People often say they can get by on 5 or fewer hours of sleep, that snoring is harmless, and that having a drink helps you to fall asleep.

These are, in fact, among the most widely held myths about sleeping that not only shape poor habits, but may also pose a significant public health threat, according to a new study publishing online in Sleep Health on April 16.

Researchers from NYU School of Medicine reviewed more than 8,000 websites to identify the 20 most common assumptions about sleep. With a team of sleep medicine experts, they ranked them based on whether each could be dispelled as a myth or supported by scientific evidence, and on the harm that the myth could cause.

“Sleep is a vital part of life that affects our productivity, mood, and general health and well-being,” says study lead investigator, Rebecca Robbins, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Health, in a release. “Dispelling myths about sleep promotes healthier sleep habits which, in turn, promote overall better health.”

The claim by some people that they can get by on 5 hours of sleep was among the top myths researchers were able to dispel based on scientific evidence. They say this myth also poses the most serious risk to health from long-term sleep deficits. To avoid the effects of this falsehood and others identified in this study, such as the value of taking naps when you routinely have difficulty sleeping overnight, Robbins and her colleagues suggest creating a consistent sleep schedule and spending more time, at least 7 hours, asleep.

Another common myth relates to snoring. And while Robbins says snoring can be harmless, it can also be a sign of sleep apnea, a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing starts and stops over the course of the night. The authors encourage patients not to dismiss loud snoring, but rather to see a doctor since this sleep behavior may lead to heart stoppages or other illnesses.

The study authors also found sufficient evidence in published studies that, despite beliefs to

Men’s Journal covers how an oral appliance can reduce snoring.

The Zyppah Anti-Snoring MouthpieceOpens a New Window. ($100) is an FDA-cleared, self-molded, boil-and-bite oral appliance that is effective, safe, and easy to use. What makes Zyppah different is its patent-pending tongue strap that gently holds and stabilizes your tongue. The revolutionary Zyppah tongue strap holds the tongue in place, preventing it from falling back into the throat. Meanwhile, Mandibular Advancement moves the jaw forward. Working together, these two solutions open your airway during sleep, allowing you to breathe freely—and allowing the person next to you a night of peaceful, relaxing sleep.

Clinical studies have shown Zyppah to have a 91 percent effectiveness. Over 800 reviewers have tried Zyppah, and no one—that’s ZERO—reviewers have given the device less than four (out of five) stars.

Get the full story at www.mensjournal.com

Split-night studies that don’t necessarily allow patients the time to change postures and a lack of reliable reimbursement can lead to position-dependent sleep apnea being missed.

By Lisa Spear

Clinicians face several obstacles in identifying positional sleep apnea (POSA), which can hinder their ability to treat the condition.

Positional sleep apnea can affect as many as 49.5% of patients with mild sleep apnea and 19.4% of those with moderate sleep apnea. In people of Asian decent, these numbers are higher with as many as 75% of all obstructive sleep apnea patients having a positional component.¹ “Many physicians working in sleep medicine really underappreciate the prevalence overall of positional sleep apnea,” says Samuel Krachman, DO, a pulmonologist and professor of thoracic medicine and surgery at Temple University’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine.

Positional sleep apnea refers to sleep-breathing difficulties associated with the supine position, which promotes a downward gravitational pull and causes the muscles in the airways to fall straight back. While there is currently a plethora of devices on the market to help people keep off their backs when asleep, identifying positional sleep apnea is not always easy.

In recent years, third-party payors have become stricter in their criteria for who qualifies for an in-lab sleep test. And those who are approved for in-lab studies are often only approved for a split-night study (instead of a two-night study, when a patient is diagnosed one night and then titrated the second night). During split-night studies, patients might not have time to assume all positions, says Krachman.

According to research, published in the journal CHEST, positional sleep apnea cannot usually be properly assessed during a split-night study.²

“The biggest issue, in many cases, is how we diagnose patients in the United States leaves a gap in knowledge,” explains Daniel Levendowski, president and co-founder of Advanced Brain Monitoring, which produces the FDA-approved Night Shift positional sleep apnea therapy device.

“[Sleep technologists] only need two hours of sleep time to know whether to move that patient to CPAP and in that two-hour window it is very difficult to get a good

After six years on the market, Zyppah has been granted US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearances to be made available over-the-counter (OTC) via third-party retail marketplaces.

“As a Class 2 medical device, which we were, you can sell it on your website directly to consumers BUT you cannot sell through a third party (such as Amazon or any retail store as in Costco, Target, WalMart, pharmacies, supermarkets, etc),” explains creator Jonathan Greenburg, DDS, via email to Sleep Review. “With the OTC approval, we can now sell everywhere in retail.”

As noted in the FDA #K182312, “The Zyppah Anti-Snoring Appliance is intended for use by adults (18 years or older) as an aid to reduce snoring. Biocompatibility testing results demonstrated that Zyppah is biocompatible under ISO 10993, including cytotoxicity, sensitization, and irritation testing. The device was shown to meet the requirements of the ISO 10993 guidelines for each of these tests. All materials used in the device are certified USP Class VI and used in many other currently marketed medical devices.”

Zyppah is a patented dual-action mouthpiece featuring both a mandible advancer and a “seat belt for the tongue” to keep the tongue from blocking the airway. NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal serves as a global ambassador for the product. It retails for $99.95.