Medical Corner

Welcome to the Medical Corner. This resource was created through our partnership with the University Health Network Toronto General Hospital to provide Canadians with the latest Sleep Health research. Here you’ll find resources, articles and research papers that span a variety of sleep issues and disorders.

What is Sleep

• Non-REM Sleep
• REM Sleep

Sleep Habits/Tips

Sleep Apnea

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea
  • What is OSA?
  • Causes
  • Risk Factors
  • Symptoms
  • Diagnosis
  • Clinical Consequences
  • Treatment
• Central Sleep Apnea
  • What is CSA?
  • Causes
    • Hypercapnic CSA
    • Non-hypercapnic CSA
  • Risk Factors
  • Symptoms/Features
  • Diagnosis
  • Treatment
    • Hypercapnic CSA
    • Non-hypercapnic CSA
• Additional CSA Information
  • Idiopathic Central Sleep Apnea
  • CSA and Cheyne-Stokes Respiration

Insomnia

• What is insomnia?
• Causes
• Diagnosis
• Treatment

Restless Legs Syndrome

• What is RLS?
• Causes
• Risk factors
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis
• Treatment

Periodic Limb Movement Disorder

• What is PLMD?
• Diagnosis
• Treatment

Narcolepsy

• What is Narcolepsy?
• Causes
• Risk factors
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis
• Clinical Consequences
• Treatment

Important Research

• Sleep apnea and other breathing problems during sleep
  • Causes (pathogenesis)
  • How common are they (epidemiology)
  • How do they affect health and well-being (consequences)
    1. Snoring, sleepiness and car accidents
       • Habitually Sleepy Drivers Have a High Frequency of Automobile Crashes Associated with Respiratory Disorders during Sleep
    2. Hearing Loss
       • Does Snoring Contribute to Presbycusis?
       • Hearing loss in the bed partners of snorers
    3. Depressed breathing (respiratory failure)
    4. High Blood Pressure
       • Exploring the Relationship between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and High Blood Pressure
    5. Cardiovascular Complications
       • Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea with CPAP: Looking at Long-Term Cardiovascular Effects
       • Association of Nocturnal Arrhythmias with Sleep-disordered Breathing
       • Exploring the Link between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease
    6. Stroke
       • Sleep Apnea and Stroke
       • Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Hypopnea and Incident Stroke
  • Treatments
    1. Continuous Airway Pressure (CPAP)
       • CPAP Reduces the Rates of Car Accidents in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea
       • Central Sleep Apnea and Heart Failure: Does CPAP Help?
       • Effect of CPAP on Blood Pressure in Obstructive Sleep Apnea
       • Can Obstructive Sleep Apnea be Diagnosed and Treated in Single Night?
       • The Study That Started It All: Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea with CPAP
       • CPAP improves daytime sleepiness, cognition, mood and quality of life in patients with OSA
       • Determinants of compliance with CPAP in patients with OSA.
       • Early CPAP compliance predicts long-term CPAP use in patients with OSA.
       • Intensive patient support during CPAP initiation.
       • Effect of CPAP on the Incidence of Hypertension and Cardiovascular Events in Nonsleepy Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea
       • Does treating OSA with CPAP improve abdominal fat content and glucose metabolism?
       • Results of the CPAP Apnea Trial North American Program (CATNAP) Randomized Clinical Trial.
    2. Oral appliances
       • Small study shows mandibular advancement device improves sleep apnea symptoms
    3. Other Devices
       • Treatment of OSA with the Provent nasal device.
       • Provent nasal device
    4. Positional Treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea
       • Positional Treatment for OSA Using the Backpack Approach
       • Efficacy of the tennis ball technique versus nasal CPAP in the management of position-dependent obstructive sleep apnea syndrome
       • A neck device
    5. Weight Loss
       • Weight Loss and Treatment of Mild OSA.
       • Weight Loss and Treatment of Moderate to Severe OSA.
    6. Exercise
    7. Throat exercise
       • Throat exercises can improve OSA
• Restless Leg Syndrome
  • Treatments
    • Pramipexole

Toronto General Sleep Lab Information