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Musings from Philippe

Sailing, Mountains, Music, and Technology

Philippe Kahn’s interview with ETH Zurich Circle Podcast

Philippe Kahn, an innovator and entrepreneur who studied mathematics at ETH Zurich, changed the world on June 11, 1997. The podcast episode explores a number of topics including what happened on that day, why Philippe chose ETH Zurich, and how went from making printer cables to founding an AI-powered company dedicated to sleep. Philippe also discusses how he plays the flute for 30 minutes every morning, what fascinates him about sailing, and why the sport is a metaphor for business and science.

ETH is a new podcast series featuring stories from alumni and friends of ETH Zurich around the globe. Hosted by ETH Circle Member and Entrepreneur Susan Kish, the series touches on conversations with the people who have taken their ETH experience out into the world and turned it into a company, a career, and a way of life.

https://eth-podcast.podigee.io/54-neue-episode

Blog, Link, News, Technology

Breathing anomalies while we sleep, including apnea, are important indicators of potential serious wellness challenges

A large Fullpower-AI study of 300,000+ nights of sleep, leveraging the new polysomnography-grade Fullpower-AHI platform, confirms that breathing anomalies while we sleep become more prevalent as we age and BMI increases. Males are significantly more susceptible than females. Breathing anomalies while we sleep, including apnea, are important indicators of potential serious wellness challenges. Loud snoring can often be a precursor of sleep apnea.

Here are a few relevant studies:

1. How Obstructive Sleep Apnea Correlates to Age

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2921601/

2. Age-Group-Specific Associations between the Severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Relevant Risk Factors in Male and Female Patients

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4161416/

3. Effects of Age on Sleep Apnea in Men

https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1164/ajrccm.157.1.9706079

4. Obstructive sleep apnea is a common disorder in the population—a review on the epidemiology of sleep apnea

https://jtd.amegroups.com/article/view/4797/5202

Technology

The longer we are awake during the day, the higher our heart rate throughout the night

We know that heart rate throughout the night is a sign-post of health and recovery. So we asked, “is it true that the more we sleep, the lower the average heart rate is throughout the night?”

The data shows that this is not necessarily the case, and that includes our weekly work schedules and weekend opportunity to sleep in.

For example, on average, we spend the most wake-time on Fridays, and as the graph shows, our average heart rates are higher on Friday nights. During the corresponding Saturday mornings, we tend to sleep in and our sleep durations end up longer, yet our heart rates throughout the night are higher.

One possible explanation is an increase in REM sleep when the heart rate is generally elevated. Of course, “lifestyle” (alcohol and larger / later meals) also contribute to elevated heart rates measured on Friday and Saturday nights.

Technology

Daylight Saving Time (DST) creates a significant disruption in sleep schedules

For the last four years, Sleeptracker AI data has recorded significant disruption in sleep patterns during the fall when we wind the clock back, losing an hour of daylight. In comparison, the state of Arizona does not change its time for Daylight Saving Time. As a result, their data does not show a disruption. 

The following link points to a recent discussion on “CBS This Morning” regarding the potential impacts of fall sleep disruption. youtu.be/Bk8zqWKeLy0

Technology

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