Snoring & OSA Hot Topics-Research

Enter to Win! Get Half Off Pillar® Procedure. Stop Snoring. Sleep Better. Feel Better.

2012-05-01T20:07:00Z

Chronic snoring hurts your sleep quality and good health Be kind! ...you'll live longer

Be kind to yourself, your spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend...maybe even kids or roommates that are losing sleep too because they can hear your snoring down the hall.

More and more research shows that consistent lack of quality sleep can really hurt your mental, emotional, and physical health.

Enter to Win our Snoring Contest so that you can sleep better and feel better....Zzzzzzzz

Contest Details

Perhaps you've been told you snore - but since you're sleeping, you don't really know, right?

So...put the issue to bed once and for all. Enlist the help of someone in your household to use an iPhone, Android, or any old-fashioned recording device to capture a brief audio recording of one of your snoring episodes.

Simply email our patient coordinator jodi@drmmacdonald.com the audio file with a brief note asking her to enter you in our snoring contest. Jodi will follow-up with you to schedule your consultation appointment with Dr. Macdonald and answer all your related snoring and sleep apnea treatment questions.

Upon examination at your consult appointment, Dr. Macdonald will determine if you are an appropriate candidate to receive the benefits of the Pillar^® Procedure snoring solution in San Francisco. If you are, it is likely that you will be able to receive your snoring treatment the same day of your consultation. The Pillar^® Procedure takes only about 30 minutes total. You will be able to return to work or other daily activities immediately.

If the Pillar^® Procedure is right for you and you receive your treatment before July 4th, you automatically receive $1,000 off just for entering the contest. We will also have a random drawing from all contest submissions and award an even BIGGER discount! One lucky winner will receive half off their total treatment cost - that can be a savings of up to $2,100 depending on the number of pillar implants needed to effectively reduce your snoring problem.

The fun doesn't stop there...the lucky winner will also get to tell their story on our blog and share their snoring audio recording both before and after treatment.

Don't delay...enter to win today!

If you are seeking treatment for snoring or sleep apnea, discover the premier snoring center in San Francisco where Dr. Michael Macdonald has been pioneering minimally-invasive snoring soultions since 2005.

If you have any questions about the contest, simply call our office. We want to help you get on the road to a good night's sleep, a happy home, and better health! Sleep well...live well.

Good night's sleep: Curing insomnia

2012-04-09T19:35:00Z

Do you have insomnia? If so, you have most likely tried a number of remedies. Some of them may have worked temporarily, some not at all, and others successfully but you haven't been able to dedicate yourself to those solutions.

WebMD collated some myths and facts about insomnia recently that I wanted to share.

A drink will help you sleep

Myth: Insomnia—chronic trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep—can leave you desperate for a good night's rest. It's not accurate to believe, however, that alcohol before bed will offer you relief.

Although alcohol does cause the effect of falling asleep, it is not a restful, healthy sleep. The inherent disturbed or restless sleep most likely makes you wake earlier.

Insomnia is strictly mental

Fact: It's true that psychological issues, anxiety and stress are major contributors to a lack of sleep, although not the only insomnia trigger. Other causes include poor sleep hygiene, illness, drug side effects, chronic pain, restless legs syndrome or sleep apnea.

Exercise helps you sleep

Fact: Regular exercise can be a great way to help stimulate better sleep—as long as you avoid working out too late in the day. Strenuous exercise can make you more alert and increase body temperature for as many as six hours. In other words, for proper sleep, do not work out too close to bedtime.

Screen time helps you wind down

Myth: Although it may be tempting to try to calm your brain and wind down your day by browsing the internet, reading on the computer or watching TV before bed, screen time actually stimulates you. The light and noise of TVs and computers can be engaging and can reduce brain melatonin levels, shortening the time it takes to fall asleep.

Relaxing music or meditation is less involving.

Sleep aids are risk-free

Myth: All medications have potential risks, including the risks of dependency. It's important to know these risks before using sleeping pills. Moreover, some sleep aids only relieve insomnia symptoms temporarily, rather than cure it.

Paying attention to underlying health issues and sleep environment is often the best approach to insomnia.

You can make up for lost sleep

Myth: It's unlikely that you can fully catch up on sleep you've lost. Sleeping in one or two days a week or over the weekend may actually upset your natural body clock. The disruption may make it harder to get to sleep the next time.

The way to catch up on lost sleep is to get back into a regular sleep schedule.

Napping helps offset insomnia

Myth: Brief naps (10-20 minutes) can be refreshing. Insomnia sufferers most likely experience a decrease in brain sleep drive from a nap.

You'll learn to need less sleep

Myth: Serious consequences will arise with repeated lack of sleep. Everyone is born with a set sleep need. Most adults need at least eight hours.

You can learn to get by on less sleep, but you can't train your body to need less sleep for a long period of time. Sleep-deprivation might cause inattention or forgetfulness. Being chronically tired can have serious consequences, including poor work performance and an increased risk of accidents.

