two years ago, i was diagnosed with OSA and have since been attempting to remedy it. to date i've refrained from resorting to CPAP -- a discussion for a different thread methinks -- and have been attempting to manage it with alternative treatments.
enter positional therapy. the concept of positional therapy is an old one, and i'm sure many here are familiar with the classic tennis ball on the back intervention.
based on analysis of my sleep study, it was found that i spend 1/3 of my time on my back, but sleeping supine accounted for 50% of my apnoeas. given that i had an AHI of 45, this meant that sleeping on my side could possibly reduce my AHI to ~30. a subsequent sleep study found that 90%+ of my apnoeas occurred in the supine position.
because of this, i have always been intrigued by incorporating positional therapy into the treatment of OSA. the idea of using a tennis ball on my back hasn't really compelled me, and i toyed with the idea of even designing a sleep position device that's based on biofeedback: you strap a device to your chest or head, and whenever you're sleeping supine, an alarm goes off. only by repositioning yourself will the alarm go away. over time, you simply habituate to sleeping on your side, akin to the biofeedback alarms that are used in bedwetting.
about a month ago, however, i came across this very device called the NightShift Sleep Positioner and immediately bought one. the link to the maker is here:
http://advancedbrainmonitoring.com/night-shift/
the cliff notes: you wrap the device around your neck, with the sensor positioned on the back of your neck. there is a tiny gyroscope that detects head position. the device will vibrate with increasing magnitude if you're in the supine position until you reposition yourself on your side. it has a USB connector so that data can be uploaded and a report generated. several studies which are available on their website have come out confirming efficacy, at least in mild to moderate OSA.
i've UTFSE and have been unable to find threads on this product, and i just wanted to see if anyone else has used this device and what their thoughts are about it? have you found it effective? as i haven't had a follow up study to verify benefits, i can't comment on actual efficacy. i will also avoid commenting on its perceived efficacy unless someone is curious.
in theory, however, i think this is a brilliant invention. vibration is far far better than an alarm that wakes others up. the placement of the gyroscope is precisely where it should be -- in line with the tongue and soft-palate, as opposed to around the head or torso as i was thinking. however, there are some elements that i dislike, one being that i can't access the raw data collected during my sleep, and am thereby relying upon the metrics employed by the manufacturer. for example, the metric used for "awake/asleep" -- how is that actually derived? how well validated is it? can it be optimised or calibrated for my own body?
anyhow, if anyone has also used this product, would love to hear your thoughts and if others are curious about my experience with it, am happy to elaborate.
