SNORING AND OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA DEFINED

Many people sleep with their mouth open. Gradually, muscle tissues in the mouth and throat are stretched beyond their intended range. When this happens, snoring and the health risks associated with OSA increase. An effective jaw supporter holds the lower jaw forward and helps re-train tissue in the mouth and throat, allowing it the opportunity to contract and return to it's original condition.

Like allergies, you probably weren't born with a snore. Rather, you acquired it over time. For many (as in those represented in the clinical trials above,) the Snoring Stopper Jaw Supporter alone helps eliminate snoring and the symptoms associated with mild cases of OSA. For some, there may be times when snoring still occurs. In most cases, this can be caused by seven contributing factors.

HOW A JAW SUPPORTER HELPS PREVENT OSA EPISODES
The Snoring Stopper Jaw Supporter is based on the same principle as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The airway must be opened to allow air to pass through the throat. A constricted or collapsed airway causes snoring and/or OSA. The Snoring Stopper Jaw Supporter holds the lower jaw in a forward position so that it does not fall open during the night and cause the airway to collapse. Maintaining a clear airway improves breathing and reduces snoring.


The Snoring Stopper Jaw Supporter helps provide healthy REM sleep and helps maintain normal jaw position and reduce OSA associated health risks without the need for surgery, medications, cumbersome devices or therapy. Current CPAP users will discover wearing a Snoring Stopper Jaw Supporter along with their CPAP improves the comfort and effectiveness of their CPAP and improves their quality of sleep.

SLEEP STAGES AND SUCCESSFUL SLEEP
Human sleep can be described as a succession of five recurring stages: four non-REM stages and the REM stage. A sixth stage, waking, is often included. Waking, in this context, is actually the phase during which a person falls asleep.

WAKING
In this stage the body prepares for sleep. All people fall asleep with tense muscles and their eyes moving erratically. As a person becomes sleepier, the body begins to slow down, muscles relax and eye movement slows to a roll.

STAGE 1
Stage 1 sleep, or drowsiness, is often described as first in the sequence. The eyes are closed during Stage 1 sleep, but if aroused from it, a person may feel as if he or she has not slept. Stage 1 may last for five to 10 minutes.

STAGE 2
Stage 2 is a period of light sleep during which the heart rate slows and body temperature decreases. At this point, the body prepares to enter deep sleep.

STAGES 3 AND 4
These are deep sleep stages, with Stage 4 being more intense than Stage 3. Stages 1-4 are non-REM sleep stages and lasts from 90 to 120 minutes, each stage lasting anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. Stages 2 and 3 repeat backwards before REM sleep is attained. A normal sleep cycle has this pattern: waking, stage 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, REM. Typically, REM sleep occurs approximately 90 minutes after sleep onset.

STAGE 5 – REM SLEEP
REM sleep is distinguishable from NREM sleep by changes in physiological states, including its characteristic rapid eye movements. Intense dreaming occurs during REM sleep as a result of heightened cerebral activity, but paralysis occurs simultaneously in the major voluntary muscle groups. It is generally thought that REM-associated muscle paralysis is meant to keep the body from acting out the dreams that occur during this intensely cerebral stage. The first period of REM typically lasts 10 minutes, with each recurring REM stage lengthening, and the final one lasting an hour.

SLEEP CYCLE
The five stages of sleep, including their repetition, occur cyclically. The first cycle, which ends after the completion of the first REM stage, usually lasts for 100 minutes. Each subsequent cycle lasts longer, as its respective REM stage extends. So a person may complete five cycles in a typical night's sleep