Firstly, here at
insomnia cures and treatments we like to give props where they're appropriately due. That being said, I'm often compelled to mention that Europe is often at the cutting edge of sleep research, and it's usually the Swiss doing the heavy lifting. Lately, however, an *American company is beginning a pilot study in Belgium, and have developed something extremely promising in the treatment of sleep apnea.
If you're unfamiliar with sleep apnea you can read my previous article "
Is Sleep Apnea A Silent Killer?". That post will definitely fill you in. If you do know - perhaps far too well - what a scourge sleep apnea can be and have been treated for it in the past, at some point you've likely been introduced to a device known as CPAP. A CPAP device - put simply - is a largish mask that provides continuous airflow, which in turn keeps the airway from closing during sleep.
The main problem with CPAP is that it's a rather Draconian, a pretty laborious set up, and can be as uncomfortable as a toothache. You can see from the picture above how it would take a good deal of time to get used to sleeping with the device on. From my experience, most people who have been given CPAP will end up throwing it in the trash after a few attempts, if only because it is so uncomfortable and hard to get accustomed to using. While that may not be the smartest thing to do for someone afflicted with Apnea, I can certainly understand the frustration.