BEST NEWS SHOW ON APNEA WAS IN JAPANESE?!

Non-CPAP Forum Posting

Archived Non-CPAP Forum4 viewing only. To post a new topic go to the Rest Forum Homepage.

BEST NEWS SHOW ON APNEA WAS IN JAPANESE?!

Posted by sean on April 07, 2001 at 14:56:55:
Before you feel I'm putting you on, let me explain a little bit about my background. I speak fluent Japanese and was a navy brat who grew up in Japan. Most of my professional career has been spent working with the Japanese.
A Japanese friend of mine just sent me a copy of a tape of a recent Japanese TV documentary on sleep apnea. I think it was the best show I've seen on the subject in any language! It was an hour long documentary. (Apparantly there's a higher incident of apnea among Asian males). I was most impressed by the explanation they gave on sleep apnea, using a cross-sectional dummy model of the human head and neck area (the throat, tongue, soft palate, etc) to explain what exactly happens when sleep apnea occurs and when snoring occurs.
I wished everyone could have seen this program. Using the cross-sectional dummy model of the human head and neck area, it became pretty clear that apnea was being caused by the TONGUE when it falls back and blocks the airway. The palate mostly caused the snoring and only contributed a tiny bit to the apnea, if at all. By looking at that human anatomy model, it became clear that the only way to treat the apnea is to somehow deal with the tongue obstructions. The only way this is currently done is to either minimize the bulk of the tongue by shrinking the tongue (by somnoplasty or dramatic weight-loss), or by pulling the entire tongue structure forward via tongue advancement sugeries like genioplasty, genioglossus advancement, hyoid suspension, maxillomandibular advancement, or by a suspension suture technique called "Repose". (Weight loss might work since the tongue becomes fat as a person becomes fat, but there's no real guarantee). Non-surgical means would be the CPAP which 'splints" and forces open the tongue obstructions via air pressure, and dental appliances which moves the entire mandible and tongue forward.

By looking at the human anatomy and how the tongue causes the apnea, this also explains why most of the other more widely performed surgeries such as the UPPP, tonsillectomy, septoplasty, etc, have such poor results with apnea because they do NOT treat tongue obstructions. (ex: UPPP only deals with the palate, etc. Only those who have mild apnea and who'se apnea is caused only by the palate might hope to be helped by UPPP. But according to this documentary, most serious apnea problems seem almost always to be caused by the tongue).
Treament-wise, the biggest problem dealing with tongue obstructions is that most of the surgical options available are pretty invasive in nature. Recent new develops like somnoplasty and the repose tongue suture suspension are less invasive but they are also less effective. Therefore non-surgical options such as the CPAP and dental appliances may still be the choice of treatment for alot of people.

Follow Ups:

Re: BEST NEWS SHOW ON APNEA WAS IN JAPANESE?! Cathy McElroy 4/10/01 (0)

Archived Non-CPAP Forum4 viewing only. To post a new topic go to the Rest Forum Homepage

IMPORTANT : Information not intended as medical advice. If you suspect that you have a sleep disorder you should seek care from a qualified professional. Read Terms of Use.
The Sleep Forums are not to be used for commercial purposes.
Commercial products and services are not endorsed by Sleepnet.com.
Sleep Deprivation due to Sleep Apnea and insufficient sleep are common and can present as insomnia, narcolepsy, or idiopathic hypersomnia. In infants and children sleep problems commonly present themselves as ADD or ADHD.