Sleep Apnea Diagnostic, Treatment Market Could Double in 5 Years, Report Says

The global market for sleep apnea diagnostic devices and therapeutic devices is expected to more than double and be worth nearly $20 billion by 2017, according to a recent report by the Dallas-based market research firm Markets and Markets.

While this is certainly welcome news to those who manufacture sleep apnea assessment and therapy devices, as well as those who diagnose and treat sleep apnea, it may also be viewed as a positive sign by those who suffer from sleep apnea. The report indicates that worldwide awareness of the dangers of sleep apnea is increasing along with the available treatment options for this potentially deadly sleep disorder.

In recent years, the field of dental sleep medicine has grown as more dentists become qualified to assess sleep apnea symptoms and offer customized treatment options. Sleep apnea treatment methods have also evolved.

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices were long the standard for treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the most common form of sleep apnea. Although CPAP is effective when used regularly, many patients find the masks cumbersome and do not follow through on treatment.

Today, there are a number of comfortable and effective custom-made oral appliances that can be used to correct jaw and bite alignment problems and help those who suffer from OSA maintain an unobstructed airflow.

If you or your partner suffers from chronic snoring or other sleep apnea symptoms, an experienced sleep dentist may be able to help. Please contact IHateCPAP.com to locate a qualified dentist in your area.

Some Patients Misusing Medication Intended to Treat Symptoms of Sleep Apnea, Other Sleep Disorders

Provigil is a prescription drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to promote wakefulness for those who suffer from diagnosed sleep disorders including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and narcolepsy.

However, a recent segment on the television news magazine Nightline focused on people who are using the medication to maintain alertness and stimulate cognitive enhancement. The piece prompted responses from drug manufacturer Cephalon (a subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceuticals) and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine saying that Provigil should only be used as directed and for the approved treatment of daytime sleepiness associated with sleep apnea and other sleep disorders.

There is little evidence that Provigil and similar drugs enhance cognitive abilities, and all medications are accompanied by potential side-effects. As a schedule IV controlled substance, Provigil also has a risk for dependence and abuse.

Provigil is intended to help those with certain sleep disorders manage excessive daytime drowsiness, one of the most common symptoms of sleep apnea and other sleep-related medical conditions.

Although Provigil is not a replacement for sleep apnea treatment, it may be used in conjunction with options such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices or custom-made oral appliances.

If you or a loved one suffers from chronic snoring, daytime sleepiness or other symptoms of sleep apnea, please contact IHateCPAP.com to locate a dentist near you who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea and other sleep disorders.

I LOVE MY CPAP vs I HATE CPAP!

CPAP IS A LIFESAVER AND ABOUT ONE IN FOUR PATIENTS LOVE THEIR CPAP> THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY EVERYONE DOES NOT LOVE CPAP.

60% OF PATIENTS ABANDON CPAP AND THEY SHOUT FROM THE ROOFTOPS THAT

"I HATE CPAP!"

THERE ARE MANY REASONS PEOPLE DO NOT TOLERATE CPAP. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT THE SINGLE MOST SIGNIFICANT WAY TO PREDICT IF SOMEONE WILL BECOME A LONG TERM CPAP USER IS HOW THEY DO IN THEIR FIRST MONTH WITH CPAP.

OVER 95% OF PATIENTS OFFERED A CHOICE BETWEEN CPAP AND ORAL APPLIANCES CHOOSE THE ORAL APPLIANCE. MANY PHYSICIANS DO NOT GIVE THEIR PATIENTS THE CHOICE. THEY MAY NOT KNOW THE RESEARCH ON ORAL APPLIANCE EFFECTIVENESS WHICH CAN BE CORRECTED WITH EDUCATION.

FREQUENTLY, PHYSICIANS OR A FAMILY MEMBER OWNS A DME THAT SELL CPAP MACHINES AND SUPPLIES AND IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM TO EVEN CONSIDER RECOMMENDING AN ORAL APPLIANCE.

