Kristopher Sturgis

November 23, 2016

3 Min Read
OTC Sleep Apnea Device Approved in Europe

A new anti-snoring and sleep apnea device known as the SnooZeal received approval in the EU this month. It's touted as the first over-the-counter device that targets the root causes of snoring and sleep apnea.

Kristopher Sturgis

SnooZeal sleep apneaEU markets are preparing for the commercial launch of a new anti-snoring and sleep apnea device known as the SnooZeal, a device that takes a new approach to sleep apnea and snoring through a daytime treatment method. The device secured a CE mark this month, making it the first readily available device that aims to treat the underlying cause of snoring and sleep apnea by stimulating the tongue and throat muscles.

Sleep apnea can be caused by a variety of different factors, but the National Institutes of Health says that most cases are rooted in the relaxation of the tongue and throat muscles during sleep. When these muscles relax it can cause the airways to narrow, which can lead to snoring. The SnooZeal device targets the excessive relaxation of these muscles during sleep by delivering electric pulses to the back of the tongue in an effort to increase muscle tone and reverse the tendency of the muscle to over-relax during sleep.

The device comes with three components: a mouthpiece designed to fit onto the tongue like a glove, a rechargeable control unit that attaches to the mouthpiece via a mini-USB connection, and a remote control unit and/or smartphone app that manages the functions of the device. Through daily use of the SnooZeal, users can train and tone the tongue muscle--making it stronger and preventing it from collapsing backwards and obstructing the airways during sleep.

The real novelty of the SnooZeal device is that it was designed as a daytime treatment that can address the problems of snoring and sleep apnea without requiring the user to wear obstructive equipment like a mask or mouth guard while they sleep. The device is only worn for 20 to 25 minutes twice a day over a period of six weeks. The user can even control the electric pulses delivered to the tongue through a smartphone app, to offer more customized treatment options.

In years past we've seen researchers take different approaches to solving the issues of snoring and sleep apnea, as the condition can have fairly debilitating effects. Minimally invasive surgery was developed in the late '90s to treat sleep apnea through the use of radio-frequency energy, a first-of-its-kind technique that was designed to reduce tongue tissue and prevent airway obstruction. As technologies have advanced, we're now using Bluetooth technologies to study and treat sleep apnea in less invasive ways.

Innovations like these have helped pave the way for new technologies like the SnooZeal device to help treat patients suffering from sleep apnea.

The CE mark will enable the launch of SnooZeal in several major E.U. markets including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Spain, and France.

The device was created by Anshul Sama, a visiting professor at Loughborough University in the U.K. and ENT consultant at Nottingham University Hospital. Sama and his colleagues hope to work with medical device distributors to begin commercializing the device, with plans to secure FDA approval for the device for commercialization in the U.S. by the spring of 2017. 

Kristopher Sturgis is a contributor to Qmed.

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[Image courtesy of SnooZeal]

About the Author(s)

Kristopher Sturgis

Kristopher Sturgis is a freelance contributor to MD+DI.

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