If you go to sleep with the sound of a freight train hooting next to you, have no fear, relief is on the way. A new product hopes to treat the severity of sleep apnea (and the resulting snoring) with a dedicated sleep apnea spray.
The nasal spray is a much simpler option compared to the current treatment, which is a bulky, loud CPAP machine.
It’s hoped to provide relief to the thousands of Australians who struggle with the common condition (and their partners).
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a health condition where your breathing stops and starts again repetitively throughout sleep. While it’s known for the unfortunate symptom of snoring, it can actually prevent the body from getting enough oxygen.
The apnea happens when the upper airway narrows or collapses as the muscles in the throat relax, reducing the space needed for proper oxygen intake.
The condition is often diagnosed via a sleep study and CPAP machines along with lifestyle changes are the most common treatments.
Sleep apnea-related lack of sleep has been linked with various other health conditions, from cardiovascular disease to obesity, diabetes, and depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Does The New Sleep Apnea Spray Work?
The spray (at this point called BAY2586116) uses a new “potassium channel antagonist” to improve the upper airway muscle activation during sleep. It aims to prevent the collapse and obstruction of the airway.
It was used in a randomised, blind trial, where 10 sleep apnea sufferers were given either the potassium nasal spray or a placebo. Seven of the 10 people said that the potassium nasal spray caused a reduction in the frequency of their upper away collapsing during sleep.
They also recorded lower blood pressure on waking up. The results were published in the The Journal of Heart and Circulatory Physiology.
It’s hoped that these early findings could lead to larger scale research and eventually a pathway for developing this new drug to treat the condition.
All we have to say is, ‘Hurrah!’
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