London Bridge Hospital Launches New Website for Specialised Sleep Centre

London Bridge Hospital, one of the largest private hospitals in the UK, has today launched the website for The Sleep Centre at London Bridge Hospital, (http://www.londonbridgesleepcentre.co.uk/) a one-stop shop for sleep disorders, providing rapid assessment, intervention and treatment for numerous common and complex conditions. The website will complement the work of the Centre by providing up-to-date information regarding the different types of sleep disorders, tips for better sleep and the special services provided by the specialist, multi-disciplinary team.

Sleep, or a lack of, is a problem that most of us have experienced at one time or another. However, sleep problems that are a regular occurrence and interfere with your daily life, are not normal and have a negative impact on an individual’s energy and emotional health. Over 25% of people in the UK suffer from a sleep disorder with common symptoms including difficulty staying awake and/or impaired daytime mental alertness, slow reactions and anxiety about sleep. Often such symptoms are due to our increasingly 24/7 lifestyles and an inability to “switch off” from external pressures. Consequently, the need for a sleep service is becoming increasingly important as Dr Guy Leschziner, Consultant Neurologist at The Sleep Centre at London Bridge Hospital explains,

“We spend a third of our life asleep, and yet we pay our sleep so little attention, compared to what we eat and how we exercise. Sleep fundamentally influences a huge array of physiological and psychological parameters, ranging from mood and memory, to blood pressure, immune function and pain threshold. Optimising sleep may have significant beneficial effects beyond simply making you feel less tired.”

The Sleep Centre also performs a number of diagnostic tests based both at home and at the Centre itself. They include:

• An overnight Oximetry for individuals who suffer from sleep related breathing disorders
• A standard Polysomnography, an overnight test involving measuring a number of variables through the use of sensors including brain waves, eye movements and electrical muscle activity
• Multiple Sleep Latency Tests (MSLTs), daytime tests measuring levels of daytime sleepiness
• Maintenance of wakefulness tests (MWTs) a second daytime test which determines the individual’s ability to stay awake in sleepy conditions
• Full Montage (EEG) Polysomnography, similar to a standard Polysomnography only with an increased number of sensors for investigating nocturnal seizures
• Telemetry (EEG) studies, used for patients with suspected seizures
• CPAP titration and follow up (also known as a APAP trial) offered to individuals who suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) 

Primarily functioning as an outpatient clinic, the integrated nature of the hospital means that those who require further intervention in the form of inpatient procedures, can be easily treated at London Bridge Hospital with patients scheduled in for first class treatment from leading Consultants, Cardiologists, Respiratory Consultants, Neurologists and Ear, Nose and Throat. As Dr Guy Leschziner states,

“We have an integrated sleep service unparalleled in the private sector, with the ability to investigate and manage the full range of sleep disorders. Our strong multidisciplinary team is crucial to the provision of optimal care.”

Lack of sleep is linked to obesity, new evidence shows

Can lack of sleep make you fat? A new paper which reviews the evidence from sleep restriction studies reveals that inadequate sleep is linked to obesity. The research, published in a special issue of the The American Journal of Human Biology, explores how lack of sleep can impact appetite regulation, impair glucose metabolism and increase blood pressure. "Obesity develops when energy intake is greater than expenditure. Diet and physical activity play an important part in this, but an additional factor may be inadequate sleep," said Dr Kristen Knutson, from the University of Chicago. "A review of the evidence shows how short or poor quality sleep is linked to increased risk of obesity by de-regulating appetite, leading to increased energy consumption."
Dr Knutson accumulated evidence from experimental and observational studies of sleep. Observational studies revealed cross-sectional associations between getting fewer than six hours sleep and increased body mass index (BMI) or obesity.
The studies revealed how signals from the brain which control appetite regulation are impacted by experimental sleep restriction. Inadequate sleep impacts secretion of the signal hormones ghrelin, which increases appetite, and leptin, which indicates when the body is satiated. This can lead to increased food intake without the compensating energy expenditure.
"In the United States 18% of adults are estimated to get less than 6 hours of sleep, which equates to 53 million short sleepers who may be at risk of associated obesity," said Knutson. "Poor sleeping patterns are not random and it is important to consider the social, cultural and environmental factors which can cause inadequate sleep so at-risk groups can be identified."
The evidence suggests the association between inadequate sleep and higher BMI is stronger in children and adolescents. It also shows that sleep deficiency in lower socioeconomic groups may result in greater associated obesity risks.
The majority of the studies Dr Knutson examined came from Western countries, which highlights the need for more research to understand sleep's role in disease risk. However other research papers in the special issue focus on obesity in the United Arab Emirates, Samoa, and Brazil.
"These findings show that sleeping poorly can increase a person's risk of developing obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease," concluded Knutson. "Future research should determine whether efforts to improve sleep can also help prevent the development of these diseases or improve the lives of patients with these conditions."

**Source: Wiley-Blackwell