Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Expert Explains the Vital Role of Quality Sleep in Protecting Brain Health and Preventing Cognitive Decline
Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer, DO, MS, director of the Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center and staff in the Epilepsy Center, talks with the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement about the vital role quality sleep plays in brain health.
Foldvary-Schaefer is a professor of medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University with a joint appointment in the Women’s Health Center at Cleveland Clinic. Certified by the American Board of Neurology and Psychiatry in Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology and Sleep Medicine and the American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology, she has treated patients with sleep disorders and epilepsy at Cleveland Clinic since 1995. She has served as a lead investigator on numerous clinical trials and has published on sleep and epilepsy, epilepsy surgery, EEG, women’s issues in epilepsy and sleep disorders.
Read Foldvary-Schaefer’s discussion with the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement about the link between disruptive sleep and cognitive decline, here.
One in three adult Americans is affected by obstructive sleep apnea, an often undetected yet highly treatable condition that over time becomes a risk factor for heart attack, stroke, diabetes and other serious conditions. This website serves as a resource to learn more about sleep apnea, its symptoms, risks and treatments. Download this free app today to check your sleep apnea risk.
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Our Sleep Apnea Story Founder Mary Schaff and Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer discuss SLEEP app updates with FOX 8 in Cleveland
In an interview with FOX 8 in Cleveland, Mary Schaff shared her story about her late husband, John, who died from obstructive sleep apnea at the age of 57. Since his passing, Mary has been a strong advocate for sleep apnea awareness, and through donations, has helped in the creation the new SLEEP by Cleveland Clinic app.
“The most frustrating thing was that John had to wait a month to get in (to the doctor) to have the sleep test. As a result of having to wait a month, he died two days before his appointment,” Mary told FOX 8. “I wanted to bring awareness to the seriousness of sleep apnea through the creation of the app. I want to make a positive difference in somebody else’s life. My hope is that this app, which is free for people to download, will do just that – it will save lives and provide resources to learn more about sleep apnea.”
SLEEP by Cleveland Clinic was created by experts at the world-renowned medical center and funded through donations by Mary Schaff. The free app is currently available for IOS/Apple users and will soon be available to those who use the Android platform.
The app offers a scientific sleep assessment tool that can calculate risk of four of the most common sleep disorders affecting sleep patterns and sleep quality in adults. The app provides resources to learn more about sleep apnea, including finding sleep centers throughout the country.
“It’s a series of questions that begins with some general education about how sleep disorders and sleep insufficiency or sleep deficiency create long term health problems. You can take your phone and the dashboard and bring it to your primary care appointment and show your doctor what your scores are and your doctor can take the next step forward,” Dr. Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer, DO, MS, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Cleveland Clinic, told FOX 8. “Sleep is part of what keeps us healthy. It’s just foundational – every one of us should be thinking about our sleep.”
Watch Mary Schaff’s and Dr. Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer’s full interview with FOX 8.
New SLEEP by Cleveland Clinic app coming soon for Apple and Android users
The new SLEEP by Cleveland Clinic app for Apple and Android users will be live soon! For IOS/Apple users, the app is currently available as a free download in the Apple App Store. Updates to the app will include availability in the Android platform. Learn more about the app and our founder’s involvement in the development of the app and sleep apnea awareness.
Sleep Apnea Awareness Supports Free Sleep App Created By Cleveland Clinic’s Sleep Disorders Center
Mary Schaff asks ‘How are you sleeping?’ following husband’s death to Sleep Apnea
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. and CLEVELAND, OHIO – As Sleep Awareness Week takes place, March 13-19, and World Sleep Day on March 18, Sleep Apnea awareness advocate and founder of Our Sleep Apnea Story Mary Schaff is pleased to support a new app developed by Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center – SLEEP by Cleveland Clinic.
The free smartphone application was created by Cleveland Clinic experts and funded through donations by Mary Schaff, whose husband died of complications from obstructive sleep apnea. The app offers a scientific sleep assessment tool that can calculate risk of four of the most common sleep disorders affecting sleep patterns and sleep quality in adults. The app provides resources to learn more about sleep apnea, including finding sleep centers throughout the country.
“To hear that this app has saved another person’s life would make me feel very grateful. For all the work that I have done over the last four years with the help of Cleveland Clinic, all I have wanted to do is make a positive difference in somebody else’s life,” said Schaff. “That would be my goal right there – to have made a positive difference in somebody else’s life. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help John. It would be great to know that it did make a difference in somebody else’s life.”
