A recent study in the Journal of Neuroscience demonstrated that the repeated airway obstruction that occurs during obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) causes the brain to release a certain chemical. This chemical, called noradrenaline, helps the brain to learn to breathe more effectively.

According to University of Toronto researcher Dr. John Peever “What we showed is that the repeated disruptions of normal lung activity – what happens during sleep apnea – triggers a form of learning that helps you breathe better. This stype of brain plasticity could be harnessed to help overcome the breathing insufficiency that typifies sleep apnea.”

Peever said that it seemed that the brain used the unwanted side-effects of sleep apnea to help it learn to prevent future apneas by increasing the depth of breathing. Researchers feel that this work could serve as a basis for potentially developing a pill to reduce the effects of sleep apnea.

Since sleep apnea occurs because of a physical cause – the collapse of the soft tissues of the mouth and throat which closes the airway during sleep – I don’t see a magic pill to cure OSA in our near future. The best current treatments are CPAP (if the patient can tolerate it) or an oral appliance created by a dentist trained in dental sleep medicine.

OSA sufferers in the Columbus, Ohio area who are unable to tolerate sleeping with their CPAP machine  should contact Dr. Mark Levy at 614-476-6696 to schedule a consultation. You may be a candidate for oral appliance therapy to treat your obstructive sleep apnea.