Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Friday 13 July 2018

New ways to conquer sleep apnea compete for place in bedroom

By CARLA K. JOHNSON their devices, persist.
Associated Press Blumstein was diagnosed
Every night without fail, Paul about 15 years ago after
Blumstein straps on a mask he fell asleep behind the
that prevents him from re- wheel at a traffic light. He
peatedly waking up, gasp- shared his frustrations with
ing for air. using a mask at a recent
It's been his routine since he patient-organized meet-
was diagnosed with a con- ing with the Food and Drug
dition called sleep apnea. Administration, as did Jo-
While it helps, he doesn't elle Dobrow of Los Angeles,
like wearing the mask. who said it took her seven
"It's like an octopus has years to find one she liked.
clung to my face," said "I went through 26 differ-
Blumstein, 70, of Annan- ent mask styles," she said.
dale, Virginia. "I just want to "I kept a spreadsheet so I
sleep once in a while with- wouldn't duplicate it."
out that feeling." Researchers are now fo-
It's been two decades since cused on how to get peo-
doctors fully recognized ple to use a mask more
that breathing that stops faithfully and predicting
and starts during sleep is Researcher David Carley of the University of Illinois at Chicago poses for a photo at the school who is likely to abandon
tied to a host of health is- on May 31, 2018. it and could start instead
sues, even early death, but Associated Press with a dental device.
there still isn't a treatment "It's the bane of my exis-
that most people find easy gery, but it often doesn't others to have strokes, against screening adults tence as a sleep doctor,"
to use. work. Doctors recommend heart attacks and heart who have no symptoms. said Dr. James Rowley of
Airway pressure masks, the weight loss, but diet and rhythm problems, and "We don't know as much Wayne State University in
most common remedy, exercise can be challeng- they're more likely to die about the benefits of treat- Detroit. "A lot of what sleep
have improved in design, ing for people who aren't prematurely. But it's hard ing sleep apnea as we doctors do in the first few
getting smaller and qui- sleeping well. to tease out whether those should," said Krist, vice- months after diagnosis is
eter, but patients still com- So far, no pills for sleep ap- problems are caused by chair of the U.S. Preventive help people be able to use
plain about sore nostrils, dry nea exist, but researchers sleep apnea itself, or by Services Task Force. their CPAP."
mouths and claustropho- are working on it. One drug excess weight, lack of ex- While scientists haven't Getting it right quickly is im-
bia. containing THC, the active ercise or something else proved CPAP helps peo- portant because of insur-
Now, new ways of con- ingredient in marijuana, entirely. ple live longer, evidence ers' use-it-or-lose-it policies.
quering sleep apnea, and showed promise in a study For specialists, the first- shows it can reduce blood Medicare and other insur-
the explosive snoring that this year. choice, most-studied rem- pressure, improve daytime ers stop paying for a rented
comes with it, are vying for What is sleep apnea? In edy remains continuous sleepiness, lessen snoring CPAP machine if a new pa-
a place in the bedrooms people with the condition, positive airway pressure, and reduce the number tient isn't using it enough.
of millions of people crav- throat and tongue muscles or CPAP. It's a motorized of times a patient stops But patients often have
ing a good night's sleep. relax and block the air- device that pumps air breathing. CPAP also im- trouble with settings and
Products range from a way during sleep, caused through a mask to open proves quality of life, mood masks, with little help from
$350 restraint meant to dis- by obesity, aging or facial a sleeper's airway. About and productivity. equipment suppliers, ac-
courage back sleeping to structure. They stop breath- 5 million Americans have With noticeable results, cording to Dr. Susan Red-
a $24,000 surgical implant ing, sometimes for up to tried CPAP, but up to a many CPAP users, even line of Brigham and Wom-
that pushes the tongue for- a minute and hundreds third gave up during the those like Blumstein with a en's Hospital in Boston.q
ward with each breath. of times each night, then first several years because love-hate relationship with
Mouthpieces, fitted by awake with loud gasping of discomfort and inconve-
dentists, work for some and snoring. That prevents nience.
people but have their own them from getting deep, Martin Braun, 76, of New
problems, including jaw restorative sleep. York City stopped using his
pain. Some patients try sur- They are more likely than noisy machine and awk-
ward mask, but now he's
trying again after a car
crash when he fell asleep
at the wheel. "That's when
I realized, OK this is serious
stuff already," said Braun,
who has ordered a quieter
CPAP model.
Sleep medicine is a rela-
tively new field. The most
rigorous studies are small or
don't follow patients for lon-
ger than six months, said Dr.
Alex Krist of Virginia Com-
monwealth University, who
served on a federal guide- A technician prepares equipment to monitor Martin Braun's
This May 31, 2018 photo shows capsules of dronabinol in Chi- lines panel that reviewed brain activity during a sleep study at the New York-Presbyteri-
cago. sleep apnea treatments an/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York.
Associated Press before recommending Associated Press