At age 57, John Schaff died of cardiac arrest just two days before he was to undergo a sleep test to determine a course of treatment for what doctors suspected was causing interrupted sleep and daytime drowsiness – sleep apnea.
John’s untimely death and a general lack of public awareness for sleep apnea and the consequences if left untreated are the inspiration for Mary’s advocacy. “How are you sleeping?” is her introduction to many conversations, and something she encourages everyone to ask of themselves, their family and friends, and for physicians to ask of their patients.
Untreated sleep issues can affect physical, emotional and cognitive well-being. Lack of sleep can affect happiness and quality of life – limiting productivity at work or school, leading to irritability, mood issues and poor coping skills, complicating personal relationships, and impacting health and safety. Sleep problems can even cause serious health issues like high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.
“The app helps provide an opportunity for people anywhere using an iPhone to screen yourself for sleep disorders and then share those scores with your primary care doctor,” said Dr. Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer, Director, Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center. “The sooner we can make these diagnoses the better.”
SLEEP by Cleveland Clinic is currently available to download for free at the Apple App Store, and plans are underway for conversion to Android.
Mary Schaff tells Thrive Global that ‘putting electronics to bed’ can help get a good night’s sleep
In a recent Thrive Global article, Mary Schaff shares her story about her late husband, John, who died from obstructive sleep apnea at the age of 57. She also shares an important message with readers: Getting a good night’s sleep is important to one’s physical, emotional, and mental health, and why it should be a priority in life.
Mary, an ardent advocate and spokesperson for education and awareness for sleep apnea, a highly treatable yet often undiagnosed disorder, shares with Thrive Global how electronics too close to bedtime can actually hurt the quality of a good night’s sleep. “Put electronics to bed,” she said in her interview. “Electronic use close to bedtime serves to stimulate the brain and blue light from screens has been shown to block the production of melatonin, a hormone naturally produced by the body in response to darkness that helps to regulate sleep and wake cycles.”
Mary Schaff featured in Authority Magazine on why you should make getting a good night’s sleep a major priority in life, and how you can make that happen
Mary Schaff talks with Tyler Gallagher of Authority Magazine as part of an interview series about how to make getting a good night’s sleep a priority in life. In the article, Mary shares her story about her late husband, John, who died from obstructive sleep apnea at the age of 57. She also discusses how working with leading sleep expert and neurologist Dr. Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer, DO, MS, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Cleveland Clinic, has led Mary to become involved in the development of the mobile app, “Sleep by Cleveland Clinic.” The free app allows users to assess their sleep disorder risk, learn how to sleep better, and get connected to experts for help.
When asked about her favorite life lesson quote, Mary responded: “Actually, it’s more of a life question, which is ‘How are you sleeping?’ It’s a basic question with a seemingly simple answer, but the answer may help to reveal some serious health concerns — and perhaps even save a life. It’s one of the easiest ways to spark a meaningful conversation, and conversation within families, with friends and even with physicians is the goal.”
Dr. Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer of the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute and director of its Sleep Disorders Center issues statement on Philips CPAP recall
Since Philips announced a recall of its CPAP machines in June due to a foam part that might degrade and become toxic, doctors nationwide have been inundated with calls from worried patients. Dr. Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer, DO, MS, of the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute, and director of its Sleep Disorders Center, explained the main concern of the Philips recall is that patients are waiting for new devices and no one knows when Philips will have a supply.
“The Cleveland Clinic recommends patients continue using their machines as they wait for replacements if they have significant comorbid conditions (heart, lung, brain disease), severe daytime sleepiness, or who operate motor vehicles or heavy machinery for employment,” said Dr. Foldvary-Schaefer.
Dr. Foldvary-Schaefer is a supporter of Mary Schaff’s efforts on sleep apnea research and has worked with her closely over the years. Mary Schaff and Dr. Foldvary-Schaefer were both involved in the development of Cleveland Clinic’s mobile app, GO! TO SLEEP®, which rates the quality of one’s sleep.
Mary Schaff talks with WGVU’s Shelley Irwin about her efforts for sleep apnea awareness and education, which may have saved a Florida man's life.
Mary Schaff Leads Efforts For Sleep Apnea Awareness And Education, And May Have Saved A Naples Man’s Life
Woman Develops
New App with
Cleveland Clinic After Losing Husband to Sleep Apnea
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How do you sleep? It could be a matter of life and death.
A Grand Rapids woman is making it her mission to educate doctors and their patients about the dangers of sleep apnea. She knows better than most people how tragic the disorder can be.
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