Talking Sleep

Researchers continue to explore links between sleep and cancer. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Jaspal Singh, medical director of pulmonary oncology at Atrium Health in Charlotte, North Carolina, to learn more about the role of sleep in cancer treatment and recovery. He describes associations between sleep and higher incidences of cancer in shift workers and flight personnel, and urges the sleep community to partner with their oncology colleagues to help cancer patients explore potential sleep problems.

Not all patients with obstructive sleep apnea experience daytime sleepiness. In this episode of Talking Sleep, we talk with researcher and clinician Dr. Allan Pack about phenotyping OSA patients to understand the differences in patient clusters based on physiology, symptoms, clinical presentations, and other factors. Phenotyping patients ultimately will allow clinicians to offer more personalized treatment.

As we prepare to “spring forward” an hour this Sunday, members of Congress are discussing the need to continue biannual time changes. In this episode of Talking Sleep, Dr. Erin Flynn-Evans, a circadian physiologist, explains why standard time puts our social, sun, and body clocks in the best alignment and supports overall health and safety.

Patients recovering from COVID or other critical illnesses often face additional health challenges after their hospitalization. In this episode of Talking Sleep, we talk to Dr. Carla Sevin, director of the ICU Recovery Center at Vanderbilt University, about the physical, cognitive and psychological issues, including sleep disturbances, that can trouble patients long after their initial illness.

As the 2022 Winter Olympics take place, we wondered, how do these elite athletes manage their sleep and adjust to travel across multiple time zones? We asked Dr. Jeff Durmer, a neuroscientist and sleep specialist who serves as the sleep performance director for the U.S. Olympic weightlifting team. Learn how he educates athletes about the importance of sleep duration, timing, and quality to help them feel and perform their best.

The pandemic has prompted many sleep physicians to consider alternate ways of testing for sleep apnea, and that’s led to greater use of home sleep apnea tests. But are HSATs effective in testing for children? In this episode, we talk with Dr. Shannon Sullivan, a pediatric sleep specialist, about developments in home sleep apnea testing for kids and adolescents.

Welcome to Season Four of Talking Sleep! In this episode we talk with Dr. Susan Redline about the American Heart Association’s recent scientific statement on the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and heart disease and the need to collaborate with cardiologists to improve the diagnosis and treatment of OSA. Dr. Redline also gives a sneak peak of her SLEEP 2022 keynote address.

We wrap up season 3 of Talking Sleep with a discussion of the economic impact of sleep disorders. In a study recently published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, Drs. Phil Huyett and Neil Bhattacharyya crunch the numbers to estimate the health care costs of diagnosing and treating sleep disorders and associated complications. We talk to them about their findings and the implications.