Do you snore? Does your partner complain every morning because of it? That loud noise you make during your sleep means your airway is partially obstructed.
Snoring is one of the most common symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, which can lead to serious health issues, such as Alzheimer’s, if not treated. Fortunately, new research* shows that using an oral appliance can help slow the onset of Alzheimer’s and improve your cognition.
What Happens During Deep Sleep?
During deep sleep, your brain flushes away toxic proteins, alpha-synuclein and beta-amyloid, which are found in Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
With growing research, health experts believe that proper breathing through your nose helps you enter deep, or slow wave, sleep. This stage of sleep allows the brain’s waste disposal to be most active.
Sleep disordered breathing, from mild snoring to obstructive sleep apnea, interrupts this cleansing process, preventing you from getting restful sleep.
Without restful sleep, people experience difficulty focusing, excessive daytime sleepiness, problems with memory, and much more.
myTAP with Mouth Shield Can Improve Cognition
The findings of the pilot study, published in the Journal of Geriatrics, showed that oral appliance therapy including a mouth shield can improve cognition in those with dementia. Specifically, the trail found that it improved cognition (MoCA scores) in 71% of those with mild cognitive impairment and half of those with Alzheimer’s disease, and decreased snoring in all study groups.
What is myTAP?
The myTAP is either a professional or patient fitted midline traction design oral appliance applied chair-side requiring no laboratory services. It utilizes an upper and lower tray made of ThermAcryl coupled at a single-point midline mechanism that allows adjustment by 0.3mm incremental advancement. The Mouth Shield uses a silicone sleeve fitted over the oral appliance midline mechanism to retain its position in the oral vestibule, providing comfort with oral appliance use while facilitating nasal breathing.
Who is the Right Candidate for myTAP?
The myTAP is appropriate for anyone over 18 who snores or has other sleep related breathing issues including mild to moderate sleep apnea. The Mouth Shield was added to address loop gain and improve the outcomes of patients with central sleep apnea.
myTAP Can Be Fit Remotely
We have a YouTube video that a patient can watch that helps them to fit the device precisely. We have found that most people can do this easily. However, numerous practitioners are coaching their patients. With telemedicine, this has become a very viable option for both the practitioner and the patient.
The main takeaway is that both physicians and patients have more options than CPAP.
Resources:
This study garnered attention from popular news channels such as Medical News Today and Women’s World.
*Schramm, P.; Das, N.; Schneiderman, E.; German, Z.; Hui, J.; Wilson, D.; Spence, J.S.; Moura, P.; Chapman, S.B. Snoring Remediation with Oral Appliance Therapy Potentially Reverses Cognitive Impairment: An Intervention Controlled Pilot Study. Geriatrics 2021, 6, 107. https://doi.org/10.3390/geriatrics6040107
