Don’t look now but it seems that another area of concern tied up with the problem of sleep apnea seems to be that of deafness or hearing loss. The discovery was courtesy of a study from Japan, wherein sudden deafness was more likely traced to that of a previous diagnosis of sleep apnea.

Hence, it is advisable to have yourself checked for sleep apnea just in case you incur such sudden hearing losses. The bad part about it is on determining if sleep apnea treatment can also address the deafness issue.

It may be possible that sleep apnea, which is known to increase the buildup of plaque in blood vessels, could affect vessels in areas of the brain that control hearing, or vessels that feed the nerves responsible for hearing.

But it looks like the study needs more evidence to support the claim. Just the same, it would be best to go to a specialist to determine if deafness and sleep apnea are indeed tied up.

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The Holidays or the season for drinking and feasting may be over but this doesn’t mean the drivers who may eventually find themselves a bit sleepy on the roads are over. And to welcome the new year, here is something neat from Japanese company Juki, something you can mount on the driver’s seat whose intent is to alarm the driver in cases where he is about to doze off.

The solution is called the Anti-Sleep Driver Seat Sheet or the Sleep Buster. It does the trick by measuring the signals from the heart and aorta through a built-in sensor.

A piece of software called “Human Tachometer” then visualizes the condition of the driver on a controller.

The Sleep Buster is set to retail next month, priced at about US$2,000 in Japan. This includes the controller, sheet and the power module. No word yet of a U.S. release.

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Lighting and perhaps some aroma therapy can be a great help for people who are looking for all the sleep aids they can get and this neat looking lamp designed by CEO of Broadbank could be one of them. The Evul Todai Aroma is a passion project of sorts with the intent of melding the designer’s love for lighthouses.

This is a cool relaxation lamp that renders a spectrum of soft and soothing lights while at the same time releasing some placid scents from the burning oil it uses. Capping up the aroma lamp is the third generation hand-crafting of each thanks to the aid of Japan’s finest construction materials.

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Nothing beats getting up to the nature-like sound of chirping birds. With the Bird Alarm Clock, wake up on the right side of bed with the natural sound of birds chirping or warbling in the wild.

The chirping sound was recorded from a rural location in Japan. The clock also has a regular beeping alarm and a talking function which can be in English or Japanese. The clock requires 2 x coin cell batteries CR2032, comes with a snooze button and date function as well. It costs £29.99 and is available over at Firebox.com.

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While a lot of people don’t really have the luxury of sleep over in the disaster-hit Japan, there is one person being urged to get some shuteye. He is no other than Japanese Spokesman Yukio Edano, a tireless workhorse, relaying every development via Twitter since tragedy came to Japan.

Edano’s exhaustion became a cause for concern among many of Japan’s Twitter users who started the hashtag #Edano_Nero (Nero translates to “go to sleep” in Japanese). He is one of the many heroes trying to inform people and perhaps the world on the devastation but just like anyone else, rest is a need. And based on reports, it looks like Edano has taken the call to get some sleep for now. Sleep well “Jack Bauer of Japan” you need it!

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All the attention today has been on the devastating 8.9 magnitude quake that hit Japan last Friday. Worse, it was coupled by an unrelenting Tsunami that has so far claimed close to 2,000 lives with many more missing.

The Japanese people now face a nuclear problem and more sleepless nights. With problems arising in food and gasoline, people were forced to seek shelter in the streets and eventually finding themselves in the doldrums of not knowing what lies ahead for them.

The Japanese population has indeed suffered a big blow. Rebuilding their lives may take years to do. Homes have been washed away and they may not even have the comfort of having a comfy bed to rest on as we speak. With all these factors and unclear stability no thanks to the concurrent nuclear reactor explosions, you will agree that this is a mess no one would want to be in.

Sleep is perhaps something that the Japanese folks will find hard to do even if they do not have sleep issues. They need to be awake for the time being as the debacle continues to mount with no real solution on how a country can finally get back on its feet.

