Applied to Graduate!

The deadline to submit the graduation application is days away so after my Bio Lab I meandered over to the offices at the Haverhill campus.  It was not as complicated as I expected and in no time at all I was back on the road which happily was snow and rain free.

Last night I had my weekly clinical at SleepHealth Center and during a bit of down time I tested my knowledge using the Principles of Polysomnography Manual with practice questions.  Eck!  I did really, really bad.  I'm not letting that get me down though.  It was at three AM and now I see what my weak areas are.  Plus, classes aren't done yet so hopefully it will help me to get a bit more organized.  Hey that is what this blog is for right!

Any ways, on a blogging note, Blogger in Draft has added a new (and SICK) template designer.  All those hacks I was so proud of doing to get my skinny sidebars and three column footer are superfluous.  But I'm going to keep it like it is for now and resist playing with the new feature (on this blog at least).

Now here is a serious question- did you go to your college graduation ceremony?

NECC hosted an informational open house for the truck driving program

Today as the Sleep Awareness Week winds down the Sleep Technology group over at NECC put together an informational Open House near the Haverhill Campus for the truck driving program today.  Scheduled from 12:30 to 3:30 two groups of truck driving students came in to hear sleep technology students discuss sleep medicine and how it would effect them in particular.  

Personally, I only made it in time for the second group.  The crowd was friendly and inquisitive, surprising since I expected them to nod off after stopping at a local Chinese restaurant for lunch first.  I attempted to take pictures but since I took them without a flash they are grainy but here are a few so you can get the idea.

Defined: L

Low amplitude, mixed frequency activity:
An EEG pattern consisting of low amplitude, predominantly 4-7 Hz activity.

Low chin EMG tone:
Baseline EMG activity in the chin derivation no higher than in any other sleep stage and usually at the lowest level of the entire recording.

Defined: H

Hypanagogic foot tremor:
Trains of EMG activity of the lower limb with a specified frequency,; not a defined disorder.

Hypopnea:
A specified reduction in airflow lasting at least 10 seconds in adults or the equivalent of 2 breaths in children.

8 Signs it is time to pull over

Tips taken from Drowsy Driving

• Heavy eyes, frequent blinking or difficulty focusing
• Daydreaming, random thoughts
• Gap driving, missing signs or exits
• Excessive yawning or rubbing eyes
• Nodding head
• Drifting or hitting the rumble strip
• Restless, irritable or slap happy
• Erratic driving, tailgating

Even if some of these behaviors is how you normally drive-know your body and read its signs.

Define: G

Guideline:
A recommendation based on level 2 evidence or a consensus of level 3 evidence.

Define: E

Excessive fragmentary myoclonus:
Limb EMG activity of a specified frequency and duration often unassociated with visible movement; not a defined disorder.

Eye blinks:
EOG events consisting of conjugate vertical eye movements at a frequency of 0.5-2 Hz present in wakefulness with the eyes open or closed.

Sleep Awareness Week 2010: Post Roundup

This is the first year I'm doing this but there are scores of others who have been sharing information about sleep and Sleep Awareness Week in particular.  Here are a few posts from the week.  I'll add more as the week goes on.

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Sleep Awareness Week on the Recently On Around and About blog.  It includes a podcast with Dr. Andrew Vernon, a sleep specialist in Chattanooga, TN.

Poll reveals sleep differences among ethnic groups from ScienceBlog discusses the Sleep in America poll that was released on March 8, 2010.

Sleep Disorder Symptoms for National Sleep Awareness Week at SleepEducation's blog.

National Sleep Awareness Week and Daylight Savings Time Arrive Together at Sleep Well and Live.

30 second commerical for Sleep Awareness Week 2010

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Sleep Awareness Week is here! March 7-13, 2010

The National Sleep Awareness Week in the United States is hosted by the National Sleep Foundation.  Its purpose is to highlight the importance sleep factors into all of our lives.  It is no coincidence that Daylight Savings Time marks the end of this week, since sadly the risk for sleep related accidents increase around this time. 

Throughout the week I'll be adding videos, posts on sleep and sleep safety as well as pointing you towards other resources here online.

Events during Sleep Week

Sleep Health & Safety 2010: Convention in Washington, DC kicked off the week on March 5-6, 2010

Sleep Awareness Week Posts

• 30 second commercial
• Post Roundup from around the web
• 8 Signs it is time to pull over
• NECC hosted an informational open house

Picture Credit: Amanda Truss on Flickr

EDS- What is it and why could it put your life in danger?

EDS, or excessive daytime sleepiness, is not fatigue, which can be likened to sluggishness, rather those with EDS find it a challenge to stay awake throughout the day and their everyday activities.  With less time spent on sleeping more and more are beginning to show signs of daytime sleepiness and are putting themselves and others at risk.

When the need to sleep begins to take over your day, it becomes hard to keep your eyes open, focus, even simple tasks may seen impossible to complete.  Regardless of what country you reside studies report the need or urge to sleep during the day is a global issue.  40% of Americans report having daytime sleepiness at least several days a month (1).

EDS increases the risk for accidents.  Recently, an incident where a commercial plane missed its scheduled stop is rumored to be caused by dozing pilots.  More serious accidents include work related ones such as 1989's Exxon Valdez oil spill where between 500,000 and 750,000 animals were killed immediately after the accident and automobile crashes.  With over 100,000 car accidents estimated per year, drowsy driving make excessive daytime sleepiness a community and not just an individual problem. 

EDS can be a symptom of underlying conditions.  Untreated sleep disorders have serious side effects and EDS is just one.  If you find it hard to stay awake during the day on a regular basis contact your doctor to be screened.

Here are a few examples of Sleepiness Scales
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale
The Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale

Check out this WedMd Quiz:
Sleep and Crazy Hours on the Job

Sources:
1. Fundamentals of Sleep Technology by Butkov & Lee-Chiong. 2007.

Formulas: % of Stages

% of movement time
Minutes of MT / SPT (or TRT) x 100
Calculates minutes of movement time divided by sleep period time or total recording time and multiplying by 100 to get the total percentage.

% of Stage 1
Minutes of S1 / TST (or TRT or SPT) x 100
Calculates minutes in Stage 1 sleep by dividing by total sleep time or total recording time or sleep period time and multiplying by 100.

% of Stage 2
Minutes of S2 / TST (or TRT or SPT) x 100
Calculates minutes in Stage 2 sleep by dividing by total sleep time or total recording time or sleep period time and multiplying by 100.

% of Stage 3
Minutes of S3 / TST (or TRT or SPT) x 100
Calculates minutes in Stage 3 sleep by dividing by total sleep time or total recording time or sleep period time and multiplying by 100.

% of Stage REM
Minutes of REM / TST (or TRT or SPT) x 100
Calculates minutes in Stage REM sleep by dividing by total sleep time or total recording time or sleep period time and multiplying by 100.


Note:
These formulas are found in Fundamentals of Sleep Technology.  Check out the Formulas page for more.