There’s good news for the millions of people who snore and those who suffer from sharing a bed with them.
Early trials of a new nightly tablet have found that the drug reduced snoring frequency for 20 research volunteers by a stonking 74 per cent.
The treatment is now undergoing a much larger clinical trial in the US to prove its safety and efficacy before it is made available to the general public.
The anti-snoring drug, currently code-named AD109, contains two existing medications.
The first, atomoxetine, is widely used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.
The other drug, oxybutynin, is usually prescribed to patients with urinary incontinence.
Snoring occurs as facial muscles relax during sleep, creating a narrow opening for air to pass through for breathing.
The snoring sound is caused by air being forced through a smaller gap in the throat and nose.
Almost everyone snores occasionally, but for millions of people around the world, their snoring can be so severe that it deprives the sleeper of sufficient oxygen levels
This condition is called obstructive sleep apnea, and is most likely to affect people who over the age of 40, overweight or are heavy drinkers.
In serious cases, a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device is needed to be worn over the face during sleep to maintain airflow.
It’s hoped the new anti-snoring treatment could replace this invasive measure.
A once-a-day pill has long been seen by sleep experts as the Holy Grail of snoring and sleep apnea treatment.
This content was originally published here.
