Sleep Apnea and Snoring Solution Without a Mask

By Kai Colvin - Senior Medical Research Editor | May 29th, 2012

If you are one of nearly 28 million Americans who have sleep apnea—help has arrived.

Sleep apnea is a disorder in which you have one or more breaks in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep. These breaks can last from a few seconds to minutes and typically occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour, followed by severe gasping and coughing.

For decades treatment has included “continuous positive airway pressure” or C.P.A.P. This pressure was channeled through a mask worn at night to push air into the nasal passages, enabling easier breathing.

Sleep disorders often remain undiagnosed. Doctors typically can't detect the condition during routine office visits. Most individuals plagued by sleep apnea don't know they have it because it only occurs during sleep.

The heroic alternative— Provent, a relaxed patch that fits over the nostrils.

Provent is quickly attaining popularity for those that have longed for something different. The patch holds two small plugs, one for each nostril, and creates an adequate amount of air pressure to keep the airways open at night.

The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. When you try to breathe, any air that squeezes past the blockage can cause loud snoring. Obstructive sleep apnea is common in individuals who are overweight, but it can affect anyone including children. If enlarged tonsil tissues are present in their throats it can lead to obstructive sleep apnea.

Central sleep apnea is less common and is resultant of an area of the brain that controls your breathing incorrectly sending signals to your breathing muscles. As a result, you'll make no effort to breathe for brief periods. Central sleep apnea is most common in individuals who have certain medical conditions or use certain medicines.

Studies indicate that nearly half of all individuals prescribed C.P.A.P. machines do not use them past 1 to 3 weeks.

“For a lot of people out there, the C.P.A.P. machine turns into a doorstop,” said Dr. Joseph Golish, former Cleveland Clinic Chief of Sleep Medicine, and now Professor of MetroHealth System in Cleveland.

He added, “C.P.A.P. is very effective in the sleep lab. But when people go home, there’s a good chance they won’t use it, and the success rate of an unused C.P.A.P. machine is absolutely zero.”

Approved by the FDA in 2008, Provent has spread customarily by word of mouth. Ventus Medical advocates it has shipped one million devices in the past 12 months alone.

Doctors admire that it has given them a new missile to help treat sleep apnea.

Ohio networking firm owner, Bob Bleck, who struggled with deprived sleep and chronic fatigue for decades visited a sleep clinic, urged on by his worried wife.

The surprising diagnosis—severe sleep apnea. Tests revealed that in a typical night, Mr. Bleck, stopped breathing 42 times an hour or occasionally woke up.

Occasionally, you ask? He only managed 18 minutes of sleep.

Mr. Bleck was prescribed the C.P.A.P machine—and hated it, ultimately removing the machine.

“I had this constricted feeling,” he said. “It would be incorporated into these dreams where I was tied up, like in the movie ‘Alien.’ It was more difficult to sleep with that thing on than to just get through the night with the apnea.”

Introduced to Provent, Mr. Bleck was finally at peace.

“After I started using it, I noticed a difference right away,” he excitedly stated. “My symptoms subsided dramatically.”

Recently, in a study conducted by the medical journal Sleep, researchers found that those who used Provent over a three-month period watched their symptoms fall sharply, compared with people who were given a sham, or placebo, device.

Provent user, Joyce Nemoga, from Baldwin Harbor, New York tried C.P.A.P. but couldn’t sleep comfortably. “To me, it’s (Provent) a miracle,” said Ms. Nemoga. “Every time you turn over, you have to take the hose with you,” she said. “I tried it for six months, and I don’t think I had one full night of sleep the whole time.”

Untreated Sleep Apnea: The Dangers

· Increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke

· Increase the risk of, or worsen, heart failure

· Channels arrhythmias or irregular heartbeats

· Increase the chance for work-related or driving accidents

Quality sleep is a crucial part of maintaining your health. Sleep deficiency can lead to severe health matters. Snoring is also linked to serious health issues including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

To learn more about the dangers of sleep apnea, find a neurologist or ENT doctor in your area.