DE20303804U1 - Sleeping hood for prevention of snoring and an obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is made of a highly elastic material and incorporates a section which supports the hyoid bone of its wearer - Google Patents

Abstract

The sleeping hood for prevention of snoring and an obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is made of a highly elastic material and incorporates a section which supports the hyoid bone of a person wearing the hood.

Description

Annex 1: Utility model application for prevention of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) with the aim of

cc &igr;~>&igr;&lgr;&kgr; · Ensuring restful sleep through

55131 Mainz, ^&

Using a sleeping cap
from 10.3.03 ^&

Reference number: 203 03 804.5

Clinical picture of snoring and

obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS)

Description In both phenomena of snoring and

Dr. Humburg’s sleep cap is used to treat obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS)

Function of a hyoid bone fixator to ^it ^ ^{1 eüie sub} J ^{ektlv by the patient mcht}

_, . „ . , , , perceived, even vehemently denied

Treatment of snoring and

Symptoms. However, this is for the immediate obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

environment is extremely disturbing and for the affected

hazardous to health. Due to the non-

restful sleep, microsleep during the day

Sleeping cap in two further below described , . _n . ... ,.. , „ , ,. ,,· ,, ..

and a consideration of the daily habitability

Execution versions to prevent the _c ,. _TT , <-.. , _, _TT r n ri

^a , the cause of an increased risk of accidents

Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, jji.ii. . ._·· 1..1 · un ·_,. et al.

and therefore of considerable economic

Syndrome (OSAS) made of highly elastic, in all ,. , _D , . . . , _&Lgr;
^v ' is of great importance, (see below).

directions of stretchable tubular fabric (in

same or similar structure as the .. ■ j 1· 11

" During physiological breathing, with the

commercially available, washable bandage fabric »^jj a^i^j ij xt jj

Mouth the air through the nose and

and / or others) made of cotton ^ , ·· * j ru^^j

Hypopharynx pre-warmed and moistened into the

braided polyamide, rubber, or _D ,. , .

bronchi.

Polyurethane threads or similar or _w ., ., . &ldquor;, , ,, ...

^J Snoring is caused by the same

comparable flexible or stretchable ... &ldquor;. ^ , , , _T , .. , , ,

timely breathing through nose and mouth, or

fabric is manufactured. This fabric must have the u ■ ■ uj 4_ u ■ &lgr;&lgr; ■ t. &eegr;

^b with pure mouth breathing, where the soft mouth

Design of the sleeping cap so , _ ^ ₁ , . _. , , . , &ldquor; .

sails begin to flutter and thus the

allow that on the skull arch ,, ./-ujcu uua

well-known intoxication of snoring.

a wide support with non-slip grip &ldquor; _r , , _&Lgr; , , . ... &ldquor; ., ..&ldquor; ,,

If the mouth is opened only a small crack (approx.

and at the same time passed by the _c , ·. . -, ^ ₇ .., _N , _iL j

tinger width between the teeth), the

Ears (optionally one opening each) in the region _&Uacgr; , _D . , . ^ ,,. &ldquor;. ., ,

^v Tongue slightly towards the palate, but closes it

of the hyoid bone from the outside to the floor of the mouth . .. .....

^to mcht completely.

exerts concentrated pressure with the aim of

to fix the hyoid bone so that the tongue ^ , _A . . _o .. . &ldquor; , ,_.&ldquor; . &ldquor;.

^&& Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS)

no longer fall back into the hypopharynx , , , . ^i ·n \r ui n

^{J r r J} is caused by a temporary complete closure

of the throat due to the tongue falling back. This

can only happen when the tone of the

The invention relates to a new product for a^juj Ir ₄ , jjt^ ii*.

jVlundbodenmuskuJatur and the masticatory muscles so

sinks so that the jaw opens further and the tongue sinks back into the throat. This blocks the flow of air through the mouth and nose when breathing in. The result is that frustrated breathing movements start in the chest, floor of the mouth and throat area. These frustrated breathing movements can last for 20 to 30 seconds, in extreme cases up to over 1 minute, until the brain is prompted by the increase in the CO ₂ level in the blood to use additional muscles to overcome the breathing obstruction. At the same time, there is a sometimes considerable

