Inside Sleep with The Snoring Doctor Issue #2

Hello!

Welcome back to Inside Sleep with The Snoring Doctor! I’ve got another packed issue for you this month, and I’m excited to dive in. We’ll be discussing a link between ventilatory burden and mortality risks, a promising at-home sleep apnea diagnostic tool, and whether or not you can adjust to deficient sleep.

If you stick around to the end, you’ll learn about a relieving sinus treatment and find out what happens when two sleep apnea patients walk into an airport bar. Don’t miss out!

Let’s clear out those morning cobwebs and get to it.

Catching Up On Sleep: A Current Events Roundup

Mount Sinai's automated tool predicts mortality risk based on ventilatory burden

In a recent study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, researchers identified ventilatory burden as an automated measure for assessing the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and as a predictor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.

For the unfamiliar, the ventilatory burden refers to the extent to which your breathing becomes disrupted or labored while you are asleep.

These results caught my eye as the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), the most commonly used diagnostic metric for sleep apnea, is not without its limitations. AHI only measures the frequency of respiratory events, such as apneas and hypopneas. It doesn’t distinguish between ventilatory disturbances and the consequences of hypopnea, so there’s definitely a need for a more reliable measure of the ventilatory load associated with OSA.

Researchers collected data from various sources and cohorts in this study to establish the normal ventilatory burden range. Then, they wanted to clarify the relationship between OSA severity and ventilatory burden. Finally, they evaluated whether ventilatory burden could predict mortality when combined with automated hypoxic burden measurements.

The results confirmed that high OSA severity was associated with increased levels of ventilatory burden. Basically, if you have severe OSA, you’re struggling to breathe effectively at night. It was also predictive of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in OSA patients, even after adjusting for other factors.

The study also found that CPAP machines significantly reduced ventilatory burden in OSA patients. So to all the sleep apnea patients reading this, please try to keep using your CPAP machine if you have one. If you’ve been struggling with it, consider asking your provider for an examination to identify possible nasal obstructions. Sleep apnea treatment adherence can have life-and-death stakes.

The researchers are making the metric available as a software program for sleep labs, so I look forward to seeing its applications firsthand. It could potentially help providers take more preventative measures with their treatment plans.

Promising signs from Sibel Health, Inc.’s at-home sleep apnea diagnostic tool

Researchers at Sibel Health, Inc. developed a new sleep apnea diagnostic tool, and it fits right on the tip of your finger. Their wearable device, called ANNE® Sleep, received FDA approval in 2022. With a straightforward design, it aims to bring accurate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) diagnostics into your bedroom.

OSA affects millions of adults globally, and almost 90% of cases are undiagnosed. Without an attentive partner sleeping by their side, many people just simply don’t realize there’s even a problem to diagnose.

The device aims to make the diagnostic process more accessible, convenient for individuals, and cost-effective. Traditional at-home tests for sleep apnea hook patients up to multiple wires, chest bands, and breathing tubes. It can look like a scene out of an alien abduction movie.

However, the ANNE® Sleep device sounds significantly less sci-fi. It’s a flexible, wearable solution that sticks to the user's chest and fingertip. While they’re sleeping, it collects data regarding sleep time, heart rate, snoring, body position, and blood oxygen saturation. In the morning, the data securely transfers to a qualified physician who can assess their sleep patterns based on one or multiple nights of data.

In a study involving 225 adults suspected of having moderate to severe OSA, the device was compared to polysomnography (PSG), the current gold standard for diagnosing sleep apnea. The results look very encouraging. Both PSG and ANNE® Sleep identified roughly the same amount of moderate to severe OSA cases. Critically, the wearable device demonstrated a lower rate of false positives than PSG.

ANNE® Sleep has already been introduced to the market through certain commercial partners, but it will soon expand its reach. I’m excited to see how this tool performs over time. It could be a major advancement in the field of sleep medicine.

By providing an accessible, user-friendly OSA diagnostic tool, we can improve the health and well-being of millions of individuals worldwide. That’s a level of success we can all root for.

Sleep Mythbusting

The Truth: This is a total myth. Your body doesn’t adapt to sleep deprivation in the short or long term, even if you may feel like you’re getting used to it. With just a few days of insufficient sleep, you’ll deal with daytime drowsiness, which is what you might adjust to over time. However, just because you aren’t feeling tired doesn’t mean your lack of sleep isn’t impacting your health and performance.

Long-term sleep deprivation negatively impacts your decision-making, memory, creativity, and focus. If you continue a pattern of poor sleep long enough, it could begin to impact your mental health, cardiovascular system, metabolism, immune system, and more. You’ll also be at increased risk for developing dementia.

Don’t compromise on sleep! Do everything you can to ensure you’re getting as much healthy, consistent sleep as possible.

Sleep Clip of the Month

If you’re struggling with your CPAP machine, don’t give up just yet! Watch this clip to understand how your nose might be at the root of your problems, and ask your doctor for an examination to see what treatments could help.

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Snoring and Sleep Apnea Treatment Spotlight

This month, I’m highlighting a treatment you can do at home to temporarily improve your nasal breathing, reduce your snoring, and make your CPAP more comfortable. The sinus rinse is a simple, effective treatment to incorporate into your nighttime routine. Although it’s not a cure for nasal obstruction, it does alleviate some of the symptoms that disrupt your sleep.

We typically use the NeilMed Sinus Rinse. Simply fill your bottle to the line with distilled water, add the salt packet to the bottle, and mix. You can also add a small drop of baby shampoo to this mixture for added benefits. Then, you’ll put the nozzle up to one nostril at a time, allowing the solution to pass through your sinus on both sides.

Check out this demonstration from my assistant, William Sarniguet, for more clarity on performing the sinus rinse yourself.

How to further connect with The Snoring Doctor:

If you’d like to hear the latest sleep news, you’re in the right place.

To join in on the conversation, you can follow me on LinkedIn and Instagram.

If you’re ready to get treatment for your snoring and sleep apnea, reach out here to request an appointment.

Sweet dreams and happy breathing,

Dr. Ben Cilento, “The Snoring Doctor”

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