A PLASTER-sized gadget worn on the forehead that vibrates when the wearer rolls on to their back is the latest bid to tackle snoring.
The battery-powered device is designed to help people with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), where the soft tissue in the throat relaxes and collapses repeatedly during sleep, partially blocking the airway and causing loud snoring and pauses in breathing, known as apnoeas.
These can block airflow for 10 seconds or more, disturbing sleep and leading to daytime tiredness. Untreated, OSA is linked to a higher risk of conditions such as heart disease and stroke.
It’s estimated that in 60 per cent of cases, the symptoms are increased by sufferers sleeping on their backs – the new device only stops sending out vibrations when the wearer, alerted by the effect, shifts from their back to their side.
The new device measures around four square centimetres (about the size of a large plaster) and weighs around 14?grams (the weight of a small battery). It incorporates an accelerometer – the same kind of technology used in cars to detect crashes and release airbags, and in mobile phones to detect movement changes and distinguish up from down.
The accelerometer in the patch works the same way, detecting if someone is on their side or back.
The device also contains a pad which starts vibrating with four increasing levels of intensity when the wearer rolls on their back for more than 30 seconds.
The idea is that the vibrations briefly wake the wearer, who then moves back onto their side. The results of a trial run by scientists at Araba University Hospital in Spain, involving 12 patients, found using the device led to a 31 per cent drop in apnoeas in the first week.
Furthermore, the study found that patients liked that it was lightweight and easy to use, reports the journal Respiratory Medicine. More studies are planned.
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