Device treats sleep apnea without a mask
After years of constant fatigue, Steve Adams was relieved to be diagnosed with severe sleep apnea last year.
But his desire for decent rest was mitigated by vanity, and he balked at the standard therapy used for the breath-stopping snoring — a face mask and a CPAP machine (Constant Positive Air Pressure) to increase air pressure in the throat and prevent the airway from collapsing.
“I’m only 54,” says the Toronto project engineer, who works in the aerospace industry. “My parents are using the mask and they’re in their 80s.”
The disorder is common among middle-aged adults and, untreated, causes daytime sleepiness, boosts blood pres- sure and increases the chances of developing heart trouble.
Adams’ sleep specialist, Dr. Victor Hoffstein, suggested a new treatment called Provent, a patch with two small valves that fits over the nostrils. The single-use device keeps the airway open using the person’s own breathing. It has been available in Canada since November. A months supply costs about $70.
Clinical studies published in the journal Sleep have shown its effectiveness.
The main difference between the CPAP machine and Provent is that CPAP maintains pressure when breathing in and out, while Provent only creates pressure while exhaling.
Adams feels like a new man. He had to learn to breathe differently, but the increased energy is worth it, he says.
“My mood changed, I had more energy at work,” he says. “It’s amazing how that sleep apnea can just suck the life out of you.”
Some people use oral appliances to treat sleep apnea, so this is a third option, says Dr. Cindy Lee, a respirologist and sleep specialist, who works out of the Toronto Sleep Institute. “It’s not appropriate for everyone, but in some patients it’s a very good alternative to the standard treatment for sleep apnea, which is currently CPAP,” Lee says.
Adams says his wife is happy with quieter nights. “I’m 100 per cent a convert,” he says. “I’m also a convert because I go on trips with my hockey team and I get ostracized to the bench or anywhere else because of my snoring, and it almost eliminates my snoring.”