Posted on 02/06/2005 7:06:43 PM PST by ddtorque
...the most common way to treat [sleep apnea] is for patients to wear a large and uncomfortable device, which resembles an oxygen mask, as they sleep. This device, called a CPAP, pulls the lower jaw forward enabling sleepers to breathe through their mouths. The device is unpleasant to wear, however, dries the mouth, irritates the skin on the face, and is difficult to take on and off if the patient needs to get up briefly in the night.
..[Israeli startup SleepUp] has developed a family of devices for patients suffering mild, moderate and severe sleep apnea, which are smaller, lighter, and more comfortable to use than existing methods.
...the treatments are cheaper than traditional methods because they can be customized by the patient himself, making expensive fittings with the dentist redundant.
Sleep apnea is a condition where people repeatedly stop breathing in their sleep and the brain rouses them briefly to resume breathing. It is surprisingly common, as common in fact, as adult diabetes. In the US alone, up to 20 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea according to the National Institute of Health.
People with untreated sleep apnea can stop breathing hundreds of times a night, and often for a minute or longer at a time. Most patients with the condition suffer extreme fatigue and hypertension because they wake so many times during the night. They also suffer high blood pressure, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular problems, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. In some cases the condition can be responsible for job impairment, and severe accidents caused by tiredness.
"People fall asleep at the wheel and wake to find themselves crashing into a tree," the 39-year-old Lev told ISRAEL21c. Those most likely to suffer sleep apnea are men, who are obese, and over 40
(Excerpt) Read more at israel21c.org ...
" Those most likely to suffer sleep apnea are men, who are obese, and over 40"
yup, that's me. this sounds interesting...thanks for posting.
ping
Yep, sounds promising. I'll be interested to see it.
Rough diagnosis can be done with an office visit. Accurate diagnosis requires spending a night at a sleep clinic. If you are tired during the day, and tend to fall asleep too easily, consider this alternative SERIOUSLY.
Congressman Billybob
BTW...
CPAP = Constant Positive Air Pressure
snore as loud as jet planes and jackhammers and are slapped awake by their partners.
So let's send Condi Rice over and force them to destroy themselves for the sake our Arab Muslim terrorists who cheered as 3,000 Americans were murdered by their brethren on 9/11.
Please remind me again how this makes sense.
I get the impression these devises are not available yet. Too bad.
I agree with you, this article is not accurate. I first used the dental mouthpiece that pulls the lower jaw forward. It helped, but not as much as the CPAP. I've used a CPAP machine for over six years, and the machine and the other apparatus have gone through several model changes over the years. The equipment I have now is more efficient, lighter, quieter, less cumbersome, less bothersome, and travels better than the equipment I started out with.
Googling on some of the trade names mentioned in the article is fruitful:
http://sleepup.com/home.asp
http://www.matimop.org.il/newrdinf/company/c5154.htm
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=sleepup
Probably the easiest way to prevent sleep apnea is sleeping on one's side. The CPAP machine is simply unacceptable to many people. I had a mild case but gave up on it. I sleep on my side and problem went away.
I, like my two brothers, was diagnosed with sleep apnea afew years ago. They use a CPAP but I couldn't get used to it, so I had the operation. It cured the snoring but I still stopped breathing. My solution was to buy a portable O2 saturation monitor. I set the limit and it mildly wakes me up enough to start breathing. The lack of blood oxygen is the biggest problem physiologically. Not getting enough sleep was never my problem, so the thing works for me. A plus is that I get a recording of my blood saturation level through the night.
Cost $900 though.
Every single statement made about CPAP machines in the first paragraph is erroneous. The mask goes over the nose, not the mouth. It doesn't get anywhere near the lower jaw. It does not dry the mouth, because the wearer's mouth is CLOSED. The mask is easy to put on and take off.
I also use a CPAP machine with Oxygen. The problem with the mouth drying out is if or when the mouth opens while sleeping. When that happens, there is a constant high volume air flow into the nose and out the mouth that does dry things out. A LOT!
The solution is a strap under the jaw and over the top of the head that holds the jaw closed. It is quite uncomfortable but it does work.
Pull head back, and point chin up also,towards headboard (when on side). Helps open the airway.
ping
It depends on the mask. My sons and I used full face masks until we had surgical cures, because we couldn't tolerate nasal masks. Mine was pretty gruesome but it worked. They had a much better one by the time my sons were old enough for the jaw surgery - developed from a chilrden's dental procedure when jaws were too small for all the teeth. They crack the jaws in the center and insert an adjustable applicance to widen the jaws gradually over a month. That cured my sons. I wish it had been around for me - my lower jaw will be numb & tingly for the rest of my life.
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