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Whether you are a gadget freak or someone who has been hooked on to earphones and needs a proper way to woken up, here are some portable and functional pieces from Thanko. This is the EARINAL (earphones and alarm) which can be a great solution for people who want to be alerted when they fall asleep on purpose or not.

The EARINALM is great for people on the go, especially the ones who find themselves falling asleep ever so often wherever they may go. They are available from online for $37 a pop in Japan. This is something travelers and techies may want to consider getting.

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In an odd way to address the sleep deprived people over in Britain, a sleep concert will be held where artists will be playing doze-stirring tracks to help sleepless employees overcome their sleep problems. And while the whole intent may be good, this is perhaps the first time you would hear of such an event, something that employers find useless.

75% of Britons suffer from lack of sleep while others do not sleep more than 6 hours daily. Sleep concerts have been a great success in Japan where stressed-out workers will pay £50.00 for attending the concert.

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Halloween may be over but that doesn’t mean you should ignore collectible alarm clocks such as this. Ideal for the people who are also fascinated with the Gundam series. The alarm is actually Haruka Inoue’s voice which is paired off with a couple of flapping ears when any speech is emitted. It also comes with a calendar, a snooze function and is run via AA batteries and/or solar power. It is available in Japan and retails for about $58.00.

(Source) Ubergizmo

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Here is a modernly designed clock from Japan’s Mile Project. Rather than relying on the old-style wall clocks, it makes use of rays and advanced technology via a glass surface. It is quite simple yet technologically inclined and is sure to be a great addition to modern home designs that are looking for trendy gadgets.

And with most homes requiring a clock to top off their interior designs, this is certainly one clock that can really be the cherry for their ideal home designing efforts.

(Source) DVice

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LED technology can be a great add-on design with all the right concepts. And for the people who are fans of Jurassic Park or maybe Ice Age 3, here is a great LED lamp that should fit into your home perfectly.

The LEDSAUR is quite stylish. The LED lights are placed on the vertebrae of the shaped monster. The whole frameworks is made of solid steel, bendable and comes with a remote control. Available only in Japan, the LEDSAUR’s price range plays between $115 to $270.

(Source) Engadget

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From usual wristwatches, people who are looking for a handy clock to use in their home may want to look into something different. The clock in focus are the desktop clocks from Tokyoflash. For the fancy and modern home owners, this is definitely a clock worth getting. It looks to blend in perfectly with the advanced and modern designs we see today.

On the left, a clock that is, true to Tokyoflash, indecipherable at first glance. Maybe if we could see its “subtle textural design with animation” in motion, we’d be able to figure it out. On the right is what looks like a UFO designed by Apple. In the middle of it is where you’d tell time — y’know, with those bars and circles and stuff. Yeah, good luck! Each clock will also double as a lamp as well as an iPod dock, from the looks of it.

(Source) TokyoFlash Japan via DVice

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We see some people who suddenly get sleepy even if they have claimed that they have had a good night’s sleep. While this may be debatable, assuming that his claims are true, one has to wonder why a person would still be sleepy despite a full sleep taken.

But thanks to some researchers in Japan, it has been discovered that Narcolepsy and genes known as singe nucleotide polymorphisms or SNP. SNP is a DNA sequence variation between members of a species.

During the research, researchers discovered a genetically mutated fragment of chromosome 22 which increased subjects’ vulnerability to the disease by 1.8 times. Researchers also discovered that the mutation causes a malfunction of the gene CPT1B, which is linked to sleep. Researchers also found that a link between the genetic mutation and narcolepsy was also found in South Koreans.

(Source) Top News

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This is not to say that people are checking in and out often. There are just a lot of factors such as safety in the streets at night when they are through checking the web. Some work over the web and Internet access is a need. Perhaps this is their cycle; work at the nearest café and pay for the connection used, take a nap and back to work. Now isn’t that something?

“In its first ever study of a growing group dubbed “Net cafe refugees” by local media, the Health Ministry estimated that some 5,400 people live at least half the week at the 24-hour cafes because they have no permanent home.”

Read more of the study here: Over 5,000 sleep in Japan’s Net cafes, study shows

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Here’s some really funny pranks for people sleeping in Japan…

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