New treatment for sleep apnea symptoms in women

By: Alison Wimms

Although women make up nearly 40 percent of patients newly diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea,¹ there has never been a treatment specifically designed to treat female characteristics of sleep-disordered breathing – until now. Resmed’s AirSense™ 10 AutoSet for Her provides effective treatment to women with mild to moderate OSA at lower, more comfortable pressures.²

The new “for Her” mode: How it works

Women with OSA have significantly different sleep than men. For example, women tend to take longer to fall asleep than men.³ Women also have fewer apneas than men, specifically fewer full obstructive apneas – meaning their upper airways don’t collapse as often.⁴ However, they do have more flow limitation (which means the upper airway narrows and less air enters the lungs).⁴ Women also tend to have clusters of events during REM (dream stage) sleep.⁴ All of these aspects of sleep apnea can cause arousal and disrupted sleep. This can lead to symptoms such as insomnia, fatigue, reduced daytime cognitive function, morning headaches and depression.⁵

The AirSense 10 AutoSet for Her was designed to treat female-specific OSA. For example, The AutoSet for Her contains features to ensure that females are protected against clusters of events occurring during REM sleep. In addition, when the AutoSet for Her identifies flow limitation, it responds quickly but gently to make sure patients’ lungs are getting all the oxygen they need. In a clinical trial, the “for Her” mode “significantly improved treatment of flow limitation in [females with mild or moderate OSA] with lower average pressures over the course of the night.”²

The new “for Her” mode: Why it matters

Comfort is key to ensuring that patients stay on their sleep apnea treatment. More than half of former CPAP users say they quit therapy partly because CPAP made breathing uncomfortable or otherwise disturbed their sleep.⁶ The AutoSet for Her contains features which are designed to keep the average CPAP pressure lower and make pressure changes more gentle, and therefore more comfortable, for you.

In addition, women take longer to fall asleep then men, so they may be disturbed by the CPAP pressure increasing before they need it. The AutoSet for Her features AutoRamp™, which automatically detects sleep at the beginning of the night and starts increasing the pressure after sleep is detected. By delivering effective therapy at lower pressures, this “for Her” mode treats female-specific characteristics of sleep apnea while maximizing comfort, helping patients embrace treatment faster.

The new “for Her”: How to get it

Ask your doctor or home medical equipment (HME) provider if the AirSense 10 AutoSet for Her is the best machine for you.

This blog post contains general information about medical conditions and potential treatments. It is not medical advice. If you have any medical questions, please consult your doctor.

References

1. Source: Medicare 5% sample & OptumInsight medical claims data 2012.
2. Source: McArdle N et al. Study of a novel automatic positive airway pressure algorithm for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in women. ATS 2014.
3. Source: Valencia-Flores M et al. Gender differences in sleep architecture in sleep apnea syndrome. J Sleep Res 1992;1:51–3.
4. Source: Valencia-Flores M et al. Gender differences in sleep architecture in sleep apnea syndrome. J Sleep Res 1992;1:51–3.
5. Source: Lin CM, Davidson TM and Ancoli-Israel S. Gender differences in obstructive sleep apnea and treatment implications. Sleep Med Rev 2008;12(6):481–96.
6. Source: Resmed. 2014. A survey that included 151 former CPAP users, conducted by an independent third-party research firm.