| Physicians OnlyMost patients today aren’t getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Ultimately, the circadian process regulating the body’s internal processes and levels of alertness becomes affected. This leads to cognitive lapses, which make it difficult to process and react to decisions of daily life. The brain is...Read More
| Physicians OnlyBetween 1975 and 2006, there was a 22% increase in people getting less than six hours of sleep per night, which ultimately impairs our decision-making abilities. This could be due to multiple factors – long shift hours, commute times, job demands, etc. Whatever the reason, insufficient sleep has been...Read More
| Physicians OnlyIt’s true that when we don’t get enough sleep, our performance suffers the next day. We feel groggy and unmotivated, and if repeated enough, we can even begin to feel depressed. During the holidays especially, there is a lot of extra pressure on us to buy gifts for everyone,...Read More
| Physicians OnlyThere are many theories surrounding the relationship between TMD and aural symptoms. Many of these theories are based off of the discovery by Costen in 1934, who initially associated TMD with aural dysfunction. A dislocated disc in the jaw joint increases pressure in the Eustachian tube, as well as...Read More
| Physicians OnlyFreud perseverated on dreams during sleep and emphasized the importance of the unconscious mind. He postulated that our brains paralyze our muscles during REM sleep to save us from hurting ourselves if we are physically acting out our dreams during sleep. His belief was that the unconscious mind governs...Read More
| Physicians OnlySince the 1970’s, scientists have been unable to determine which cells in the brain are responsible for controlling the circadian rhythm in humans, due to the massive number of neurons involved. The circadian rhythm in humans, which is produced by the SCN (suprachiasmatic nucleus), is located within the hypothalamus....Read More
| Physicians OnlyThe long-term effect of insignificant oxygenation to individual cells in our body and lack of sleep has been shown to initiate the degradation of organs on a cellular basis. Chronically sleep-deprived people are impaired – both physically and mentally. Cognitive function and mood suffers. In addition, liver cells, brain...Read More
| Physicians OnlyIs longer sleep duration a sign of early neurodegeneration? This deterioration causes a loss in cognitive ability/function, which ultimately can increase the incidence of dementia. Prolonged sleep duration is categorized as more than 9 hours of sleep per night (6 hours being short, and 6-9 hours being average). Should...Read More
| Physicians OnlyThe following article discusses the connection between TMD, mouth opening, aural symptoms and hearing loss. The instrumental role of TMD in otic symptomology has been a cause of debate for years. Aural symptoms including tinnitus, otalgia, vertigo and dizziness are proven TMD symptoms, and there have been countless studies...Read More
| Physicians OnlySleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is common in patients with heart failure (HF), and hypoxia and hypercapnia stimulate autonomic reflex responses. During an apneic episode, hypoxia and hypercapnia occur, triggering these involuntary reflex responses. These can include muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and ventilation. In patients with heart failure (HF), stimulation...Read More
