Sleeping peacefully is one of life's simplest pleasures, and good-quality rest is paramount to your overall health and well-being, especially as you age.

Unfortunately, sleep apnoea presents itself more commonly as we age, and anyone who has suffered from it will know why it's partially reviled—wearing a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine can instantly put a damper on a good night's sleep.

Not only is it challenging to adapt to the machine's rigidity and noise, but many also find the mask physically uncomfortable. Some even report feelings of claustrophobia or anxiety when using the device.

There are also some potential side effects, such as nasal congestion, dry mouth, nosebleeds, and skin irritation or sores, which can affect users.

That's why it can be reassuring to learn that a team of researchers claims to have devised a method for individuals affected by sleep apnoea to avoid using a CPAP machine while sleeping.

Researchers claim they have developed a way for thousands of Aussies with sleep apnoea to avoid wearing a breathing machine while they sleep. Credit: Shutterstock.

Professor Danny Eckert and his colleagues at FHMRI: Sleep Health (formerly Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health, AISH) have discovered a combination of therapies that eliminates the need for CPAP machines—or, at the very least, reduces their necessity to a last resort.

According to him, rather than going straight to the CPAP machine, which often 'fails' with at least 50 per cent of sleep apnoea sufferers, the team decided to 'flip the model on its head' and experiment with other methods.

The research team implemented the use of oral appliances or dental splints, which hold the tongue in place to keep the airway free from obstruction. It proved to be 'much better tolerated than CPAP' and has had success with 50 per cent of participants, depending on the severity of the condition.

For those whose condition didn't improve with the dental device, alternate therapies such as oxygen therapy and 'novel medications' were used instead.

These combinations of methods were able to treat almost all patients, while only a small number now require the CPAP machine to breathe correctly.

Professor Eckert said, 'We believe this outlines a whole new way of treating sleep apnoea.'

What are the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA)?

OSA is a condition characterised by pauses in breathing during sleep, which can be noticeable to others, and these pauses often accompany snoring. People with OSA may also frequently toss and turn in their sleep and wake up suddenly gasping or choking.

One of the most common consequences of OSA is persistent fatigue and feeling unrefreshed even after a night's sleep. As well as making you tired, OSA increases your risk of other health problems, such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

Key Takeaways

• Adelaide-based researchers, led by Professor Danny Eckert, say they have developed alternative treatment methods for people with sleep apnoea who struggle to tolerate CPAP machines.
• The research found that oral appliances or dental splints, which hold the tongue in place to keep the airway open while sleeping, should be the first step of treatment for those with obstructive sleep apnoea.
• If the dental device did not solve the breathing issues, alternate therapies such as oxygen therapy and 'novel medications' were added, informed by the findings of a detailed sleep study.
• The team treated almost all participants with these alternate methods, outlining a potentially new way of treating sleep apnoea.

If you've been suffering from sleep apnoea for some time, or if you know someone who has, we hope this news can help them get a better night's sleep.

We always recommend visiting a medical professional to discuss any sleep issues you or your loved ones might have. Feel free to use HealthDirect's Service Finder online tool to locate a health clinic near you.

Take care always, members!

 

[Stevo3]

Sleeping peacefully is one of life's simplest pleasures, and good-quality rest is paramount to your overall health and well-being, especially as you age.

Unfortunately, sleep apnoea presents itself more commonly as we age, and anyone who has suffered from it will know why it's partially reviled—wearing a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine can instantly put a damper on a good night's sleep.

Not only is it challenging to adapt to the machine's rigidity and noise, but many also find the mask physically uncomfortable. Some even report feelings of claustrophobia or anxiety when using the device.

There are also some potential side effects, such as nasal congestion, dry mouth, nosebleeds, and skin irritation or sores, which can affect users.

That's why it can be reassuring to learn that a team of researchers claims to have devised a method for individuals affected by sleep apnoea to avoid using a CPAP machine while sleeping.

View attachment 29160

Researchers claim they have developed a way for thousands of Aussies with sleep apnoea to avoid wearing a breathing machine while they sleep. Credit: Shutterstock.

Professor Danny Eckert and his colleagues at FHMRI: Sleep Health (formerly Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health, AISH) have discovered a combination of therapies that eliminates the need for CPAP machines—or, at the very least, reduces their necessity to a last resort.

According to him, rather than going straight to the CPAP machine, which often 'fails' with at least 50 per cent of sleep apnoea sufferers, the team decided to 'flip the model on its head' and experiment with other methods.

The research team implemented the use of oral appliances or dental splints, which hold the tongue in place to keep the airway free from obstruction. It proved to be 'much better tolerated than CPAP' and has had success with 50 per cent of participants, depending on the severity of the condition.