I FREQUENTLY HAVE PATIENTS WHO "LOVE THEIR CPAP!" AND ONLY WANT ORAL APPLIANCES TO TRAVEL. I HAVE NO HARD NUMBERS BUT I ESTIMATE BETWEEN 60 AND 80 % OF THOSE PATIENTS WHO "LOVE CPAP" MAKE A SWITCH TO ORAL APPLIANCES. THEY LOVED HOW CPAP MADE THEM FEEL, THEY DID NOT LOVE THE CPAP MACHINE, MASK OR HOSE

Survey on Sleep Apnea for patients and physicians

Sarika Mahajan Sharma posted on I HATE CPAP's Wall "Hi everyone, We are MBA students at the University of Dallas in Irving, TX. We are currently conducting a study onObstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), and the various treatment options available for it. Kindly take one of the surveys below if you are suffering from OSA, or if you are a physician that treats OSA patients. It will only take about 3 minutes of your time and will be an extremely valuable contribution to our study. We would appreciate it greatly if you can also forward this survey to anybody you know that has or treats OSA. If you are an Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patient, please take this survey -https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/sleepapfb If you are a physician treating OSA patients, please take this survey -https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/sleepdocs

New Study Suggests that Sleep Apnea Effects May be Worse in Cold Weather

The effects of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may worsen in cold weather, according to the findings of a recent study in Brazil.

Researchers from the Hospital de Clinicas Porto Alegre reviewed the results of sleep studies conducted on approximately 7,500 adults over a 10-year span. The researchers grouped data regarding apnea events (or periods in which a patient’s breathing stops during sleep), airflow, snoring and cardiac arrhythmia into four seasonal periods.

The review of data indicated that more patients sought diagnosis for sleep apnea symptoms in the winter months, and that instances of arrhythmia among those with OSA occurred more in winter than any other season. Previous studies have indicated that environmental factors such as atmospheric pressure, carbon monoxide levels and humidity can influence the severity of obstructive sleep apnea.

While this study—the results of which were published in the medical journal Chest—did not yield a conclusive link between sleep apnea and cold weather, researchers believe that the prevalence of upper-airway disturbances during the winter months can magnify sleep apnea symptoms and may be why more patients sought testing for sleep apnea in the winter.

In addition to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices, the field of dental sleep medicine offers a number of comfortable and effective treatment options for sleep apnea, including custom oral appliances.

If you or a loved one suffers from chronic snoring or other symptoms of sleep apnea, please contact IHateCPAP.com to locate a dentist near you who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea.

Overweight and are unwilling or unable to use CPAP: Learn about new study

The majority of patients are unable to use CPAP and oral appliances are usually the single best treatment. Katy McNulty has informed me of a free study for overweight patients unable or unwilling to utilize CPAP. The study is done in Atlanta but you do not need to live in Atlanta. Morbid obesity is a contraindication to a comfortable oral appliance but merely being overweight is common and oral appliances are usually a comfortable and effective alternative to CPAP.

Please mention I HATE CPAP if you contact Katy and send me your feedback.

STUDY INFORMATION FOLLOWS:

We are conducting a clinical trial in Atlanta that your audience might find interesting. It's for people who are overweight and are unwilling or unable to use CPAP. I pasted the link to the study information below.

http://www.atlantasleep.com/osaovw

	Katy	McNulty
Contact Email:		kmcnulty@neurotrials.com
Contact Phone:		404-851-9934

DO I HAVE TO WEAR A CPAP ( BiPAP) MACHINE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE?

This is a frequent question asked by patients with sleep apnea that is treated with CPAP> There are many answers to that question. Obviously the best alternative to CPAP is an oral appliance for most patients but there are also many other alternatives.

While the majority of patients complain about CPAP and 60% discontinue using it completely it is important to remember that one i four patients using CPAP love their CPAP machines, masks and hoses. They give them back their lives and these patients have no desire to be free from CPAP.

Their are alternatives to CPAP and Oral Appliances. Weight loss is very effective for some patients who see their obstructive sleep totally resolve with weight loss.

WEIGHT LOSS ALONE IS NOT EFFECTIVE FOR ELIMINATING OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA FOR MOST PATIENTS. IT WILL ALMOST ALWAYS REDUCE THE SEVERITY OF SLEEP APNEA BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT MANY PATIENTS ORIGINALLY GAINED THE WEIGHT DUE TO SLEEP APNEA. METBOLIC SYNDROME IS WEIGHT GAIN DUE TO APNEA AND RELATED HORMONAL DISRUPTIONS.

MANY THIN AND/OR ATHLETIC PATIENTS HAVE SLEEP APNEA DUE TO THEIR ABNOMAL (pathologic) ORAL PHARYNGEAL ANATOMY.

PATIENTS WITH POSITIONAL SLEEP APNEA USUALLY RESPOND WELL TO WEIGHT LOSS THERAPY.

Positional therapy is excellent for patients who only have apnea episodes on their back (supine). A danger in this treatment is patients who no longer have apneas or hypopneas may now have UARS or RERAs.

Bimaxillary advancement surgery is the most effective long term surgical solution. i strongly suggest that prior to surgery an oral appliance trial be done. It will predict success but also increase success rates because the amount of advancement necessary can be determined prior to surgery.