Fall in the oxygen partial pressure in the blood. The affected person experiences an explosive onset of motor restlessness with deep diaphragmatic breathing, chest excursions through
Involvement of the entire respiratory muscles, but also involvement of the limb muscles can be observed. Overcoming the airway resistance results in a loud, gurgling inhalation and a groaning, tortured-looking exhalation. The next breaths then become increasingly shallower and quieter until another apnea phase follows and the cycle immediately begins again. Since the cause of this phenomenon is the relaxed muscles of the floor of the mouth with the tongue falling back, this phenomenon can be position-dependent, i.e. it occurs more frequently when lying on the back, but can also develop when lying on the side. It is noteworthy that the affected person is not aware of this behavior, but notices that he has not had enough sleep, wakes up "run down" and therefore needs more sleep. Snoring leads to a disruption of the sleep pattern and even increased daytime tiredness due to this unrefreshing sleep. This breathing pattern with forced inhalation leads to a jet stream-like airflow onto the root of the tongue, resulting in... Au^irocjymng... and...

subsequent swelling of the tongue epithelium.

(According to the Hagen-Poiseuille law, if the diameter of the pharynx or the nasal cavity is halved, a 16-fold negative pressure is required to pump the same volume of air.)
Thus, the symptom of dry mouth is, besides unrefreshing sleep, the only main symptom that those affected notice.

The following complications are medically considered as further consequences of sleep apnea syndrome :

&bull; Daytime sleepiness

&bull; Increased frequency of accidents (falling asleep while driving),

&bull; Central ischemia (impaired blood flow to the brain with permanent damage),

&bull; heart attack,

&bull; Right heart strain with high pressure in the pulmonary circulation,

&bull; arterial hypertension in the systemic circulation,

&bull; cardiac arrhythmias,

&bull; Polycythemia (increase in red blood cells to compensate for oxygen deficiency),

&bull; Nocturia (nighttime urination),

&bull; Enuresis (bedwetting at night),

&bull; Difficulty concentrating,

&bull; Forgetfulness,

&bull; slowdown,

&bull; decreasing work performance,

&bull; automatic behavior,

&bull; hypnagogic hallucinations,

&bull; mental illnesses,

&bull; morning headaches,

&bull; Night sweats,
Depression.

Risk factors for sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) include: age, male gender, and obesity.

"In the classic obstructive sleep apnea syndromes, the loss of tone of the upper airways leads to partial to complete upper airway obstruction in the hypopharynx with or without snoring in the appropriately predisposed patients. If this mechanical obstruction can be eliminated - similar to the way in which an unconscious person is positioned, intubated, tracheostomy or positive pressure ventilation - the pure extrathoracic respiratory obstruction is eliminated" (H.Mattys and S.Soprchter, 1995)

Other causes of apnea can be other obstructions of the airways, e.g. very large tonsils in childhood, where the tonsils are positioned in front of the entrance to the larynx. Furthermore, vocal cord paralysis, a misalignment of the thyroid gland, micrognathia (too small a lower jaw), macroglossia (too large a tongue), lymphomas in the oropharynx, anatomical abnormalities of the nose and others can be causes of an obstruction of the airways.

Such causes of respiratory obstruction can usually be detected even when the patient is awake and should be treated causally and not by this invention.

The most common cause of impaired respiratory function with development of nocturnal hypopneas is obesity, which should be addressed by weight reduction.
In _addition to neuromuscular diseases and lung diseases, central causes that affect the control of the breathing process by the brain are also found or assumed in brain diseases. Such central causes of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), which also lead to relaxation of the floor of the mouth and masticatory muscles, can be influenced with this sleeping cap.
The assumed central causes of apnea cannot currently be treated.

Frequency of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS):

11% of the total population often or constantly experience their sleep as not restful,
4% of the total population suffer from severe daytime impairment due to unrefreshing sleep,

3-6% of adults suffer from severe daytime sleepiness,

10% have a prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), defined by an apnea-hypopnea index of 15/hour.
According to the German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine, 800,000 people in Germany require medical examination in a sleep laboratory.
10 million US citizens are affected,
The costs of traffic accidents in 1994 amounted to 50 billion DM (Federal Health Report 1995).

25% of traffic fatalities are caused by falling asleep at the wheel (e.g. due to microsleep due to daytime fatigue) (study in Bavaria, 1991).
83,000 years of life are lost to the economy every year due to disability and incapacity to work.
50% of men snore by the age of 50. After the age of 65, the prevalence of snoring decreases again, as there is an increased mortality rate in obstructive sleep apnea (OSAS).

4 9« e ^&lgr; * ft-* e *

50% of patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) die within 9 years without treatment.

68% of all snorers already snore at the beginning of their third decade of life.

An increase in snoring can usually be observed in connection with weight gain.