For those whose condition didn't improve with the dental device, alternate therapies such as oxygen therapy and 'novel medications' were used instead.

These combinations of methods were able to treat almost all patients, while only a small number now require the CPAP machine to breathe correctly.

Professor Eckert said, 'We believe this outlines a whole new way of treating sleep apnoea.'

What are the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA)?

OSA is a condition characterised by pauses in breathing during sleep, which can be noticeable to others, and these pauses often accompany snoring. People with OSA may also frequently toss and turn in their sleep and wake up suddenly gasping or choking.

One of the most common consequences of OSA is persistent fatigue and feeling unrefreshed even after a night's sleep. As well as making you tired, OSA increases your risk of other health problems, such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

Key Takeaways

• Adelaide-based researchers, led by Professor Danny Eckert, say they have developed alternative treatment methods for people with sleep apnoea who struggle to tolerate CPAP machines.
• The research found that oral appliances or dental splints, which hold the tongue in place to keep the airway open while sleeping, should be the first step of treatment for those with obstructive sleep apnoea.
• If the dental device did not solve the breathing issues, alternate therapies such as oxygen therapy and 'novel medications' were added, informed by the findings of a detailed sleep study.
• The team treated almost all participants with these alternate methods, outlining a potentially new way of treating sleep apnoea.

If you've been suffering from sleep apnoea for some time, or if you know someone who has, we hope this news can help them get a better night's sleep.

We always recommend visiting a medical professional to discuss any sleep issues you or your loved ones might have. Feel free to use HealthDirect's Service Finder online tool to locate a health clinic near you.

Take care always, members!

So where and how do I get this dental device

 

[saundy]

I was diagnosed with sleep apnoea years ago I use a cpap machine each night but I take it off without knowing and turn off the cpap machine this happens every night.
I go to the sleep disorder centre get hooked up to the computer under video surveillance all night and when I wake up I have the mask on this happened every time I was in the sleep disorder centre in Ballarat.
When I am home every morning the mask and machine are off.
Nobody can give me a answer why I do it.

 

[Jest]

I was diagnosed with sleep apnoea years ago I use a cpap machine each night but I take it off without knowing and turn off the cpap machine this happens every night.
I go to the sleep disorder centre get hooked up to the computer under video surveillance all night and when I wake up I have the mask on this happened every time I was in the sleep disorder centre in Ballarat.
When I am home every morning the mask and machine are off.
Nobody can give me a answer why I do it.

because you do not like it!!!!!!

 

[Trudi]

Early this year my oldest son told me that he had been diagnosed with sleep apnea and I expected that would have to be attached to one of those machines for the rest of his life.

A couple of months later, he saw his GP because he was having dificulty breathing. It rurned out that he needed to have his tonsils removed and now his breathing and sleeping is just fine.

 

[ElleJay]

I was recently diagnosed with sleep apnoea and I'm booked in for a CPAP trial at the sleep study centre. My dentist also mentioned the dental splint for sleep apnoea. She said the CPAP machines are the gold standard, but if it doesn't work for me to speak to her about the dental splint. I am just looking forward to not being tired all the time!

 

[saundy]

because you do not like it!!!!!!

It's not because I don't like it I have been to several specialist about it nobody can offer me a reason I have tried different masks from full face to nasel pillows difference

 

[goatwhisperer]

Sleeping peacefully is one of life's simplest pleasures, and good-quality rest is paramount to your overall health and well-being, especially as you age.

Unfortunately, sleep apnoea presents itself more commonly as we age, and anyone who has suffered from it will know why it's partially reviled—wearing a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine can instantly put a damper on a good night's sleep.

Not only is it challenging to adapt to the machine's rigidity and noise, but many also find the mask physically uncomfortable. Some even report feelings of claustrophobia or anxiety when using the device.

There are also some potential side effects, such as nasal congestion, dry mouth, nosebleeds, and skin irritation or sores, which can affect users.

That's why it can be reassuring to learn that a team of researchers claims to have devised a method for individuals affected by sleep apnoea to avoid using a CPAP machine while sleeping.

View attachment 29160

Researchers claim they have developed a way for thousands of Aussies with sleep apnoea to avoid wearing a breathing machine while they sleep. Credit: Shutterstock.

Professor Danny Eckert and his colleagues at FHMRI: Sleep Health (formerly Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health, AISH) have discovered a combination of therapies that eliminates the need for CPAP machines—or, at the very least, reduces their necessity to a last resort.

