analysis of real-world patient adherence data for its lead product, eXciteOSA. The data demonstrated that real-world patients in the US prescribed eXciteOSA, the first daytime therapy indicated to treat primary snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), exhibited strong adherence to the treatment by using therapy on over 80% of days over the first six weeks of treatment. The current standard of care for treating mild OSA, positive airway pressure (PAP), has long been plagued with low adherence and low patient satisfaction. Clinical trials and observational studies indicate 25-46% of patients are not adherent to PAP.1-3 There is also evidence those with mild OSA are 34% less likely to be adherent to PAP than those with moderate/severe OSA.4 This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: In the white paper, A descriptive analysis of objectively monitored real-world adherence to eXciteOSA, Signifier analyzed real-world data from 3,561 individual patients in the US up until June 2022. The results demonstrate that patients have used eXciteOSA therapy on over 80% of days during the first six weeks of treatment. Signifier reported that real-world patients use therapy for an average of 680 minutes (11:20 hh:mm) within the first six weeks, representing over 80% of the total duration prescribed (840 minutes). The dataset represents the entire population of US-based patients who started therapy on eXciteOSA over the 15-month period from April 2021 to June 2022. “The real-world data released today suggests eXciteOSA patients adhere strongly to the therapy. Sleep apnea is a serious condition, and adherence to treatment is both a challenge and a requirement. We’re delighted that eXciteOSA appears to become a part of a patient’s daily routine, and we’re thrilled to provide a treatment that is easy-to-use and allows patients to get a good night’s rest without hoses and masks. We understand patients’ desire for effective treatments that fit their lifestyle,” said Dr. Jessie Bakker, Executive Vice President of Medical Affairs at Signifier. Signifier will hold a webinar, What's New with eXciteOSA®, on September 28, 2022 at 7 PM ET, which will be available after the live event on-demand. The webinar will provide an update on the results published in the white paper as well as reimbursement updates for easier patient access, progress on clinical trials, and app developments for an improved patient experience. Recent estimates indicate 54 million adults in the United States suffer from OSA, with more than half falling into the mild range. Patients with mild OSA are more likely to report poor quality of life compared to controls, after adjusting for confounders including age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, smoking, education, and co-morbidities.5 In addition, epidemiological analyses have found compared with controls, patients with mild OSA have a 224% increased risk of developing hypertension6, are 83% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes6, and 59% more likely to have abnormal fasting glucose.8 Past studies have shown eXciteOSA is associated with reductions in both objectively-measured and bed-partner reported snoring, along with significant improvements in disease severity, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.9-11 Clinical trial participants experienced an average 33% reduction in their AHI overall, with a 52% reduction evident in the responder subset.11 Following a successful FDA submission through the de novo pathway, eXciteOSA was launched in the United States in early 2021 as the first daytime therapy product indicated for treatment of primary snoring and mild OSA. “The body of evidence regarding the efficacy and adherence of eXciteOSA is growing and we continue to evaluate and learn about the utility and impact this therapy can have on the lives of those patients living with sleep apnea and their partners. We’re looking forward to the results of our ongoing clinical trials including a study of patients with moderate OSA,” said Phil Hess, Chief Operating Officer of Signifier. Signifier is dedicated to engaging with the sleep research community to produce high-quality evidence from rigorous clinical trials. Randomized trials are in progress to understand the potential placebo effect (NCT04974515), the impact of therapy relative to usual care without treatment (NCT05183009; NCT05252156), and the impact of therapy amongst those with moderate OSA (NCT05252156). About Signifier Medical Technologies Signifier is a pioneer in addressing the root causes of sleep disordered breathing. The Company is focused on the development and commercialization of innovative and non-invasive solutions to help people breathe normally and naturally all night – without needing to use a wearable medical device or a surgical implant. Founded in 2015, Signifier is at the forefront of sleep therapy, with a mission to develop therapies improving population health, increase the quality of patients’ experience, and generate healthcare savings. Signifier has offices in London (UK) and Needham (Massachusetts, USA). About eXciteOSA eXciteOSA is a revolutionary daytime therapy device for sleep disordered breathing. Clinically proven to target a common root cause of OSA, eXciteOSA improves daytime sleepiness and sleep quality. Nearly one billion adults aged 30 to 69 years globally are estimated to suffer from OSA, which is a serious medical condition associated with health problems such as high blood pressure and increased risks of heart attack, stroke, or death. A major underlying cause of OSA is the upper airway muscles lack endurance during sleep and the tongue falls back, blocking the upper airway. By using neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) to “exercise” the upper airway muscles, eXciteOSA works the intrinsic and extrinsic tongue muscles to improve endurance and prevent airway collapse during sleep. Unlike other devices which are used while patients sleep, eXciteOSA is the first commercially available device used while awake. The full benefits of the daytime therapy are realized without patient use during sleep. For more information, please visit or . Citations: 1. Hwang D, Chang JW, Benjafield AV, Crocker ME, Kelly C, Becker KA, Kim JB, Woodrum RR, Liang J, Derose SF. Effect of Telemedicine Education and Telemonitoring on Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Adherence. The Tele-OSA Randomized Trial. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2018;197(1):117-126. 2. Cistulli PA, Armitstead J, Pepin JL, Woehrle H, Nunez CM, Benjafield A, Malhotra A. Short-term CPAP adherence in obstructive sleep apnea: a big data analysis using real world data. Sleep Med 2019;59(114-116. 3. Patel SR, Bakker JP, Stitt CJ, Aloia MS, Nouraie SM. Age and Sex Disparities in Adherence to CPAP. Chest 2021;159(1):382-389. 4. Jacobsen AR, Eriksen F, Hansen RW, Erlandsen M, Thorup L, Damgard MB, Kirkegaard MG, Hansen KW. Determinants for adherence to continuous positive airway pressure therapy in obstructive sleep apnea. PLoS One 2017;12(12): e0189614. 5. Baldwin CM, Griffith KA, Nieto FJ, O’Connor GT, Walsleben JA, Redline S. The association of sleep-disordered breathing and sleep symptoms with quality of life in the Sleep Heart Health Study. Sleep 2001;24(1):96-105. 6. Vgontzas AN, Li Y, He F, Fernandez-Mendoza J, Gaines J, Liao D, Basta M, Bixler EO. Mild-to-moderate sleep apnea is associated with incident hypertension: age effect. Sleep 2019;42(4): zsy265. 7. Reichmuth KJ, Austin D, Skatrud JB, Young T. Association of sleep apnea and type II diabetes: a population-based study. American Journal of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine 2005;172(12):1590-1595. 8. Bakker JP, Weng J, Wang R, Redline S, Punjabi NM, Patel SR. Associations between Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Sleep Duration, and Abnormal Fasting Glucose. The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. American Journal of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine 2015;192(6):745-753. 9. Baptista PM, Martinez Ruiz de Apodaca P, Carrasco M, Fernandez S, Wong PY, Zhang H, Hassaan A, Kotecha B. Daytime neuromuscular electrical therapy of tongue muscles in improving snoring in individuals with primary snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnea. Journal of Clinical Medicine 2021;10(9):1-11. 10. Wessolleck E, Bernd E, Dockter S, Lang S, Sama A, Stuck BA. Intraoral electrical muscle stimulation in the treatment of snoring. Somnologie 2018;22(2):47-52. 11. Nokes B, Baptista PM, de Apodaca PMR, Carrasco-Llatas M, Fernandez S, Kotecha B, Wong PY, Zhang H, Hassaan A, Malhotra A. Transoral awake state neuromuscular electrical stimulation therapy for mild obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep & Breathing 2022