New  technology  of breathing  in  sleep

The problems of breathing during falling asleep and during sleep are topical in medicine and in physiology. Currently, specialized scientific journals “Sleep and Breathing” and “Sleep and Biological Rhythms” are published, the titles of which reveal their topics.

 

At the 20-25 October 2023 World Sleep Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, more than half of the participants specialized in the treatment of sleep-disordered breathing, which best characterizes the urgency of the problem.

 

Sleep disordered breathing is predominantly managed with continuous air pressure (CPAP) masks. In addition, there are surgical methods, special jaw or peri-mandibular mouth guards, implants, devices that elevate the upper torso, and smartphone apps. All of these devices and treatments have varying degrees of effectiveness that are significantly lower than CPAP masks, the use of which is effective but extremely uncomfortable.

 

Restoration and normalization of sleep breathing by external stimuli is a current topic of scientific research and publications in scientific journals¹².

 

The potential for external stimuli to shape the breathing of falling asleep and sleeping humans, as described in scientific articles, has spurred entrepreneurs to create consumer devices to improve or restore breathing:

 

- Moonbird (moonbird.life) is an expanding and contracting device placed in the palm of a person falling asleep. The external stimulus is cyclic tactile stimulation in the hand. Initially, the respiratory reflex is formed consciously synchronous with cyclic tactile stimulation, later reflexive breathing is unconsciously synchronous with sensory stimulation.

 

- Somnox (somnox.com) is a robotic bag pressed against the abdomen, stimulating the diaphragm to contract and shaping the breathing of a falling asleep and sleeping person. Direct stimulation of breathing is performed in conjunction with the formed conditioned respiratory reflex. The external stimulus is cyclic tactile stimulation in the region of the navel. Initially the respiratory reflex is formed consciously synchronously with acting with cyclic stimulation of touch and direct stimulation of breathing, later the reflexive breathing is carried out unconsciously synchronously with sensory stimulation and direct stimulation of breathing.

 

- Dodow (mydodow.com) is a rhythmic light source that pulsates in time with breathing and shapes the breathing of the falling asleep and sleeping person. The external stimulus is the cyclic stimulation of the falling asleep person's vision. Initially, the respiratory reflex is formed consciously synchronously with the cyclic stimulation of vision, later the reflexive breathing is realized unconsciously synchronously with sensory stimulation.

 

- 2 breathe (2breathe.com) - a smartphone app that helps you breathe slowly and deeply, evolved into resperate.com - a wearable device that rhythmically influences hearing and shapes breathing to counteract hypertension.

 

- SleepCogni (sleepcogni.com) - a device placed in the palm of a person falling asleep. The external stimulus is cyclic tactile stimulation of the hand. Initially, the respiratory reflex is formed consciously synchronously with the cyclic tactile stimulation, in the future, reflexive breathing is unconsciously synchronous with sensory stimulation.

 

Restoration of breathing when falling asleep and in sleep due to the formed conditioned respiratory reflex, in which the external stimulus is a synchronous effect on the vestibular apparatus and touch of the user, is a new, not used before method of normalization of breathing, counteraction to snoring and sleep apnea.

 

The main external stimulus is cyclic stimulation of the user's vestibular apparatus, produced by reciprocating movements of the movable substrate of the rocking bed, additional (accompanying) stimulus is tactile stimulation, synchronous with vestibular stimulation for physical reasons. When falling asleep, additional external stimuli can be auditory and visual stimulation. The reflex response to multisensory stimulation is the user's breathing, set by the rhythm of vestibular stimulation.

 

Peculiarities of physiology of the vestibular apparatus allow to apply the above method of restoration of the user's breathing in sleep, without waking up the user. That is, having formed a habit of the user to breathe in a certain way - inhaling when lifting the rocking bed, and exhaling when lowering (or vice versa, depending on preference), and repeating it many times, it is possible to form a conditioned respiratory reflex as a reaction to sensory excitation of the vestibular apparatus with additional tactile influence.

 

At occurrence of respiratory insufficiency of the user in sleep or at threat of its spontaneous awakening, the movable substrate of a rocking bed starts to carry out reciprocating movements, at the user “triggers” the formed conditional reflex - there will be a reflexive breathing in a tact of raising and lowering of a movable substrate of a rocking bed. The breathing technology is called Bedy Active Breath.

 

The effectiveness of the formation of conditioned respiratory reflex will increase if conscious breathing during reciprocating movements of the rocking bed will be accompanied by positive sensations - not just an auditory influence, and pleasant meditative music.

 

In addition, raising the user's head by changing the shape of the mattress located on the movable substrate of the rocking bed, accompanied by a decrease in throat swelling and an increase in the airway, will also have a beneficial effect on the effectiveness of the formation of reflex breathing.

 

A distinctive feature of the above method of restoration of breathing due to the formed conditioned respiratory reflex, in which the main stimulus is vestibular stimulation, is the absence of special masks, jaw or peri-mandibular mouth guards, implants and other devices located on the head or in the mouth, hoses and wires that make it difficult to turn over in sleep and reduce the comfort of the user in sleep.

 

The specified method of restoration of breathing of a sleeping person is difficult to realize with the help of horizontal rocking, it is impossible to realize by simulation of rocking, excluding direct impact on the vestibular apparatus of the user.

 

In the case of high efficiency of Bedy Active Breath technology, the implementation of rocking mattresses to combat snoring and apnea will not require permits or licenses for the sale of medical devices, because to combat snoring and apnea will be used the same rocking beds sold on the consumer market, with the same functionality.

 

The author of the Bedy project has filed a provisional patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) concerning the above-described method of counteracting respiratory insufficiency: “Device and Method of Synchronized Sensory Stimulation”, which discloses the principle of operation of a hardware-software complex of a rocking device affecting the vestibular apparatus, light and sound devices capable of synchronously affecting a person falling asleep and sleeping and forming a comfortable sensory environment for the user.

 

Closed-Loop Auditory Stimulation to Guide Respiration: Preliminary Study to Evaluate the Effect on Time Spent in Sleep Initiation during a Nap.

Yoon H, Choi SH.Sensors (Basel). 2023 Jul 17;23(14):6468. doi: 10.3390/s23146468.PMID: 37514760

 

Respiration-triggered olfactory stimulation reduces obstructive sleep apnea severity: A prospective pilot study.

Perl O, Kemer L, Green A, Arish N, Corcos Y, Arzi A, Dagan Y.J Sleep Res. 2024 May 13:e14236. doi: 10.1111/jsr.14236. Online ahead of print.PMID: 38740050

 

Gentle rocking movements during sleep in the elderly.

van Sluijs R, Wilhelm E, Rondei Q, Omlin X, Crivelli F, Straumann D, Jäger L, Riener R, Achermann P.J Sleep Res. 2020 Dec;29(6):e12989. doi: 10.1111/jsr.12989. Epub 2020 Feb 15.PMID: 32061115 

 

Respiratory impact on motion sickness induced by linear motion.

Mert A, Klopping-Ketelaars I, Bles W.Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2009 May;1164:173-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2008.03735.x.PMID: 19645896

 

Entrainment of respiration to rocking in premature infants: coherence analysis.

Sammon MP, Darnall RA.J Appl Physiol (1985). 1994 Sep;77(3):1548-54. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1994.77.3.1548.PMID: 7836164 

 

Rassler B, Raabe J (2003) Co-ordination of breathing with rhythmic head and eye movements and with passive turnings of the body. European Journal of Applied Physiology 90: 125–130. - PubMed