Cracking the Sleep Code

Hating CPAP?! Experimental Treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Under Way

Are you still looking for a treatment for sleep apnea? Or do you currently have CPAP and are having trouble tolerating it?  There's new research for a new treatment that is looking promising.

Nasal Cannula insufflation or TNI is a treatment that might be able to replace CPAP for some sleep apnea suffers.  Instead of a mask over your nose with the cumbersome hose, it would be two small soft plastic prongs that sit within your nostrils.  This way of administering the oxygen is much less intimidating and more comfortable.  The researchers expected the improvement in the subjects with mild sleep apnea but the results were better than they thought. When the oxygen flow is set at 20L/minute there was marked improvement in the participants with severe sleep apnea as well.  The research was reported in the second issue for July 2007 of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine published by the American Thoracic Society.

New Cure For Snoring?

Snoring.  Everyone is looking for a cure...or I should say 'spouses are looking for a cure.'  There has been everything from throat sprays to nasal strips--- all claiming to cure or help snoring.  If you understand what causes snoring then you probably wouldn't look twice at these products.  Snoring is caused by a collapse in the soft palate in the back of the throat.  Throat sprays lubricate your throat and nasal dilators help open your nasal passages; neither will hold open the back of your throat.  There have been cases where a deviated septum or enlarged sinuses can cause negative pressure contributing to the cause of snoring and/or sleep apnea.  A nasal dilator will not be strong enough to keep the throat from collapsing.  If your snoring includes interrupted breathing or cessation of breath you should see a sleep specialist to see if you need a sleep study.

I have heard from many people that if they could only stay on their side or stomach then they wouldn't snore. The body position is one of the options that can truly help with snoring.  It's obvious right?  If you're on your stomach then the tissue in your throat is falling forward...not backward  closing off the airway.   But how does anyone keep themselves from moving onto their back?  I have heard of the tennis ball trick.  Tape a tennis ball to your back and you won't be able to roll over ---at least not comfortably.  This worked for some but not others.  Some still manage to roll over partially since the ball is in the middle of the back...and then the snoring begins. 

I want to share an article about an ingenious invention by Sean Kerklaan, a snorer and entrepreneur. Lisa does a great job at telling Sean's story, so I'll give her the stage.

LISA FITTERMAN, Freelance

A Cure For Snoring?  Sleep On It

Published: Monday, July 09, 2007--- canada.com

These days, I fantasize about He Who Must Obey wearing a little T-shirt, and not one of those muscle things that show off biceps and abdominals that once were a four-pack (alas, not a six).

Instead, my fantasy revolves around a standard grey, heavy cotton Fruit of the Loom number that comes with a "three-pack" at the back. Confused? Let me explain.

Could This New Technology Make Us Wake Up Happy? The SleepTracker Alarm Watch

Everyone wants to wake up cheery and skipping to a beat. I use my Starbucks to get me talking but now there is a new technology out that attempts to wake you up when you are least groggy.

The SleepTracker watch claims to wake you up only in your light stages of sleep.  By doing this you would wake up feeling more refreshed and alert. The watch will also show you how many times you were almost awake.  I definitely like the concept and think that it would be beneficial to most people.  The only downside that I can see is if you don't have a lot of flexibility with your wake up time. The watch is meant to wake you up with in a 30 minute window of your wake up time.  If it delays because you're still dreaming then I guess you'll be late for work---yet it's not much good to be refreshed and unemployed.

Anyway, I thought it was interesting enough to share...here is the ad for the Sleeptracker watch.

SleepTracker: The Wake Up Watch

Wake up alert and energetic everyday!                                                                         

The revolutionary new SLEEPTRACKER® monitors your body and continuously looks for your best possible waking times. SLEEPTRACKER® wakes you up at just the right moment - during a window of time that YOU set. Imagine not feeling tired in the morning and getting a few extra minutes out of your day. Now it's possible with SLEEPTRACKER®.                     

