Sleep Apnoea: Snooze at the Right Time

sleeping in officeMore and more people are currently suffering from sleep apnoea. Sleep apnoea is a condition which makes people repeatedly stop breathing during sleep, leading to daytime fatigue and an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure. An article from http://www.ksat.com tells of updated information about sleep apnoea.

  • A study from the New England Journal of Medicine reports that two-thirds of the patients using the upper airway stimulation device had control of their sleep apnoea, meaning less daytime sleepiness, improvements in snoring, and better quality of life.

  • Sleep apnoea can be caused by excess weight, neck circumference, and some other causes include a narrowed airway, being male, being older, family history and race

  • Standard treatments can include weight loss, upper airway surgeries, oral appliances, and continuous airway pressure

  • During sleep the upper airway gets a little bit narrower and more collapsible. But in some people, for a whole variety of reasons and factors, that throat or upper airway gets too narrow and too collapsible where it starts to vibrate and that’s the noise of snoring. And in others it gets narrow enough where it actually starts to restrict airflow, which then can increase the work of breathing, drop oxygen levels, disrupt sleep, and raise your blood pressure. That’s when we call it sleep apnoea.

  • Sleep apnoea has a major impact on quality of life and it has also been shown to affect work productivity as well as moodiness and irritability. It may even cause unnecessary marital strain requiring separate bedrooms as a result of the snoring. In addition to the health risks that have been documented, sleep apnoea in many patients has a major impact on their functioning quality of life.

  • The most common treatment at this point is CPAP or continuous positive airway pressure. CPAP by far has the most research of being the most effective tool at both improving the symptoms and quality of life as well as lowering those health risks. CPAP is a mask connected to a machine that applies positive pressure. It’s basically an air compressor that adds pressure to each breath that the patient takes.

  • The Inspire upper airway stimulation therapy is a pacemaker-like device that is placed just under the skin of the right upper chest. The Inspire is connected to an electrode that stimulates the nerve of the tongue, preventing the narrowing of the throat. The patient has a remote control to turn it on and off when they want to use it. The batteries can last about five to ten years, and there is a simple procedure to replace them when they do run out.

Read more here:

http://www.ksat.com/lifestyle/health/sleep-apnoea-snooze-at-the-right-time/-/478162/24823656/-/item/1/-/103hw76/-/index.html

Image  Courtesy of marin / freedigitalphotos.net

Somnowell Inventor - Visiting Professor Simon Ash FDS MSc MOrth BDS

Prof. Ash is the inventor of the highly successful SOMNOWELL Chrome device for snoring and sleep apnoea.

The Somnowell Chrome is made to exacting standards in the Somnowell laboratory under the supervision of Visiting Professor Simon Ash. Prof. Ash and his master technicians create each Somnowell Chrome device using their wealth of experience and expertise.

Prof. Ash works at the forefront of his profession. He is a Consultant and Specialist Orthodontist with over 30 years clinical experience, with a special interest in sleep related breathing disorders, TMJD, and bruxism. He currently works in Harley Street London and two private hospitals in London as part of a multi-disciplinary team managing snoring and sleep apnoea, and is Visiting Professor of Orthodontics at the BPP University.