Snore Centre eNewsletter November 2021

Increase in alcohol consmption during festive period can impact your sleep

Drinking regularly can impact both the quality and amount of sleep you get,and with the nights becoming longer, getting enough sleep through the winter is crucial to make sure you’re energised and happier through the day.

During the pandemic, research carried out by health experts Delamere has shown increased alcohol consumption, with 22% of Brits drinking more over the last year. Alcohol is commonly used as a sleep aid and will undoubtedly help you drift off, as it causes brain activity to slow down. This can induce feelings of relaxation and sleepiness.

But drinking in excess can affect the quality of your sleep. It can cause negative effects, from headaches and dehydration to increased need to go to the toilet, or overheating. When alcohol is consumed, the substance is absorbed into the bloodstream from the stomach. Enzymes in the liver metabolise the alcohol throughout the night. During this process, the alcohol circulates through the body, causing disruptions and poor sleep quality. This can leave us feeling exhausted the following day, no matter how long we stay in bed.

Aside from causing poor sleep quality, alcohol can influence other sleep problems

With alcohol in your system, you’re more susceptible to nightmares and vivid dreams. When your blood alcohol level drops, sleep becomes shorter, and you experience more dream recall and REM sleep. Alcohol also makes sleepwalking more likely, by increasing the quality of slow-wave sleep you experience when in your system. Furthermore, it can cause irregular breathing known as sleep apnoea, a disorder characterised by abnormal breathing and loss of breath during sleep.

How can you improve your sleep if affected by alcohol?

If you enjoy drinking alcohol, try to avoid it close to bedtime. You need to give your body time to process the alcohol you have consumed before you attempt to sleep. It takes on average two hours per unit to process alcohol, but this can vary from person to person.
 

Tips on stopping binge drinking include:

• Alternating alcoholic drinks with soft drinks or water;
• Eating before drinking, as you are less likely to consume vast amounts of alcohol on a full stomach;
• Avoid mixing your alcoholic drinks;
• Sticking to low alcohol beverages;
• Addressing the cause of your alcohol binges, i.e. see the appropriate professional (counsellor, doctor or therapist).

Continue reading...

New chin plaster that could detect sleep apnoea on trial in France

The Mail Online reports on a new chin plaster that monitors facial movements during sleep has been developed to detect sleep apnoea — a snoring condition that raises the risk of heart disease and stroke.

The plaster contains sensors that pick up tell-tale jaw movements that occur during sleep in those affected. The device wirelessly transmits the data it collects to a smartphone app, allowing patients and their doctors to spot signs of the condition literally overnight.

The £50 chin plaster, made by Belgian tech firm Sunrise, is a disposable, figure-of-eight shaped device. In sleep apnoea, the brain restores air circulation by contracting the muscles of the upper respiratory tract, also triggering tiny movements of the jawbone.The plaster records data on these movements, automatically downloading it to the app for analysis the next morning.

Nearly 1,000 sleep apnoea patients are using the plaster in a clinical trial at 14 French hospitals and medical centres.The results of the three-month study will be compared with those from normal sleep lab testing in a similar group of people. Professor Jaydip Ray, an ear, nose and throat surgeon at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said the high-tech plaster could allow thousands more people with sleep problems to be tested at home instead of in costly sleep labs. ‘This simple device could mean we can test large populations for sleep apnoea,’ he said.

Continue reading...

Check out the redesigned Sleeping Disorders Centre website 

Sleeping Disorders Centre moves to online clinics

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 attending hospitals and clinics in person has been difficult and potentially involves the risk of catching or spreading coronavirus. Therefore, the Sleeping Disorders Centre's services are now available  online for both NHS and private patients.



We are able to deliver the same high quality service either via telephone or online, organising all aspects of care remotely: including sleep studies, diagnosis, CPAP fitting, delivery, maintenance and long-term care.

This means that people suffering from obstructive sleep apnoea and other sleep-related and ENT conditions are still able to access first class care from Mr. Oko, Professor Dhillon and the rest of our clinical team. Our mission to raise awareness of the suffering caused by sleep apnoea, and enable those affected to live normal lives through fast diagnosis and effective treatment, is still continuing depite the challenges of the pandemic.

The Sleeping Disorders Centre's private clinic has moved from Harley Street to The London Digestive Centre, in partnership with HCA Healthcare. All appointments with Mr. Oko are taking place by phone or online, and in person appointments continuing with Prof. Dhillon.



Contact details

Private patients
The London Digestive Centre
41 Welbeck Street
London
Telephone: 020 3797 7248
Email: david.odimayo@sleepthebestmedicine.com