The phenomenon of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) affects people of all ages, from premature births to the elderly, and is a disease that requires treatment and has massive economic significance. The importance of successful treatment for interpersonal relationships cannot be overestimated.

Previous forms of therapy:

The assumed central causes are untreatable.

The peripheral causes that hinder breathing even when awake, such as enlarged tonsils, can be easily remedied surgically.

For the large group of adults in whom no mechanical blockage of the airways in the nose and mouth area is found when awake, but who have clinically relevant sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) (non-restorative sleep with daytime tiredness), current medical technology provides treatment by means of pressure ventilation during sleep. Disadvantages of the procedure are a significant impairment of sleep due to the fixation of a mask and the annoyance of a continuous flow of air through the nose, which can lead to problems with the paranasal sinuses, so that the devices are often not accepted and are left unused. ··. ··

Other therapeutic approaches are being tried, based on different approaches:

&bull; Fixed or loose inserts in the oral cavity to prevent the tongue from falling back into the hypopharynx,

&bull; Positioning of the body to prevent supine position,

&bull; Automatic alarm by vibration or acoustic detectors in response to snoring noises,

&bull; Closing mechanisms that prevent or restrict the opening of the mouth,

&bull; Devices that prevent or promote nasal breathing by closing or widening the nostrils,

&bull; chemical substances intended to stiffen the throat and tongue tissue,

&bull; Sprays designed to remedy the drying out of the oral mucosa.

Many of these attempts also hinder restful sleep, or are not applicable when nasal breathing is impaired by a cold.

Own therapeutic approach:

The object of the invention is to prevent the occurrence of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and to help the user to have a restful sleep without disturbing the physiological functions such as breathing, coughing, eating, drinking or vomiting. 1. A sleeping cap is produced in two versions described below to prevent snoring and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) from highly elastic fabric that can be stretched in all directions (in the same or similar structure as the commercially available, washable i". WSsb&ndsgewelJe i» tubular shape of various

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Diameter and/or others made of polyamide, rubber or polyurethane threads wrapped in cotton or similar or comparable flexible or stretchable fabrics). This fabric must enable the design of the sleeping cap to be such that a broad support with non-slip hold is created on the curvature of the skull and at the same time, past the ears (optionally one opening each) in the region of the hyoid bone, exerts concentrated pressure from the outside on the floor of the mouth with the aim of fixing the hyoid bone in such a way that the tongue can no longer fall back into the hypopharynx. (Fig. 1 and 2).

The two designs of the sleeping cap mentioned above can be described as follows:
&bull; closed version: Starting from commercially available materials in the form of tubular bandages of various diameters, a product family for different head sizes can be manufactured. (Fig.l).

Both versions of the sleep cap have the same effect, in that they are designed in different sizes so that a slight pressure is exerted on the hyoid bone from the outside on the floor of the mouth in the region of the hyoid bone, which fixes it in such a way that the tongue cannot fall back into the hypopharynx and block it.

The special feature of this application is that all other functions of the mouth (opening, eating, drinking, speaking, vomiting and coughing) are not affected and sleep is not hindered or interrupted. The functionality is independent of the user's age and sleeping position and is extremely well tolerated because the pressure point is above the larynx.

Open version: Based on the elastic fabrics that can be stretched in all directions, as used for the above-mentioned tubular bandages, a band-like version can also be made. The width of the band is based on the average dimensions of the skull curvature, over which the band must be stretched in the shape of a hood. The length of the band must allow enough leeway so that the band can be comfortably knotted or otherwise closed under the floor of the mouth in the region of the hyoid bone, thus creating a sleeping cap that can be individually adjusted. (Fig. 2)

Claims (2)

1. Sleeping cap with the function of a hyoid bone fixator to prevent snoring and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) made from the starting material of a highly elastic tubular bandage fabric that can be stretched in all directions in different sizes (product family). This starting material is made in the same or similar structure as the commercially available, washable fabrics made of polyamide, rubber or polyurethane threads wrapped in cotton or similar comparable flexible or stretchable threads and is characterized in that a section of the tubular bandage is pulled over the head as a closed version of the sleeping cap in such a way that the cap is spread out over the top of the skull and pulled together under the floor of the mouth at the level of the hyoid bone. (open version, Fig. 1) 2. Sleeping cap according to protection claim 1, characterized in that the section of the tubular bandage is cut open lengthwise in order to achieve a band-like design in order to be knotted or otherwise closed as a band under the floor of the mouth at the level of the hyoid bone (open version, Fig. 2).