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With obesity on the rise, sales of anti-snoring devices are through the roof. But some people may wonder if they can get any sleep with one of those large machines strapped to their face.
It's the middle of the night, and someone near you is snoring. You'd give anything for it to stop. But, is it just harmless snoring, or is it a sign of the more serious condition called obstructive sleep apnea?
Vitality Medical Product Specialist Ernie Gamonal said, "One of the common side effects of sleep apnea is snoring like a freight train. Well, that's just because you can't breathe."
USA Today reports that Medicare spent $1.4 million last year on small ventilators known as continuous positive airway pressure devices, or CPAP. That's up 324 percent in three years. Gamonal says the company has seen a large increase in this year alone.
"Our sales have grown, probably, about 25 percent," he said.
He estimates CPAP sales could be up 150 percent from last year. But, have you seen one of these things? It straps completely around the head, with either a mask or a plug which is constantly shooting air up your nose. It doesn't sound very restful.
"If you can't sleep with something like that on your face, yeah, it's going to take some adjustment. But it's like the head gear that kids wear for orthodontics. If you've got to have it, you've go to have it," he explained.
Dr. Paul Teman with the University of Utah Sleep-Wake Center said, "These devices have been around since the early ‘80s, and they have made some improvements."
Teman says older devices were basically vacuum engines working in reverse, but now, they're more streamlined and quiet. He also says these devices really are just a means to and end, and if a doctor prescribes one for you, you might not need it forever.
"If it's really bad sleep apnea, where the airway is collapsing over 30 times an hour, the options are limited primarily to CPAP. But if it's mild to moderate severity, where it's only blocking off five to 15 times an hour, then there are other options," he said.
Teman says dental devices can pull the jaw forward, opening up the airway so the person can breathe. However, not everyone who snores has obstructive sleep apnea. Sometimes snoring is just snoring.
"Snoring is the main symptom (of sleep apnea) but sometimes people wake up with dry mouth, headaches. They wake up, even after a full night of sleep, seven or eight hours of sleep, they wake up feeling unrested," he said.
CPAP machines can run from $500 to $2,300. Teman says there's another kind of apnea called central sleep apnea, where the nervous system stops someone from breathing. That requires an entirely different kind of machine called a bi-level positive airway pressure device.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
