New university research indicates an alternative therapy to manage sleep apnoea could allow people with the condition to take tablets instead of wearing a CPAP mask to bed.
Flinders University researchers found that two medications taken together could reduce the severity of sleep apnoea by around 30 per cent.
Lead researcher and director of the Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health, Professor Danny Eckert, said the trial was the first time these two common medicines had been repurposed together in this way.
Sleep apnoea is when the soft tissues in the nose and throat close around a person's airways when they sleep, obstructing their breathing.
This causes oxygen levels to drop and the person to wake repeatedly, which over time can cause cardiovascular disease, depression, dementia, and fatigue.
Professor Eckert said around 1.5 million Australian adults were affected and inadequate sleep, which cost the economy around $66 billion each year.
The standard treatment for sleep apnoea is with a continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) machine where pressurised air is pushed into airways or with mouthguards that position the jaw in a way that keeps airways open.
Professor Eckert said many people could not tolerate CPAP therapy, which is why alternative therapies were needed.
The two medicines — an anti-depressant and one used to treat stomach cramps — work by keeping the muscles in the throat active to keep airways open but without interfering with the person's ability to remain asleep.
Clare Valley GP Gerry Considine said it was important research that could simplify the treatment for sleep apnoea and would like to see further studies done.
Dr Considine said it was hard to know how many people were unable to tolerate the CPAP machine because GPs only heard from those where the therapy had been uncomfortable.
Ron Harding, Secretary of the Whyalla Sleep Apnoea Support Group, has worn a CPAP mask to sleep for the past 17 years.
Although his sleep apnoea is well managed with the CPAP machine, he had to try on multiple masks to find one that suited him.
He also said that, although the masks these days were getting more comfortable, there were people who were still looking for a mask that worked for them.
Mr Harding said he was often stopped on the street and got phone calls and visits from people who wanted to find out more about sleep apnoea or needed to troubleshoot their issues with CPAP machines.
"I'm very fortunate my wife still sleeps in the same room as me, but a lot of people sleep in different rooms when they've got it."
Mr Harding also said his support group had around 180 members, but he believed that only accounted for about two-thirds of the people with sleep apnoea in Whyalla.
Professor Eckert said the next step was to study the long-term effects of these medications, how they affected types of sleep, and whether this treatment could be improved by combining them with other drugs.
"It looks like there is a signal that things are getting better the next day in terms of alertness and performance but that is something we clearly need to follow up with longer studies," he said.
