Here’s what you can do about sleep apnea

Do you often wake up in the morning tired and rested despite getting enough sleep? Your mouth is uncomfortably dry and you have a headache? One possible explanation for this is that you suffer from sleep apnea. In fact, about a quarter of all women and almost half of all men over the age of 40 suffer from this type of sleep apnea with 30 to 40 respiratory arrests per hour. This can become unhealthy in the long run.

We spoke with Dominik Hollinger, sleep expert at Sleepiz, to find out what you can do if you suspect you have sleep apnea.

Mr. Hollinger, what is sleep apnea and what are the consequences?

Dominik Hollinger: Sleep apnea is a common condition characterized by repeated short pauses in breathing during sleep. These are usually caused by a blockage in the airways (obstructive sleep apnea) or, more rarely, by problems controlling your breathing (central sleep apnea). As a result, deep sleep is repeatedly interrupted and the brain is temporarily not given enough oxygen.

This has serious consequences and can sometimes be life-threatening: daytime fatigue and drowsiness reduce productivity and significantly increase the risk of serious traffic accidents. Concentration and memory impairments, depression and cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, stroke or heart attack are other dangerous consequences of sleep apnea.

How do you know if you have sleep apnea?
Typical symptoms of sleep apnea are loud snoring, trouble sleeping, dry mouth or throat on waking, frequent morning headaches and, of course, daytime sleepiness. Irritability or loss of libido are also common symptoms. If you observe such symptoms, a preventive examination with Sleepiz may be helpful.

What is Sleepiz device and how does it work?
Using modern Doppler radar technology, the Sleepiz device measures the smallest chest movements caused by breathing and heartbeats completely without contact. You also carry an optional pulse oximeter, which measures blood oxygen saturation. Advanced signal processing algorithms extract pulse and respiratory rates, information about body movements and sleep, and breathing patterns from these signals, allowing any respiratory pause to be detected with the help of artificial intelligence.

What if there is a second person in bed next to me?
The Sleepiz device can be used at home in most cases. It doesn’t matter if there is a second person in the same bed or the preferred sleeping position or outfit. However, a minimum of 4 hours of good signal, approximately that amount of sleep time, is required for the data to be meaningful. The device cannot currently be used only with an active electronic implant (eg pacemaker) or if you are pregnant.

What are the benefits of having it measured at home?
There are many advantages to screening for sleep apnea at home in a normal sleep setting. On the one hand, one sleeps most naturally at home, and the scan is not distorted by the measurement itself. With Sleepiz you sleep in your usual environment and position, which means the scan results are very realistic.

On the other hand, home screening is also associated with minimal personal effort and low costs. Instead of waiting for a long time for an expensive scan in the unnatural environment of the sleep lab, the scan with Sleepiz can be conveniently ordered online and done at home in a very short time after birth without disrupting the normal daily routine. .

What do you do with the findings later?
Depending on the package booked, the report can be discussed directly with Sleepiz experts after the scan. Individual questions are answered and the next procedure is discussed together. Depending on the findings, further explanation and treatment is recommended. This can be done by your own family doctor or by specialist doctors that Sleepiz can mediate. We have already taken thousands of measurements and many of our customers have already taken further steps to control their sleep problems. This is important because untreated sleep apnea can have dangerous consequences.