![Sleep apnea: what if we stimulate the tongue?](https://img.passeportsante.net/1000x526/2017-08-25/i60009-apnee-du-sommeil-et-si-on-stimulait-la-langue.jpg)
August 25, 2017.
Stimulating the tongue to reduce sleep apnea has been proven to work. But this cannot be a quick fix.
Lingual physiotherapy can be effective
5% of us suffer from sleep apnea. These are involuntary stops in breathing which can lead to more or less serious complications: fatigue, snoring, cardiovascular disease, depression … To reduce these apneas, some try lingual physiotherapy. These apneas can indeed be due to poor tongue positioning during sleep.
The tongue has 17 muscles. It is about re-educating them through stimulation, so that the language finds its right place. When sleeping, the tongue should be stuck to the palate. If this position is not acquired, then apneas will be inevitable. Corn not all physiotherapists perform this rehabilitation. It takes place over several months and requires many sessions.
A small pacemaker under the collarbone
Another method, from the United States, aims to fight against sleep apnea by stimulating the tongue with a device. This device, called Inspire II, was developed by the company Inspire Medical Systems. Currently, only the Bordeaux sleep clinic can benefit patients. To put it in place, you have to go through the operating room. During the operation, the surgeon places a small pacemaker under the collarbone.
This device sends electric current to the tongue during sleep. This is possible because it is connected to two electrodes. One is under the skin, at the level of the neck, in contact with the nerve of the tongue, the other at the level of the thorax, between two ribs. ” Results show that airway stimulation therapy provides significant benefits in treated patients “, Estimated Pr Pierre Philip, head of the sleep clinic, on France Info. However, the number of implanted patients remains very low.
Marine Rondot
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