According to him, rather than going straight to the CPAP machine, which often 'fails' with at least 50 per cent of sleep apnoea sufferers, the team decided to 'flip the model on its head' and experiment with other methods.

The research team implemented the use of oral appliances or dental splints, which hold the tongue in place to keep the airway free from obstruction. It proved to be 'much better tolerated than CPAP' and has had success with 50 per cent of participants, depending on the severity of the condition.

For those whose condition didn't improve with the dental device, alternate therapies such as oxygen therapy and 'novel medications' were used instead.

These combinations of methods were able to treat almost all patients, while only a small number now require the CPAP machine to breathe correctly.

Professor Eckert said, 'We believe this outlines a whole new way of treating sleep apnoea.'

What are the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA)?

OSA is a condition characterised by pauses in breathing during sleep, which can be noticeable to others, and these pauses often accompany snoring. People with OSA may also frequently toss and turn in their sleep and wake up suddenly gasping or choking.

One of the most common consequences of OSA is persistent fatigue and feeling unrefreshed even after a night's sleep. As well as making you tired, OSA increases your risk of other health problems, such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

Key Takeaways

• Adelaide-based researchers, led by Professor Danny Eckert, say they have developed alternative treatment methods for people with sleep apnoea who struggle to tolerate CPAP machines.
• The research found that oral appliances or dental splints, which hold the tongue in place to keep the airway open while sleeping, should be the first step of treatment for those with obstructive sleep apnoea.
• If the dental device did not solve the breathing issues, alternate therapies such as oxygen therapy and 'novel medications' were added, informed by the findings of a detailed sleep study.
• The team treated almost all participants with these alternate methods, outlining a potentially new way of treating sleep apnoea.

If you've been suffering from sleep apnoea for some time, or if you know someone who has, we hope this news can help them get a better night's sleep.

We always recommend visiting a medical professional to discuss any sleep issues you or your loved ones might have. Feel free to use HealthDirect's Service Finder online tool to locate a health clinic near you.

Take care always, members!

I have a combination of OSA and CNSSA (central nervous system sleep apnoea) use my CPAP every night and have done for last 7 years, and has been lifesaving for me. Wondering if any of those new treatments would be of value for me?

 

[IAN3005]

I was diagnosed with sleep apnoea years ago I use a cpap machine each night but I take it off without knowing and turn off the cpap machine this happens every night.
I go to the sleep disorder centre get hooked up to the computer under video surveillance all night and when I wake up I have the mask on this happened every time I was in the sleep disorder centre in Ballarat.
When I am home every morning the mask and machine are off.
Nobody can give me a answer why I do it.

Beware... you are on the path for a stroke....

 

[ElizaKaye]

I was diagnosed as needing a CPAP machine. Theys tarted off with a $3000 machine, that I could not sleep at all with and then diagnosed by their system that I was waking up too much. Then they came down to approx $2000 something,. Then again I could not sleep and found out that it was not connected enough. Then they came down to approx $1000 machine for me to try.. It was better and I could sleep better with that. But after being told that I was waking up and not breathing all the time with the other two machines, I became very suspicious and ended up with no machines at all. I felt I could not trust them to tell me the truth.

 

[IAN3005]

I was diagnosed as needing a CPAP machine. Theys tarted off with a $3000 machine, that I could not sleep at all with and then diagnosed by their system that I was waking up too much. Then they came down to approx $2000 something,. Then again I could not sleep and found out that it was not connected enough. Then they came down to approx $1000 machine for me to try.. It was better and I could sleep better with that. But after being told that I was waking up and not breathing all the time with the other two machines, I became very suspicious and ended up with no machines at all. I felt I could not trust them to tell me the truth.

Consider myself lucky.. got mine for $100

 

[saundy]

because you do not like it!!!!!!

How can you justify saying "because you don't like it".
I take it off during sleep I don't know I do it has nothing to do with liking the cpap machine and mask

 

[IAN3005]

How can you justify saying "because you don't like it".
I take it off during sleep I don't know I do it has nothing to do with liking the cpap machine and mask

Keep it on... leads to a stroke otherwise... I speak from experience... a stoke is worse than taking a mask off.. go with the nasal pads....

 

[Defiant540]

I was diagnosed with sleep apnoea years ago I use a cpap machine each night but I take it off without knowing and turn off the cpap machine this happens every night.
I go to the sleep disorder centre get hooked up to the computer under video surveillance all night and when I wake up I have the mask on this happened every time I was in the sleep disorder centre in Ballarat.
When I am home every morning the mask and machine are off.
Nobody can give me a answer why I do it.

that's because you're being watched

 

[IAN3005]

that's because you're being watched

More to the point.