Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects over 80 million Americans. Its major signs and symptoms include loud or irregular snoring, gasping during sleep, daytime sleepiness, unrefreshing sleep, chronic fatigue, dry mouth and morning headaches. Even more concerning, poor sleep worsens heart disease and accelerates the development of dementia.
The root cause of OSA is usually the tongue falling backward during sleep, partially or completely blocking the airway. While it’s more common in those who are overweight or obese, it can also affect thinner individuals with a naturally smaller mouth or throat diameter.
Current treatment options — though sometimes effective — are far from ideal. These include:
- A tennis ball sewn into a tight T-shirt to discourage sleeping on your back
- CPAP therapy, which involves wearing a pressurized mask that blows air into your nose
- Surgical procedures to enlarge the throat
- Implantable nerve stimulators to keep the airway open.
Because these treatments can be uncomfortable or invasive, most people remain untreated.
But there’s good news.
A recent article reported a successful Phase 3 trial (the final step before FDA approval) for a new medication called Lunairo. This drug increases the resting tone of throat and tongue muscles, helping to keep the airway open during sleep.
In the trial, over 46% of patients experienced relief from sleep apnea — compared to only 6% in the placebo group. Side effects were minimal, and the medication was taken just at bedtime.
And though not officially noted in the study, there was one more benefit: the partners of snorers finally got a good night’s sleep too. My wife will definitely appreciate that!
Dr. Charlie Barnett is a contributor at KnoxTNToday for a weekly column, DocTalk, providing his expertise on health and wellness management.
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