Morbidly obese patients are not good canidates for oral appliances or jaw advancement surgeries. Bariatric surgery to first lose weight it probably a more reasonable first step. Any surgery is more dangerous in the morbidly obese and in patients with sleep apnea.

OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA, WOMEN SNORE AND HAVE SLEEP APNEA OFTEN IN CONJUNCTION WITH TMJ DISORDERS

Jacque: I am a 51 year old woman and have snored most of my life. Sleep study said Chronic Obstructive blahblah and the doc told me I had the WORST sleep patterns he had ever seen. Tried CPAP...NO WAY...couldn't stand it. Had shots in the back of my throat...didn't work. Tried a mouth appliance about 5 years ago and it flared up my TMJ terrrrrribly. So I was just wondering what my options are or if you mouth devices don't flare up the jaw?

DR SHAPIRA RESPONSE: Sleep Apnea and TMJ disorders have the same underlying causes, functions and problems. Usually we treat patients with TMJ disorders with an appliance that is worn 24 hours/day 7 days a week. This is done to stabilize the jaw joints (Temporomandibular Joints, TMJ), relax the muscles and control facial pain, TM Joint pain, headasches, migraines, sinus pain, ear pain, stuffiness in the ears, tinnitus, and other numerous symptoms.

For sleep apnea patients we usually use an appliance that is only worn at night and give the patient exercises that return the jaw to its original pathologic position. The original position is pathologic because it does no perform the single most important function of maintaining a patent airway. This works well for the majority of patients without problems. Patients with TMJ disorders may need their appliances adjusted with design changes or alterations based on symptoms.

Long Term research has shown bite changes but not negative changes to the TM Joints. Most symptoms of TMD from oral appliances to treat sleep apnea will be only during initial treatment. Long term problems are rare.

The best treatment would be combining TMJD and Sleep Apnea treatment.

This is accomplished with a small comfortable diagnostic neuromuscular orthotic during the day and a MAD sleep apnea appliance at night. Most TMJ problems are caused by the jaw healing at night but the muscles resist going back to your original pathologic position in the morning. This combination treatment allows the jaw joints and muscles to heal at night and supports this healthier position during the day. It no longer requires the patient to return to their original pathologic position.

An interesting fact is the changes in bite seen with oral appliances is actually healing.

Dr Shapira Response:

"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass - it is learning to dance in the rain!"

SEVERE SLEEP APNEA? BEST TREATMENT MAY BE AN ORAL APPLIANCE.

Donna:

I have severe sleep apnea I was tested and my breathing is interrupted or slowed 71 times during the sleep study. Will any of these alternatives work for me and do you take health insurance? Dr Shapira response: Donna, I have good news you are probably an excellent candidate for an oral appliance for treating sleep apnea. A total of 71 awakenings from sleep apnea over the course of a full night sleep would put you in the mild to moderate range of apnea where oral appliances and CPAP are considered a first line treatments of sleep apnea. Medical insurance will usually cover treatment with an orl appliance subject to deductibles and co-insurance. Most insurance companies understand that untreated sleep apnea is dangerous and treating the effects of untreated sleep apnea is more expensive than treating the sleep apnea.

Smartphone Application Helps Screen for Sleep Apnea Symptoms

Computer engineering students at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates have developed an award-winning smartphone application that is intended as a preliminary diagnostic tool for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Since it was unveiled in March, the Sleep Apnea Monitor (aka SAM) has won numerous international awards for its innovative use of built-in smartphone features to detect whether a person suffers from symptoms of sleep apnea. The easy-to-use application is designed to run on Windows and Android mobile phones and operate in the comfort of users’ homes.

SAM employs smartphones’ microphones and accelerometers to monitor snoring, record breathing patterns and detect movement during sleep. This data is then sent to a server, which uses statistical analysis software to assess the information for sleep apnea risks.

The results are sent back to the user’s phone and are also posted on a web interface, which allows authorized physicians to review the data. The purpose of the application is to help users and their physicians determine if more extensive—and expensive—testing is necessary.

The developers of the application are currently seeking capital to commercialize SAM for global use, and they hope to make it available as a free download. According to the World Health Organization, some 100 million people worldwide are thought to suffer from OSA.

Although obstructive sleep apnea can increase your risk for severe health complications including stroke and heart attack, there are a number of comfortable and effective treatment options available through the field of dental sleep medicine. If you or a loved one experiences chronic snoring or other sleep apnea symptoms, a qualified dentist may be able to determine the source of your condition and prescribe a custom oral appliance or other treatment method.

Please contact IHateCPAP.com to find a dentist near you who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea and other sleep disorders.