Worn like an everyday watch, SLEEPTRACKER® is ideal for anyone who wants to wake up alert and ready to start the day, such as frequent travelers across time zones, business people looking for an extra edge, students with fluctuating schedules, or busy moms who need to wake up easily.         

Can't take CPAP Anymore? Learn About The Pillar Treatment For Sleep Apnea

One of the newer procedures for sleep apnea is called the pillar palatal procedure.  Some physicians are real believers in this procedure others are not. I recently talked to an otolaryngologist who said that his group is reluctant to do the procedure.  There are questions about how difficult the implants are to remove if infection or an allergic reaction were to occur.  The upside to this procedure is that the surgery is done in about 10 minutes with very little discomfort.  The pillar is the only office based minimally invasive surgery to be FDA approved for treating snoring and sleep apnea while other minimally invasive surgeries are approved for only treating the snoring.

This surgery entails placing three tiny woven inserts or implants into the soft palate with a needle.  The inserts firm the soft, loose tissue as the body makes scar tissue in response to the inserts.  The stiffening effect decreases the vibration in the soft palate. This surgery has been said to be comparable to UPPP (uvulopalatopharyngoplasty) but without the recovery time and is recommended for mild to moderate sleep apnea.

Webmd posted that this is such a simple procedure that "if there's any benefit at all, I don't see why you wouldn't do it," says Regina P. Walker, MD, associate professor of otolaryngology at Loyola University Medical Center.

This surgery is definitely worth looking into if you are not a fan of the CPAP or if you're someone who has just been diagnosed with mild to moderate apnea.  The only recommendation I would make is make sure the physician is comfortable with taking them out if there is a problem.

Still Looking for a Sleep Apnea Treatment? Learn about Somnoplasty

There are many treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea.  This week at Cracking the Sleep Code I'm focusing on different treatments for the relief of sleep apnea.  Continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP is the first option most physicians offer but this doesn't work for everyone.  The important thing to do is not to give up.  Keep trying and researching until you achieve the optimal amount of sleep.

If you can't remember how it felt when you used to get sleep then let me refresh your memory.  More than likely...

1.  You had more patience with everything and everyone.
2.  You felt happier
3.  You were more motivated
4.  You had more energy and could exercise (if you wanted to)
5.  You could drive more than 15 minutes and not feel like closing your eyes

Somnoplasty is an in office procedure that has gotten some positive results.  This procedure uses radio frequency energy that shrinks the lose tissue in the back of the throat.  If you are still looking for a treatment that will work for you...somnoplasty might be an option.  The ENT physicians at The University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell describe somnoplasty the best.

New snoring device coming to the US?

Snoring.  It can be exhausting to the snorer and the snoree (the person laying next the the snorer).  Snoring has now become a buzz word when talking about sleep disorders and can be more than just the annoyance of a loud sound.  If snoring becomes sleep apnea it can have major health risks. High blood pressure, congestive heart failure and coronary heart disease are just a few of the other "annoyances" that are correlated to sleep apnea. 

Please watch this video on a new snoring device that seems to look promising. There is such a need for more treatment alternatives to help the snoring and/or sleep apnea population.  Even though CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) is the first treatment offered it does not work for everyone.

After watching this video please come back and let me know if you could see yourself (or your bed partner) wearing this...although I might get different answers from both.

New Snoring Device

Are You Tired of Being Tired? The Sleep Spa Might be the Answer.

What if on your lunch break, you could drive to a sleep room?  A room where there would be the ultimate sleep experience to re-energize you for the remainder of the day.  Counselors would be on hand to discuss your sleep problems and offer solutions... then you would go into the sleep section where you would be literally lulled to sleep for a nap.  A waterfall or stream trickling in the background, a massage chair, wall screen TV showing relaxing atmospheres and programmed lights that would dim as you melt into a sleep bliss.  The music that you would hear in the background is specifically designed to bring your 'awake' brain waves down to slow sleep waves.

In the United States approximately 40 million people suffer from a sleep disorder.  Matsushita Electric Works in Tokyo understands that sleep disorders are on the rise and created the sleep room to address this public need. In the U.S. some resorts have sleep spas as well but are still lacking in community awareness.

