Dr. Roy Barco

Sleep apnea is a very common condition where the muscles and tissues around the area of your throat close off air from entering your lungs when you are asleep. As a result, people will often snore and even stop breathing for periods of time in their sleep. This causes folks to not have the restful sleep at night that they need and develop fatigue and sleepiness during the day. In addition, having sleep apnea puts you at risk for many conditions, including high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure. This is in part because your oxygen levels can drop when you stop breathing at night, which in turn strains your heart. If you suddenly wake up in the middle of the night feeling short of breath, it might be because your oxygen level is dropping from sleep apnea. The strain in your heart also releases a substance called ANP from the heart muscle, which in turn causes someone to urinate. So if you notice having to get up multiple times a night to go to the bathroom, you may not have sugar or prostate problems, it may in fact be that you have sleep apnea. The most common therapy used for sleep apnea is CPAP, which keeps your airway open by blowing in air at set pressures. Because some patients are uncomfortable using CPAP, they often ask about other treatments for sleep apnea. Many feel that because external nose strips like Breathe Right improve snoring, it is also treating their sleep apnea.

This question was actually researched last year by Dr. Clete Kushida and his group, where they looked at all the research studies involving nose strips and how they affect sleep apnea (reference 1). They found that nose strips did not significantly decrease how severe a person’s sleep apnea was, nor did it provide people with more restful sleep (which we call REM sleep). The nose strips also didn’t have a major effect on how low someone’s oxygen level got from their sleep apnea. Therefore, nose strips do not appear to be a good option for treating sleep apnea. That’s not to say that they may not help at all. For example, there’s a study that suggests that if you wear nose strips while getting CPAP therapy, that you do not require as much pressure from the CPAP device (reference 2). Not needing as much pressure makes the CPAP much more comfortable for patients. I encourage people that are having trouble with CPAP to speak to either their lung doctor or their primary care provider to discuss their options.

I have included references to those that are interested in the specific studies I have mentioned. As always, consult with your health care provider before implementing any advice in this column.

References:

1. Camacho M, Malu O, Kram Y et al. Nasal Dilators (Breathe Right Strips and NoZovent) for Snoring and OSA: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis. Pulmonary Medicine. Volume 2016, Dec 13.

2. Schonhofer B, Kerl J, Suchi S et al. Effect of Nasal Valve Dilation on Effective CPAP Level in Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Respiratory Medicine. Volume 97, No. 9. Pages 1002-1005.

Dr. Roy Barco welcomes your questions concerning health and wellness. Please facebook him at www.facebook.com/roy.barco.5 where you can submit questions for the column, or write to:

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