Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.
A few weeks ago, I received an interesting email from a podcast listener, who cryptically stated…
…”you could improve sleep also by a simple screening of oximetry to rule out OSA in your adrenal fatigue clients. 30% of OSA patients have OSA unrelated to obesity. Me included and I am 9% body fat. Just something to consider since you are doing a lot of cool but out of the box sleep recommendations. This coming from a fan and a board certified sleep specialist.“
I have to admit that I did not, off the top of my head, even recall what OSA was, and that it had been some time since I'd personally used a little finger pulse oximeter to measure my blood oxygen saturation. I was also intrigued about the fact that many people who don't sleep well, are constantly tired, or experience adrenal fatigue don't seem to know about this issue, so I asked him what he meant.
He wrote back and clarified:
“Relating to OSA, I was referring to Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypopnea Syndrome. I like a more accurate description “sleep suffocation”. The issue is totally ignored by Primary Care Physicians, let alone the guys that should be investigating it which should be the cardiologists. 30 percent of OSA patients have no obesity contributing to the problem but have craniofacial development deficiencies. The other 70 percent or so end up developing “sleep suffocation” as obesity sets in. Nearly 80 percent of moderate and severe OSA cases are undiagnosed. This is the lion's share of what the sleep specialists deal with every day. The insomnia cases, ASPS, DSPS, jet lag, RLS, PLMD, narcolepsy and the other sleep disorders take a back seat to this OSA issue. You can't address sleep issues thoroughly without thoughtful discussion regarding OSA.”
Wow. Now that's something that needed some further digging, so I decided to get this guy on the podcast. His name is Dr. Joseph Zelk and he is the Medical Director of the Sleep Medicine Group, which you'll learn more about in this show. In this episode, you'll also discover:
-Why many sleep monitoring devices and wearables simply aren't accurate, and how you should really be measuring your sleep…
-What a sleep cycle should really look like when it comes to deep sleep vs. light sleep…
-Why you should use a pulse oximeter upon waking, and what can it tell you…
-How you get OSA, especially if you're a lean active person who eats healthy…
-Why more people don't know about OSA, especially physicians…
-What you can do to fix OSA…
-Are there ways/technologies to measure pulse oximetry all night while you're sleeping?
-Which nutrient deficiencies can cause this issue…
-And much more!
Resources we discuss in this episode:
–The Sleep Medicine Group
–Pulse oximeters that can measure oximetry while you're asleep
Do you have questions, comments or feedback about this hidden sleep killer that flies under the radar? Leave your thoughts below!
Finally, for customized, cutting-edge sleep tracking and testing, a one-on-one sleep consultation via Skype, screening for obstructive sleep apnea or any other your other sleep enhancement or insomnia fixing needs, visit www.sleepmedicinegroup.com. Mention “Ben Greenfield” on your e-mail intake form or when you speak to a representative, and get a $25-100 discount on any sleep testing or sleep consulting services.
11 Responses
Was just relistening to this episode because you talked about a Super Human encoder you will produce yourself in India. Any updates on that. Could not follow up this information
Awesome Ben!
Hey, gonna sign up on your trial, I like the value you provide peeps. And health is my #1 goal at the mo.
Just curious, you still only use earthpulse intermittently? If so, what's your reasoning? I saw you post a comment you used to use it everyday, what changed your mind? Also, any reviews or info on the magnetico sleep pad or recommendations on competitive products?
Cheers,
Nick
Hey Ben,
So the main goal is to lower oxidative stress? I'm about to get my earthpulse, this will greatly help if not remove this problem will it not?
great site, thanks for your work!
Yes, the earthpulse is great for oxidative stress and that should indeed be one of the main sleep goals.
Who makes the sublingual spray that Dr. Zelk uses?
You can get it here: drjoez.isagenix.com
Dr Zelk says "There is a brain support daytime supplement he recommends along with it since many patients want better daytime performance not just more sleep.
I like the spray 3 sprays hold under the tongue for 1 minute up to 6 sprays."
Very intriguing 'cast, Ben. Getting Dr. Zelk on the show was a good call.
One issue: None of the products you link to above are SPO2 loggers, only single-point measurement devices. Have you had any luck finding actual logging devices that continuously record O2 saturation and pulse rate for download later? Something like that seems like the holy grail for tracking these metrics.
Jared, Joe is at [email protected]. Go ahead and send this one over to him.