More zzzzzs, less disease?

Sleep apnea is defined as pauses in breathing during sleep. But for some sufferers it means waking up struggling for breath or excessive sleepiness during the day even after a seemingly full night of sleep. It's a serious medical condition that's been linked to heart attack and heart failure. Now the International Diabetes Center at Park Nicollet (IDC) is part of a study that is looking into whether treating sleep apnea can improve diabetes outcomes.

IDC one of seven

IDC and six other sites in the U.S. and Australia, including Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, are trying to determine if blood sugar levels improve in type 2 diabetes patients who use continuous positive airway pressure devices, or CPAP machines. “The IDC was chosen because we are well known and have a large patient base,” says Kim Gunyou, IDC research study coordinator. “This study calls for 100 subjects at each site. Most studies are between ten and 30.”

Chance to change

63 year old Bill Garry is a retired small business owner who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 18 years ago. He says he feels he had his diabetes under control, but his A1C numbers-that track diabetes over time-weren't where he wanted them. Then he heard Park Nicollet was recruiting for this study. “I didn't know for sure, but I thought I had problems with sleep apnea,” says Garry. “I'm glad I qualified and was in the group that received CPAP machines.”

Other improvements

Garry, who's been in the program seven months, says his blood sugar levels improved significantly and he lost weight. “My wife says my snoring went away and I know I sleep better because I'm not tired every day,” says Garry. Aside from the primary goal of improving A1C numbers, Gunyou says quality of life often can improve for patients and their families. “It's not just patients who sleep better. Partners are able to get an uninterrupted night sleep now as well.”

For more information, please contact research recruitment specialist Anne Gilsdorf at 952-993-3267.