Get out of bed if you can't sleep

Fact: Getting up to read or listen to relaxing music is more beneficial to tossing and turning in bed, because a quiet activity can help you relax and feel sleepy. Staying in bed may lead to frustration and clock-watching. Serious health conditions have been associated with chronic lack of sleep, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, heart attack and stroke.

You can train yourself to sleep

Fact: You can train your body to associate certain restful behaviors with sleep. The key, of course, is consistency. Yoga, meditating reading or taking a warm bath before bed prepare your body for a restful mentality.

Make a rituatl out of whatever makes you feel restful.

Sleep problems go away on their own

Myth: Until you know what's causing your insomnia—whether it's stress, medication, illness, or another issue—don't expect it to disappear on its own.

If you've had problems getting to sleep or staying asleep, or if you’re consistently tired after a night’s sleep, you may have a sleep disorder, and it's time to talk to your doctor about treatment.

Seasonal allergies: Are you a candidate for Coblation® Turbinate Reduction?

2012-02-16T23:25:51Z

Do you suffer from nasal allergies, with the constant sneezing and watery, itchy eyes? If your allergies are sourced in your nose, you may also be snoring through the nose—a side effect to allergies. There is a cure though: Coblation® technology. The good news is that it's a minimally invasive 5-minute cure...

Turbinates swell up inside the nose when inflamed from nasal allergy symptoms. As a result, air struggles to get through the constricted nasal passageway. As you sleep the enlarged nasal tissues—turbinates—contribute to snoring.

Turbinates that create nasal obstruction may be caused by long-standing environmental allergies as culprits from hay fever, to mold.

How do you know allergies are to blame for snoring? For the typical patient, it’s a lot easier to make at least a rudimentary self-assessment of snoring when it originates in the nose. A constant stuffy nose and allergies make it fairly obvious.

What is the cure for nasal allergies? Whether you snore while you sleep or not, if you suffer from chronic allergies, you will benefit from the Coblation^® Turbinate Reduction for Allergies procedure. Debilitating environmental allergies probably keep you from sleeping soundly, and your bed partner as well, which is not healthy. Performing Coblation^® for Allergies is extremely effective and can be done quickly by Dr. Macdonald, board certified ENT, with a nasal turbinate channeling device. Also known as cold ablation, turbinate reduction's shrinking of the irritated tissue on the inside of the nose widens the nasal airway, and thereby improves air flow. Thus, your sinus pressure and congested nose are reduced and you can breathe again.

Sleep well, live well...

Your war with snoring and sleep apnea: Bad for your health and your love life

2011-11-13T21:58:47Z

Dr. Macdonald has been treating snoring for his patients for over 10 years. One of the first in the Bay Area, he is now considered a Bay Area snoring expert.

Chief of Head and Neck Surgery at the Alameda County Medical Center for over 10 years, Dr. Macdonald is uniquely qualified in snoring management, including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

There are 3 primary contributors to snoring.

1) Soft palate. Obstruction to the airway in the mouth results in a vibration of the tissues in the back of the throat. This auditory snoring sound comes from the mouth. This airway obstruction is usually treated with the Pillar® Procedure.

2) Nasal. Obstruction of the airway in the nose. This auditory snoring sound comes from the nose. This airway obstruction is usually corrected with septoplasty surgery, turbinate reduction, or a nasal valve.

3) Oral. When the tongue gets in the way, the auditory snoring sound comes from the mouth. It is usually treated with the following procedures: tongue reduction, maxomandibular advancement, hyoid suspension, or genioglossus advancement.

Lifestyle and aging also can contribute to snoring. Obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking increase the chances and intensity. As we age, our tissue elasticity decreases, which gives less protection for the airwaves.

Healthy sleep habits. You can see how snoring effects others around you, and maybe even have a dedicated "snoring room" in your home. This is more common than you may imagine as the war on snoring heats up. That steam engine in your bed is bad for your health and even worse on your love life, but it is ultimately about you and your health.

There are many health consequences to sleep-disoriented breathing depending on the severity.

The health consequences of snoring include:

* Daytime sleepiness
* Poor mental and emotional health
* Decreased productivity
* Slower reaction time

If your breathing is obstructed enough while you sleep, your snoring will be accompanied by a collapse of the airways either in the nasal airway, soft palate, tongue base or pharyngeal walls. This would indicate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) where the consequences are more severe such as:

* Hypertension
* Heart attack
* Stroke
* Type II diabetes
* Depression
* Cognitive dysfunction
* Impotence
* Sexual dysfunction
* Reduced libido
* Morning headaches

There are some holistic approaches to better sleep that could help alleviate some of your systems such as relaxation, yoga, calming herbs and essential oils, massage and soft music before sleeping, allowing your inherent natural sleepiness to have its best chance for slumber.

Don't let snoring ruin the quality of your life. It's up to you to take action.

image by simeon schatz photography and visual design