Patient Education Resources
These patient education resources from Telemedora are designed to help you better understand sleep, sleep disorders, testing, and treatment options. Explore easy-to-understand information about common sleep conditions such as sleep apnea and insomnia, as well as tips for improving your sleep health. Our resources are intended to help you make informed decisions and take the next step toward better sleep and overall health.
The Science Behind Beauty Sleep
For some people, the secret to youthful skin is mainly about beauty products like moisturizers, sunscreens, anti-aging procedures, and prescription treatments. However, it is important to note that good quality and quantity of sleep has a significant impact on skin, i.e. the largest organ in our bodies. Deep sleep plays an important role in repair and regeneration of skin tissue. This is important for maintaining a glowing skin. The link between sleep and skin health has become a hot topic, and it’s no surprise, considering how many people say they look duller, drier or less refreshed after a bad night’s sleep. Things that impact skin health include: Sleep, moisture balance, blood flow, nutrition, temperature control and hormones. Read more
Sleep and Brain Health
Have you ever struggled with brain fog? Those with poor sleep do. Brain fog is a term used by some patients to describe cloudy thinking in the morning, struggle to focus, concentrate and recall important details in the morning. Poor sleep can make any day difficult to get through. Not knowing the answer to why your brain feels so ‘foggy’ and why you feel so mentally and emotionally drained can be even more difficult. People often take sleep for granted, thinking that it is as simple as rest, but sleep is a highly complex process that includes the body restoring and repairing itself. Sleep is a critical window that helps the brain prepare for clear thinking, emotional balance, and healthy daily function. Read more
The Truth About Consumer Sleep Trackers
Sleep tracking is one of the fastest-growing wellness trends of our time. What used to involve spending an entire night in a sleep lab hooked up to wires and monitors to get an idea of how much you slept overnight is now something you can do easily with smart consumer gadgets. These could be wearables like smartwatch on your wrist, a ring on your finger, or nearables like smart mattress or pillows. These gadgets put output about the quantity and quality of sleep as a number called sleep score. Every morning, people wake up and almost automatically glance at their sleep score before they even stop to ask a more important question: How do I actually feel?
Clearly, the growing prevalence of sleep tracking has people thinking more about sleep health, but at what cost? Are we measuring sleep, or do we really understand it? The far deeper problem is that we measure and talk about sleep without understanding its implications. Read more
Breaking Down Sleep Apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a chronic, serious, and most common sleep disorder. It occurs when the throat muscles relax during sleep, causing complete or almost complete airways collapse, cutting off airflow intermittently. Many people think of sleep apnea as just loud snoring; however, sleep apnea when untreated can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Although all the muscles in the body relax when we sleep, people with naturally narrow throats or large neck size are more prone to sleep apnea. When the airflow gets cut off, oxygen levels go down, and your brain kicks in a survival reflex that momentarily wakes you up so you can breathe again. This reflex is vital for staying alive, but it messes up your sleep, leaving you feeling tired. Read more
Understanding Sleep and Sleep Stages
Sleep is a fundamental biological process for humans, a state of rest that is as essential to our survival as food and water. From the outside, it appears simple: a period of quiet stillness. Yet beneath the surface, our brains and bodies are engaged in a highly active and meticulously organized sequence of events. To improve sleep quality and get better rest, it’s key to understand how sleep works. This includes knowing the sleep cycle and its specific stages. This blog takes an in-depth look at what happens when you sleep, delving in detail from light NREM stages to restorative deep sleep. Read more
Home Sleep Testing: Uses, Pros and Cons
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a condition caused by intermittent and repetitive episodes of partial or complete cessation of airflow due to the collapse of upper airways. As a result of this airway collapse, oxygen level drops in the body causing a negative impact on your health. In order to detect OSA, in addition to symptoms, a test called sleep study is required. The sleep study can be done either in a brick-and-mortar sleep center or at home. When done in a sleep center, the sleep study is called a polysomnogram (PSG). Read more
