This sited aims to inform people who have--or suspect themselves to have--sleep apnea; It also aims to inform their concerned relatives and friends; In contrast to many other sleep apnea sites providing well-accepted information about sleep apnea, information here comes from recently published professional articles, often primary research reports, with findings which may still be controversial; This site attempts to summarize these reports in language understandable to the lay reader; Also offered are the author's comments on each report; When problems arise from readers' attempts to understand or apply these findings, the author welcomes e-mail questions; One goal is to offer the most up-to-date published research findings relevant to people with sleep apnea; Another goal is to help people to think independently and critically about the significance of such reports;

I am a person who suffers from severe, at one time disabling sleep apnea. I am also a physician. In my own search for help, I have turned to the large literature of research reports on sleep apnea and its treatment. There I have learned much of relevance to me. I have myself done medical research, so I have experience reading this type of report. Even so, I often find them tough going. A few years ago, it occurred to me that most people with sleep apnea would have great difficulty reading and understanding such primary research reports. For the most part, they must rely on what they read about this research in newspapers and magazines. This type of "news report on recent research findings" often bears little resemblance to the original report. Writers and publishers want to attract attention and get people interested, excited if possible. Often they make too much out of too little. Usually they lack the expertise to make comments of their own about the research. Instead, they turn to some other expert in the field for commentary, usually brief and delivered from the perspective of another researcher, not an ordinary person involved with the disease. Such news media reports have some value: they let the public know of new developments. But they don't tell enough for the the reader to know what to make of the "new discovery." Does it have real relevance to patients? Or does it merely represent one of many conflicting findings on the issue? Was the research done well, better than prior research on the subject? Is it all still in the realm of speculation, far from current realities and options? Most importantly, the question on the minds of most people reading such new stories must be: "What does this mean for me?" The typical news report about new research leaves these questions unanswered. Many answers might lie in the original research report itself, but how many readers can gain access to these in their entirety, and them read them in a balanced, understanding, but critical way? That is why I set up this website: to help fellow sufferers get a closer view of what is coming out of recent research on their condition and its treatment. I read closely the original report, try to summarize it in understandable language, and then make some comments about it. I have the advantage of being not only a physician experienced in conducting research and writing such reports, but a fellow patient and sufferer looking at these new findings in much the same way as anyone trying to find answers to questions important to health and functioning.

You may be interested in checking out the sleep disorders newsgroup by typing or copy-pasting in the search field below: alt.support.sleep-disorder

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This site was most recently updated on: January 1, 2001

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