All over the world research is being carried out in the field of various sleep disorders, especially sleep apnea. A number of institutes of the NIH (National Institutes of Health), along with the NINDS (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) has come together to support a number of sleep apnea researches by giving grants to major medical institutions, across the country.

CBT intervention can result in a positive CPAP treatment

A group based CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has shown that it can result in a marked increase in the acceptance and adherence to Continuous Positive Airway Pressure or CPAP treatment for patients who are suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

The findings of the study can make a huge difference to the way in which patients of sleep apnea are treated. CPAP is a highly effective treatment for sleep apnea patients. However, unfortunately, most often than not, the treatment cannot be carried out due to the reluctance of the patients to wear the device.

The method of study carried out was truly simple. Patients were randomly assigned to the CBT group. Here, the patients were asked to attend two sessions of one hour each, apart from the usual treatment that they were undergoing. The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy included a 15-minute video presentation that featured real-life CPAP users who described their personal experiences of learning to manage CPAP.

The key message that was conveyed in all the videos was that patients would have to carry on with their CPAP treatment, if they wanted to enjoy the long term health benefits of a cured case of sleep apnea. They were meant, not only to understand the risks of Obstructive Sleep Apnea, but also to understand the benefits of CPAP treatment.

The study showed that only 8% of the group refused CPAP, as opposed to the 30% in the usual treatment group, without the help of behavioral treatment.

Improved use of CPAP for OSA

The report, “Effects of a Short Course of Eszopiclone on Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Adherence: A Randomized Trial”, authored by C.J. Lettieri, A. A. Shah, A. B. Holley, W.F. Kelly, A. S. Chang and S. A Roop made great advances in the field of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and its treatment.

In OSA, the patient suddenly stops breathing in his sleep, until the brain sends signal to resume breathing. This can happen as many as 30 times in an hour, resulting in an extremely disturbed sleep. In addition the condition has numerous other complications.

The best treatment for this condition is of course CPAP, as discussed above. It is a special kind of mask that allows the patient to keep on breathing. The device uses air pressure, to keep the air passage of the patient open. However, when patients do not see any immediate results, or when they feel the mask to be too uncomfortable, they discontinue the use. This is where the study comes in useful.

The researches believed that a short term and mild sedative can promote a better sleep in patients and thereby make them more willing to stick to the CPAP treatment. 160 patients were treated and it was found that most of them stuck to the CPAP treatment, as opposed to people who were made to undergo the treatm