Maybe some day the sleep machine that scientists are creating will be available in the sleep spa's.  Now that would be the ultimate dream.

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While you weren't sleeping: Week In Review

This week has been very interesting.  The information that I posted this past week was mainly about finding new cures for sleep problems.  With the progress that science and new technology are making, it will be interesting to see how many sleep disorders there are in 20 years.

The week started with...

The end of insomnia?  The Sleep Machine Is Coming.

"With a single pulse, we were able to induce a wave that looks identical to the waves the brain makes normally during sleep," he said. There are two broad categories of sleep. In REM (rapid eye movement), the brain starts to dream and the eyes move rapidly from side to side under the closed eyelids.  Read More about the sleep machine

Could a Sleep Apnea Treatment curb aggression in sexual offenders?

Sex offenders with known OSA were administered a treatment using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), whereby compressed air is applied into the nose and/or mouth through a respiratory mask while the subject sleeps.  To find out CPAP study results on sex offenders Read more

Can't Sleep!  Can Low Magnetic Frequencies Induce Sleep?

Sleep technology is getting very close to creating a 'sleep machine'...where hopefully insomnia could be put to bed forever.  A company that is promoting something similar to a sleep machine is Earthpulse Technologies.  This company created a magnetic frequency device that can be placed under your mattress.  To learn more about the new product for insomnia Read Here ...

Move Over CPAP... The Apnea Pill is Coming

The drug, an antidepressant called mirtazapine, significantly reduced the symptoms of sleep apnea. It cut in half the number of times breathing stopped or slowed during sleep and reduced the number of times sleep was disrupted by 28 percent...

To know more about the apnea pill Read Here

New alternative treatment for sleep apnea?

Reports of didgeridoo players experiencing reduced daytime sleepiness and snoring after practicing, led experts in Switzerland to test the theory that training of the upper airways by didgeridoo playing can improve...

To read more on the study for alternative sleep apnea treatment Read Here

 

Can't Sleep! Can Low Magnetic Frequencies Induce Sleep?

Is it possible to induce sleep with magnetic frequencies?  Scientists say yes...as they tell about the transcranial magnetic stimulation caps that when placed on your scalp can cause the brain to mimic delta waves (slow brain waves).  The use for this stimulation would be for a power nap---not to take the place of a whole nights sleep.

Sleep technology is getting very close to creating a 'sleep machine'...where hopefully insomnia could be put to bed forever.  A company that is promoting something similar to a sleep machine is Earthpulse Technologies.  This company created a magnetic frequency device that can be placed under your mattress. Earthpulse claims that these low wave frequencies will induce sleep as well as improve the depth of your sleep.  Does this work the same as magnetic stimulation that is placed directly on your scalp?  I'll let you decide...

http://www.earthpulsetechnologies.com/

The end of insomnia? The Sleep Machine Is Coming.

Here is an article that was posted in the 'Uk Daily Mail' that I wanted to share with you.  Scientists are very close to coming out with a way to 'plug ourselves into sleep' even if only for a quick power nap. For the people that don't have problems sleeping this would seem silly.  But from an insomniacs' point of view I assure you this is big news.  If anything, it could take away the anxiety of an insomniac  which is sometimes 80% of the problem.  Just knowing that if they had to they could grab a very powerful refreshing nap in a short period of time would take away the anxiety that builds when you can't get  sleep. What if...  just the fact 'of knowing' that the sleep machine is an option----would cure some insomniacs?

I might be getting ahead of myself here but the implications of a better future for all, could be at our door step.  I think of the trickle affect caused by people who are sleep deprived.  I have numerous stories I could share about people who were involved in driving accidents that were a direct result of their sleep disorder. Many of these accidents were fatal to one or more individuals. It's more than about just being grumpy...it's about loss of employment, driving accident deaths, divorce and the overall level of productivity with every aspect of your life.    The big picture here is that if everyone were able to achieve an optimal amount of sleep... the world would be a very different place.

I hope that you enjoy this article as much as I did...