If you snore loudly, gasp for air during sleep or feel tired even after a full night’s sleep, you might have sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder. Approx. 20% of adults experience mild symptoms of the most common type of sleep-disordered breathing, obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). OSA occurs when throat muscles relax and your airway gets narrowed or closed, and breathing is momentarily cut off.
Just a quick nasal spray before sleep could keep the airway open during sleep
While there is a lot of research going on for sleep apnea drug treatments, so far, no medication has been officially approved for treatments for OSA.
Now, new research from Flinders University to test an experimental nasal spray to treat sleep apnea has shown promising results. Although the treatment is still years away from clinical use, early findings show promising results to keep a person’s airways open throughout the night.
The study was conducted on 12 participants with sleep apnea, each volunteer completed four overnight sleep studies. At the beginning of each night’s visit, they were treated for OSA using either nasal drops, a nasal spray, or via a direct application using an endoscope, versus a placebo.
The goal was to determine what mode of treatment led to the most effective result
Despite a small number of participants, nasal spray showed promising results. The participants were found to showcase consistent and sustained improvements in their airways staying open throughout sleep, compared to other treatments.
