What a slep study can reveal about fibromyalgia

[Guest guest]

interesting. My I have alpha/delta slep pattern but got myslef off

of Elavil toomany bad side effects heart palpitations for one. And a

bunch of tohers I lok for the rarer side effects too. but

interesting. Might ask for another one later on next year after I se

how I am doing. Do sleep pretty well get up ince or twice and no good

dreams yet only bad ones or scary ones. heidi

What a Sleep Study Can

Reveal About Fibromyalgia

Research engineers and sleep medicine specialists from two Michigan

universities have joined technical and clinical hands to put

innovative

quantitative analysis, signal-processing technology and computer

algorithms to

work in the sleep lab. One of their recent findings is that a new

approach to analyzing sleep fragmentation appears to

distinguish Fibromyalgia patients from healthy controls.

ph W. Burns, a research scientist and engineer at the Michigan

Tech Research Institute (MTRI); D. Chervin,

director of the University of Michigan's S. Aldrich Sleep

Disorders Laboratory; and Crofford, director of the

Center for the Advancement of Women's Health at the University of

Kentucky, report the results of their study in the

current issue of the journal Sleep Medicine.

MTRI, a freestanding research institute acquired by Michigan Tech in

2006 and based in Ann Arbor, specializes in

remote sensors that collect data, and in signal processing, using

algorithms or computer programs to analyze and

correlate the information the sensors gather. MTRI has developed an

ongoing collaboration with the University of

Michigan's sleep laboratory, one of the nation's leading clinical and

research centers specializing in sleep medicine.

This several-year collaboration provided MTRI's first opportunities

to apply quantitative analysis, remote sensing

technology and computer algorithms to clinical challenges, said

Burns. " In this case, our analyses of sleep stage

dynamics suggest potential clinical relevance, " he noted. Newly

explored measures of sleep fragmentation seem to

correlate—at least in this study—with levels of pain reported by

Fibromyalgia patients.

Burns, who has a PhD in electrical engineering, finds that more and

more of his research is taking a biomedical turn. He

and his team are working with Chervin to use signal-processing

technology to record and analyze the brain waves and

biophysical responses of children and adults with a variety of sleep

disorders. They hope it will help them better

understand conventional sleep patterns, as well as diagnose and treat

sleep disorders.

They presented the results of research related to assessment of sleep-

disordered breathing and sleep fragmentation at

Sleep 2008, an international sleep research conference, in Baltimore

in June.

Patients who may have sleep disorders often undergo complicated and

expensive tests in sleep laboratories, Chervin

explained. These studies collect an assortment of biophysical data

that reflect brain, cardiovascular and muscle activity

throughout the night. Up to now, these data had to be analyzed

manually

by highly trained technicians.

" We are collaborating to find new ways to analyze routinely collected

data in a way that will be meaningful to the patient's health and

will help

us understand how sleep disorders affect brain functions, " he said.

Automated analysis of data potentially can provide improved

assessments

and reduce the cost of sleep studies, Burns noted. For example,

MTRI and UM have developed an automated technique for assessing

the severity of sleep-disordered breathing, using just two signals—

brain

waves and respiration—instead of the dozen or more signals typically

needed for standard visual scoring of a sleep study.

" It may even become possible for people to take sleep tests—simpler

and more effective than some of those currently available—at home

where they can sleep in their own familiar bedrooms, " he suggested.

Both partners are reaping the benefits of the collaboration, Burns

said.

Not only can automated technology improve clinical research; what the

MTRI scientists have learned about biomedical techniques such as brain

mapping is informing their more traditional work on radar and optical

sensing technology. ©

Source: http://www.emaxhealth.com

[Guest guest]

I went through all of the testing, was found to have sleep apnea, was given a prescription for sleep meds and put on a CPAP machine. I tried sleeping with the CPAP machine without the sleep meds but after repeated tries could not sleep more than a couple of hours without a sleeping pill. The nurse practitioner began treating me like I was a drug addict. Little does she know, my only addiction is to chocolate! Since I was unable to sleep with the machine without sleep meds they sent me to a sleep psychologist who said most people would kill to get as much sleep as I was getting--didn't matter that it was very interrupted sleep. By the time I paid for and went through all of this and still could not sleep on the machine without a sleep med the machine was paid for and I could not return it. So, now I'm stuck with a CPAP machine that I can't sleep on and I am back to square one. I had a

lot more energy, better memory, more cohesive thought patterns while I was taking the sleep med and using the CPAP machine. But all of that is reversing now. The sleep lab could care less wether I can use the CPAP machine now--its as though it is my fault I can't sleep on it without a sleep aid.

