How to stop snoring permanently? A pill might soon be your remedy

Researchers in the US are trying to come up with a medicine that will stop snoring and treat sleep apnea.

Nishtha Grover, India Today, New Delhi, October 27, 2020:  Snoring is something that no one can really control. The moment one steps into dreamland and their body fully relaxes, they start snoring without really being aware of what that does to the person sleeping next to them. Snoring, for sure, has led to many fights and sleepless nights. But what would you say if we tell you that there might be a drug in the making that can be the remedy for snoring?

WHY DO PEOPLE SNORE?

Loud snoring is generally a result of sleep apnea. It is most common in obese people. Sleep Apnea is a disorder which results in snoring and interrupted breathing. When a person sleeps, the muscles in the airway naturally relax but in the case of a person suffering from sleep apnoea, these muscles completely collapse.

As a result, the air is pushed out from a smaller gap in the throat which ultimately leads in snoring. This can also lead to interrupted breathing.

WHAT WILL THE PILL DO?

In 2018, researchers from the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, US, conducted a study with 20 snorers. They gave them two drugs which showed great improvement in the patients. One of the two medicines was atomoxetine. The drug that has been in use for 20 years is generally given to children who suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

The other drug was oxybutynin. It is given to patients with urinary incontinence. It reduces the spasms in muscles that control the bladder. Both these medicines are known to control the muscles, that is why a combination was given to the people taking part in the study. It showed great improvement as well.

This is why the new medicine which is currently code-named as AD109 is a combination of these two. A US firm is making the drug and a clinical trial is being set up. However, both these drugs are also known to have various side effects and that is why more research is needed on the medication.

Related article:

Does your spouse snore loudly, feel tired after full night's sleep? Check for this disease

Sleep apnea is a potentially serious disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. A person may have sleep apnea if he or she snores loudly and feels tired even after a full night's sleep.

Priyanka Sharma, IT, New Delhi, July 19, 2017: Kamal Singh (name changed) was penalised by Delhi Police recently after he drove his car into a cop van. Little did the officers know that he was suffering from obstructive sleep apnea, which leads to excessive daytime sleepiness, impaired alertness and vision problems. The condition has put Kamal in several embarrassing and lifethreatening situations.

Sleep apnea is a potentially serious disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. A person may have sleep apnea if he or she snores loudly and feels tired even after a full night's sleep.

The brain and body becomes oxygen deprived and the sufferer may wake up a few times, or in more severe cases, several hundred times a night. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common form that occurs when throat muscles relax.

WHAT IS OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEPING APNEA?

It leads to loud snoring, noisy and laboured breathing and repeated short periods where breathing is interrupted by gasping or snorting. Kamal is not the only such case in Delhi of people dozing off while driving. Doctors say that patients also complain of their marriage suffering because of a spouse's snoring. Health experts in the national Capital said they come across at least 10 to 12 cases in the OPD a month of people complaining about sleeping disorder. They nod off during meetings, while reading newspapers, at work as well as while driving.

"It was a terrible experience. I got scolded by traffic cops for hitting their vehicle," Kamal told Mail Today. "I had fallen asleep at a traffic signal and people behind me started honking. In panic, I banged my car into a cop's van. Traffic police officials thought that I was drunk and they penalised me." Health experts said about 30-40 per cent of those visiting them in clinics or respiratory and sleep disorder wings of city hospitals suffer from OSA.

"Even when we sit for OPD consultation, we see many of them sleeping. This tendency is dangerous as sleeping while driving can cause accidents," said Dr Vikas Maurya, head of respiratory medicine, allergy and sleep disorders at Fortis Hospital (Shalimar Bagh). "Kamal is suffering from acute OSA. He is on close medical observation. Even, when he comes to the OPD, he falls asleep. In a month, I see at least 10 to 12 patients in OPD complaining of sleep related disorder."

HOW DANGEROUS IS APNEA?

People, who suffer from OSA, are prone to major life threatening health issues such as stroke, heart attack, brain stroke, fatigue, and hypertension, short-term memory loss, morning headache and other medical complications, said Dr Maurya. (Prof) Dr Randeep Guleria, director of AIIMS and leading expert for respiratory medicine and sleep disorders.

He informed Mail Today that most patients are being diagnosed with sleep apena just because of lifestyle disorder, obesity, stress and lack of physical exercise. "I received a patient who met with an accident when he was dropping his daughter off at school. Both father and daughter got injured. Thus, if anybody is suffering from sleep apnea, he should get treated at the earliest," he said. Sushmita Rastogi (name changed) stays up all night just to check if her husband is breathing. "Due to sleep apnea, he stops breathing for at least 10-20 seconds, which can be fatal too," she said.

"My married life is at stake now." Dr Sanjay Manchanda, head of respiratory medicine, allergy and sleep disorders at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said that in a month they see about 30-40 patients complaining of sleep complications. "I have seen many patients, who have met with road accidents, have lost their jobs and, most importantly, there are many patients who are diagnosed with multiple sleep apnea problem, which is very complicated," Manchanda added.