Sleep apnoea – and now?

You assume or know that you are suffering under sleep apnoea? Ideally, you are already clear about the degree of severity due to a sleep apnoe screening. Now, there is no obstacle for a successful therapy and consequently an increase of your quality of sleeping as well as of your life.

Basically, there are two possibilities how to treat sleep apnoea: a mechanical opening of the airway or a surgical procedure for enlargement.

CPAP-therapy
With the CPAP (=continuous positive airway pressure) therapy, a small mask put over the nose produces a continuous positive overpressure. The individually adapted mask softly blows air into the nose. This leads to the continuous positive overpressure which prevents from a collapsing upper airway. Only after a few minutes the proper pressure is reached and finally a restful sleeping without breathing interruptions is possible! Disadvantages of the therapy are the often disturbing wearing of the mask, dryness of the air arises, allergies, etc.

Orthodontics and operation
A further possibility to treat sleep apnoea is to move forward the jaw by a sleep apnoea splint. This splint is adapted by an orthodontist; it has to be worn during night and helps to keep the airways open during sleeping.

Depending on the initial situation an operation might be necessary. If a growth disturbance of the jaw is cause of your sleep apnoea, it may be remedied with an operation.

A new technology are airway stimulators so-called “tongue-pacemakers”. They get surgically inserted and stimulate the motor nerve of the tongue. The tiny impulses prevent the tongue from falling back and blocking the airway. A disadvantage is that only one or two percent can be treated with this technology.

Alternative: inclined sleeping

In co-operation with the well-known sleep- and space-doctor Prof. Dr. Karl Hecht, Berlin, the sleep psychologist and SAMINA founder Dr. med. h.c. Günther W. Amann-Jennson has summarized the findings of the US-scientists Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer concerning effects of the horizontal sleeping position on sleeping quality and health. Their conclusions were considered in a further innovation of the sleep-healthy-concept of SAMINA – SAMINA Gravity. Here, the positive effects of inclined sleeping are combined with the holistic sleep-healthy-concept of SAMINA. Combined with the largescale body-grounding of Lokosana^® this leads to a pronounced positive use.

Shortly, we will release the documentation of the pilot-study of Prof. Dr. Hecht concerning SAMINA Gravity and sleep apnoea. This much can be revealed: the effects are highly pleasing and promising.

In any case, independently from which solution is best for you: thinking about and putting into practice the enhancement of your physical fitness, a change of diet to lose weight, eventually necessary reduction of alcohol and nicotine as well as optimization of your sleep surrounding are very helpful!

Imagesource: @fotolia