Here’s another treatment for Sleep Apnea which looks like it could bring sufferers some much-needed relief, and be an improvement on the CPAP (Continuous Postive Airway Pressure) machine that is still the standard treatment for this condition. There’s just one catch- would you fancy getting a series of electric shocks to the throat throughout the night?
This treatment’s been developed at Baltimore’s John Hopkins University, and is designed to be a more convenient and comfortable way to treat the main problem of Sleep Apnea, which as you are most likely aware, occurs when the sufferer’s soft throat tissues are too loose to remain consistently open and maintain a clear airflow during sleep, leading to snoring, reduction in the quality of sleep sustained, and a wide variety of other unpleasant and undesirable side-effects.
The way a CPAP machine combats this is through maintaining steady air pressure inside the throat, thus holding the throat open and preventing the problems of sleep apnea from occurring. This works well enough, however the apparatus itself is claustrophobic and a little uncomfortable. Let’s be honest, no-one wants to go to sleep with what is basically an oxygen mask strapped to their face.
That’s what this new device is looking to circumvent- it works by making the throat keep itself open, rather than forcing air through. A series of electrodes are placed on the throat, and a sequence of electric shocks are given. These stimulate the nerves of the throat, which makes the muscles around the airways keep the breathing passages open.
So far the researchers claim that this process is yielding good results, and a reduction in discomfort and snoring symptoms. This is all well and good, but I can imagine that for some people, they might have a bit of a problem with shocking their throat into simulated wakefulness whilst they sleep.
Then again, if you’re a sleep apnea sufferer already prepared to submit yourself to a CPAP machine, maybe this will look like a welcome relief.
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