Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic  A.W.A.K.E.  Group               since 2003            rev. 7-25-2010

An easier address to reach this site is:  apnea.stanford.edu  [without  www]

The A.W.A.K.E. Group is for sleep apnea patients and their families, with the purpose of providing information and support. About 50 people attend the monthly general meetings.
The word A.W.A.K.E. is a nationally used acronym (Alert, Well, And Keeping Energetic) for sleep apnea patient groups.

Meetings are the  first Wednesday  of each month.     No July meeting.
TIME:        6:00 p.m., Newcomers Meeting.
                   7:00 p.m., General Meeting.
LOCATION:  Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic, 450 Broadway Street, Redwood City, Pavilion B, second floor Conference Room, #L020807.

Click here to get Google directions to Clinic from your starting location.  Enter 450 Broadway Street, Redwood City, click "Maps," click "Get Directions" in upper left corner, and enter your starting location.

A.W.A.K.E. Calendar  2010 - 2011:                                                           
     1st
Wednesday
Speaker (General Mtg.)

Topic Click underlined topic for PowerPoint file

   Sponsor
August 4, 2010 Mark Brown, MD Psychiatric Sequalae of Sleep Disorders
How Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Restless Leg Syndrome, and Narcolepsy affect mood and behavior.
Lincare
September 1 Chad Ruof, MD   Respironics
October 6 [TBD], MD

 

ResMed
November 3 Joy Ming, MD   Fisher & Paykel
December 1 Christina Darby, MD OSA & Stroke  
January 5,  2011 Chirag Pandya, MD

Parasomnias

AmeriMed
February 2 [TBD], MD    
March 2 Harjoth "Joe" Malli, MD
 
April 6 Kevin Zhao, MD

 
May 4 Saqib Shawn Ansari, MD

 

 
June 1  
 


 
Click for:  Previous years' speakers and topics.

Stanford A.W.A.K.E. email list:
To subscribe either:
1. Send an blank email toawake-meeting@lists.stanford.edu
or
2. Click on this link: 
           https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/awake-meeting
           In the section entitled: “Subscribing to awake-meeting”  enter your email address, then click Subscribe.

Sleep Apnea information:
Symptoms:
   Excessive Daytime Sleepiness,  Snoring--especially if loud snoring is repeatedly interrupted by brief periods of silence, or by choking sounds or gasps, Apnea (cessation of breathing) witnessed by another
Risk factors:  Obese or overweight, Large neck (men with collar size ≥ 17), Small or recessed jaw, Overbite, Family history of snoring.   Thin people can have apnea!
Possible consequences if untreated:   Heart attack, Stroke, High blood pressure, Fatigue, Injury or death in collision while driving sleepy, GERD (reflux), Insomnia, Depression, Diabetes, Glaucoma.  Also Coronary Artery Disease, cardiac arythmia, recurrence of atrial fibrillation, diastolic heart failure.
Prevalence:   7% or more of population (A 1993 U. of Wisconsin study found 24% of middle-aged men had apnea). Men afflicted twice as frequently as women, up to age 50.  Most people who have sleep apnea do not know that they have it.
Most common treatment:  PAP (Positive Air Pressure).  This treatment involves sleeping with a nasal mask through which air is gently blown by a PAP machine (a flow generator);  this air acts as a splint to keep the airway from collapsing and blocking air passage (an apnea).  Such blockages seriously disrupt sleep (unbeknownst to the sleeper) and severely stress the heart and lungs. 
PAP machines come in three varieties:
     CPAP.  C is for Continuous, meaning the same air pressure on inhalation and exhalation.
     Bi-level PAP.  The machine gives a higher pressure for inhalation and a lower one for exhalation.
     Auto PAP.  The machine senses how much pressure you need, and adjusts the pressure throughout the night.

References to more Sleep Apnea information:
http://www.sleepquest.com/sq_best_guide.shtml    < Several page overview.
The Promise of Sleep, a book on all topics of sleep medicine, by William C. Dement, 1999, 521 pp
Doctor's comments on:    Nocturia   Hypothyroidism   Allergies
Self-tests:    Daytime Sleepiness Test (Epworth Sleepiness Scale)  Grade yourself
Battery Backup for CPAP  (during power outage, camping trip, etc.)
          A car battery is not appropriate except in emergency; rather use a deep-cycle battery.
          Battery Q & A

Tips for PAP users:
Common problems with PAP, and possible solutions  <
click

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