Sleep apnea, which we can define as the cessation of breathing during sleep, is known as a syndrome that affects many people. Sleep apnea, which causes short-term suffocation during sleep and therefore causes people to wake up, and can invite serious diseases, is now treated with the help of machines.
A new drug tested by researchers from Flinders University offers hope of solving this problem without the need for machines. According to the press release shared by the team, a newly developed nasal spray structure will help eliminate the syndrome.
Airways will no longer collapse
One of the most basic factors of sleep apnea is the narrowing or complete closure of the person’s upper airways during sleep. With the new approach, it will be possible to sleep peacefully without the need for machines called CPAP.
The researchers, who tried the new drug on a total of 12 people, compared the control group with the methods they applied directly with nasal spray, nasal drops or endoscopy. Accordingly, the participants in the study had fewer respiratory problems during sleep, no matter how they took the drug.
Professor Danny Eckeart, who is the head of the research and is also the director of the University’s Sleep Laboratory, stated that the new drug they developed should be studied for a longer period of time, but the first findings are quite promising. He also added that there is currently no medicine developed against sleep apnea.
What is the CPAP machine that the drug will replace?
This device, which is used for patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea, is a machine that sends air at high pressure to the nose of the people in order to remove the blockages in the respiratory channels and to make people breathe more easily.
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