Sleep apnea: a tennis ball can work miracles

This article is from the magazine Les Dossiers de Sciences et Avenir n°220 dated January/March 2025.

Tiredness upon waking, drowsiness, difficulty concentrating, irritability: if you experience any of these symptoms, perhaps, like one in ten people, you are suffering from obstructive sleep apnea, that is, a relaxation of the walls of the pharynx leading to partial or total closure of the airways.

Breathing stops lasting 10 to 30 seconds

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This manifests itself through respiratory arrests lasting 10 to 30 seconds, which can occur up to a hundred times per night, each interruption causing an unconscious "micro-awakening." The main risk factors are age, overweight and obesity (70% of subjects), alcohol, tobacco, and certain medications. In the long term, this nocturnal illness increases the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

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Treatments

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In terms of treatment, positional therapy devices, which prevent sleeping on the back—for example, a tennis ball sewn into a T-shirt and held at the shoulder blades—appear to be effective. Orthoses can also be used, which move the lower jaw forward to ensure the pharynx is open.

Finally, there are ventilation devices, with a mask, to keep the airways open. Although somewhat restrictive, they significantly improve the quality of sleep.