I currently use the Alpha-Stim machine which really helps me get to sleep quicker and stops the rolling thoughts and mind that won't turn off. But the sleep apnea still wakes me up after two hours of sleep and then I wake up every hour, have to get up and go to the bathroom and get up feeling like I needed about 3 more hours of sleep.

My doctor won't even consider giving me a sleeping pill. I've come to the realization that no one, besides my self, really cares whether I get a good nights sleep or not.

Hopefully there are a lot of other people out there who sleep just fine on the CPAP machine making the expensive involved well worth it.

Deb Halvorson

What a slep study can reveal about fibromyalgia

interesting. My I have alpha/delta slep pattern but got myslef off of Elavil toomany bad side effects heart palpitations for one. And a bunch of tohers I lok for the rarer side effects too. but interesting. Might ask for another one later on next year after I se how I am doing. Do sleep pretty well get up ince or twice and no good dreams yet only bad ones or scary ones. heidiWhat a Sleep Study CanReveal About FibromyalgiaResearch engineers and sleep medicine specialists from two Michiganuniversities have joined technical and clinical hands to put innovativequantitative analysis, signal-processing technology and computer algorithms towork in the sleep lab. One of their recent findings is that a new approach to analyzing sleep fragmentation appears todistinguish Fibromyalgia patients from healthy controls.ph W. Burns, a research scientist and engineer at the Michigan Tech

Research Institute (MTRI); D. Chervin,director of the University of Michigan's S. Aldrich Sleep Disorders Laboratory; and Crofford, director of theCenter for the Advancement of Women's Health at the University of Kentucky, report the results of their study in thecurrent issue of the journal Sleep Medicine.MTRI, a freestanding research institute acquired by Michigan Tech in 2006 and based in Ann Arbor, specializes inremote sensors that collect data, and in signal processing, using algorithms or computer programs to analyze andcorrelate the information the sensors gather. MTRI has developed an ongoing collaboration with the University ofMichigan's sleep laboratory, one of the nation's leading clinical and research centers specializing in sleep medicine.This several-year collaboration provided MTRI's first opportunities to apply quantitative analysis, remote

sensingtechnology and computer algorithms to clinical challenges, said Burns. "In this case, our analyses of sleep stagedynamics suggest potential clinical relevance," he noted. Newly explored measures of sleep fragmentation seem tocorrelate—at least in this study—with levels of pain reported by Fibromyalgia patients.Burns, who has a PhD in electrical engineering, finds that more and more of his research is taking a biomedical turn. Heand his team are working with Chervin to use signal-processing technology to record and analyze the brain waves andbiophysical responses of children and adults with a variety of sleep disorders. They hope it will help them betterunderstand conventional sleep patterns, as well as diagnose and treat sleep disorders.They presented the results of research related to assessment of sleep-disordered breathing and sleep fragmentation atSleep 2008, an

international sleep research conference, in Baltimore in June.Patients who may have sleep disorders often undergo complicated and expensive tests in sleep laboratories, Chervinexplained. These studies collect an assortment of biophysical data that reflect brain, cardiovascular and muscle activitythroughout the night. Up to now, these data had to be analyzed manuallyby highly trained technicians."We are collaborating to find new ways to analyze routinely collecteddata in a way that will be meaningful to the patient's health and will helpus understand how sleep disorders affect brain functions," he said.Automated analysis of data potentially can provide improved assessmentsand reduce the cost of sleep studies, Burns noted. For example,MTRI and UM have developed an automated technique for assessingthe severity of sleep-disordered breathing, using just two signals—brainwaves and

respiration—instead of the dozen or more signals typicallyneeded for standard visual scoring of a sleep study."It may even become possible for people to take sleep tests—simplerand more effective than some of those currently available—at homewhere they can sleep in their own familiar bedrooms," he suggested.Both partners are reaping the benefits of the collaboration, Burns said.Not only can automated technology improve clinical research; what theMTRI scientists have learned about biomedical techniques such as brainmapping is informing their more traditional work on radar and opticalsensing technology. ©Source: http://www.emaxheal th.com__________________________________________________