There is a strong association between sleep disordered breathing [notably obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)] and type two diabetes (T2D). This presentation discusses the links between the two conditions and emphasises the way in which they may interact with each other in the context of obesity. It is common for people with T2D to be unaware they may also have OSA and for people with OSA to not realise they are at risk of T2D. The metabolic profiles associated with each of these conditions overlap and so it is of significant importance that a healthy lifestyle is adopted for the management of these conditions. This presentation outlines “what has gone wrong” with the body in the context of OSA and T2D, it looks at the risk factors associated with each of the conditions and provides practical advice for sustainable weight loss and positive lifestyle changes. Room 5 Session 1

How to optimise your sleep through simple (but powerful) lifestyle changes. Healthy sleep practices (also known as sleep hygiene) is an umbrella term that describes a range of behavioural and lifestyle factors that have been shown to improve sleep. These practices can be incorporated in our daily lives to improve both the quality and quantity of the sleep we obtain, which has significant flow-on effects for our health and wellbeing, both physical and psychological. In this presentation, Gabrielle explains how healthy sleep practices improve our sleep, and teach you how to incorporate these practices in your daily lives. Gabrielle also shares how to modify healthy sleep practices to fit in with non-traditional sleep patterns, such as those of new parents, long-haul travelers, or shift workers. Room 5 Session 3

Good sleep is important to health and wellbeing. In the general population poor sleep quality is associated with poorer physical and mental health and can impact negatively on daytime functioning, learning and memory. Sleep difficulties are one of the most common co-occurring conditions reported for autism. Around 50-80% of autistic children have sleep difficulties and our recent research showed that 64% of Australian older adolescents and adults on the spectrum had poor sleep quality. This presentation will examine what we know about sleep problems in autism across the lifespan. Possible causes and associations with core autistic traits, daytime behaviour and mental health conditions will be outlined illustrating the need to routinely screen for and treat sleep problems in autistic individuals; current approaches to treatment will be considered. Room 4 Session 5

What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi), and how does it work to restore good sleep health? This presentation explains and defines good sleep health principles, the clinical symptoms of insomnia, and gives a practical example of the CBTi treatment process. This process includes targeting the negative thoughts associated with an individual’s struggle with sleep, along with behavioural changes needed to reduce sleep latency (time taken to fall asleep) and wake after sleep onset (unscheduled waking during the night). The use of mindfulness and relaxation techniques at bedtime can also be tailored to suit the individual to enhance the onset of sleep. Room 4 Session 3

Blinded tells the story of Neil Hansell, a man who woke one morning blind in both eyes due to neglect of his diabetes. In this fascinating yet confronting presentation, Dr Muecke discusses type 2 diabetes, how it’s arisen and why it’s a growing epidemic, and explores a number of strategies to curb the toxic impact of our poor diet on our health and on our world. Room 3 Session 2

Physical Activity with chronic illness and disability. What is it and how do I start? Staying active regularly is essential for both physical and mental health and can be a useful tool for everyone. Physical activity, fitness, strength training, hydrotherapy, all the different words we can use to describe what in essence is moving more and sitting still less, can be daunting. While this can be more challenging for individuals with chronic disease or disability, even small changes can have significant positive impacts for everyone. This presentation outlines what physical activity is in its simplest form, and the numerous different forms it can take. It goes over the physical benefits, including the positive effects on metabolic syndrome, the mental benefits such as improving self-esteem and cognitive function and how physical activity plays a role in our overall feeling of wellbeing. Sarah also goes through many common barriers to increasing physical activity. As well as discussing some simple and creative ways you can increase physical activity and additionally decrease sedentary behaviours. This session will also incorporate a Q&A component for the audience to help with finding ways they can become more physically active. Room 5 Session 2

Teenager or adolescent sleep is fundamentally different to the sleep of children and adults. Adolescence is a unique time of life and a period of many changes socially, emotionally, cognitively, and biologically. From changes of the circadian rhythm to the impact of technology use, this talk will answer the most important questions about teenage sleep. It explains what healthy adolescent sleep looks like. How long is a “normal” amount of sleep for a teenager? What factors affect teenagers’ sleep? Which of these factors can be changed and which are out of our control? Why are teenagers so tired in the mornings? This talk also explores what the latest evidence has to say about: sleep hygiene, physical activity, school start times, technology use, video gaming, and light exposure. Some of these impact sleep, and some do not, you might be surprised at what does not have much of an effect. Finally, this talk explains what has been proven to help adolescent sleep. Including some ideas of what you might be able to try at home, and when it might be time to ask for help. Room 4 Session 4

Your sleep/wake cycle governs how well you sleep and how much energy you have during the day. When it is out of whack we experience insomnia, fatigue, moodiness and it can even contribute to the development of chronic disease. Its function is reliant on hormones, stress, nutrition, and other lifestyle behaviours that we take for granted. But what if you could harness the power of this cycle for good? By knowing what to do to regulate your sleep/wake cycle you’ll experience better energy and sleep more soundly. Your issues with falling asleep or staying asleep at night will correct, and your body will be able to heal itself more effectively. Join naturopath, author and host of The Shift podcast Katherine Maslen in this eye opening presentation where you’ll get to understand why you can’t sleep, or why you’re not getting restorative sleep and what to do about it. Room 4 Session 1

Breathing properly and blood flow are integral physiological processes that need to work harmoniously for the oxygenation of the blood. It’s not hard to understand that if the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen then it will start to die off. When you snore, you are not breathing properly, and oxygen levels do drop. The brain does start to die off. Blood flow decreases too if you snore. You get changes akin to those of Alzheimer’s disease. Your gut bacteria changes for the worse too and this may also affect brain function. Dr McIntosh’s presentation is all about how snoring may lead to brain damage and what you can do about it. Room 3 Session 3

Snoring affects the part of the brain that deals with memory in children. It damages parts of the brain involved in cognition, behaviour, and mood. It also results in loss of brain tissue. Research has shown that while the snoring may go away the behavioural and learning problems persist. This damage happens early so identification AND the right treatment as soon as possible is important. Dr McIntosh talks about how to spot breathing problems in children and various treatment options. Room 3 Session 1

CPAP has always been recognised as the gold standard treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). However, the research has shown that more than 40% of CPAP users stop using their CPAP within the first 5 years. Mandibular Advancement Splints (MAS) are an effective alternative for CPAP. Recent studies have also shown MAS can be just as effective as CPAP in controlling OSA. This talk covers different signs and symptoms your dentist can recognise, and an overview of Mandibular Advancement Splint (MAS) treatment for OSA as an alternative to CPAP. Room 3 Session 4

Many patients with minimal sleep apnoea present seeking an opinion to determine if they can trust the recommendations they're being handed - understandably suspicious that someone is merely trying to sell them a CPAP machine. The decision to ‘treat or not treat a given patient, and what’s the best solution here’ requires an evidence based evaluation that intelligently interprets the sleep study, considers the presence or lack of co-existing illnesses and degree of apnoea, and then also a clinical examination to interpret various anatomical differences we humans possess across the species. Its not always as simple as 'you need more oxygen when you sleep so buy this CPAP machine’ because according to current evidence, this statement isn’t universally correct. Room 3 Session 5

This presentation looks at what defines a disability, what laws there are that protect people with disabilities including disability rights in the workplace and elsewhere. Room 5 Session 5