AMS prevention during sleep

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stel87

 
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AMS prevention during sleep

by stel87 » Tue Jul 11, 2017 3:28 pm

Thought this was interesting. Using a device designed for reducing snoring to prevent headaches and dizziness from altitude.
Has anyone used this at altitude before and did it work?

Study:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25950723
Product:
https://www.theraventsnoring.com/product-overview/

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nartreb

 
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Re: AMS prevention during sleep

by nartreb » Fri Jul 28, 2017 1:46 am

So you're looking for a handful of anecdotes to confirm a double-blind placebo-controlled study with over 200 subjects?


There was no decrease in AMS with EPAP intervention (14% EPAP vs. 17% placebo; p=0.65; risk difference (-)3.15%, 95% CI (-)12.85%-6.56%). While overall AMS severity was not different between groups, EPAP reported decreased incidence of headache (64% vs. 76%; p<0.05, OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.27-0.95) and dizziness (81% vs. 98%; p<0.03, OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.09-0.78). During sleep, EPAP resulted in significant improvements in average peripheral oxygenation (Spo(2)) (80% versus 78%; p<0.01, mean difference=2, 95% CI 0.58-3.63) and a reduced percentage of time below 80% Spo(2) (31% vs. 46%; p<0.03, median difference=16, 95% CI 2.22-28.18). This lightweight and inexpensive EPAP device did not prevent acute mountain sickness, but did reduce the subgroup incidence of headache and dizziness while improving average nighttime peripheral oxygenation.


This is consistent with other studies that used CPAP, but this study is much larger. The result is also noteworthy because the EPAP device is a lot cheaper and more portable than a CPAP machine, and doesn't require power, so it's actually practical for backpackers.

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stel87

 
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Re: AMS prevention during sleep

by stel87 » Mon Jul 31, 2017 9:19 pm

Thank you for your response and pointing me to further CPAP studies - I will take a further look. I am not looking for anecdotal evidence to confirm the results of the study; as you've suggested, the fact that the study had a large number of participants, was double blind, randomized and placebo controlled carries substantially more weight than any anecdotes. That being said, the study also points out that a significant number of participants did not use the device properly and may have removed it in the middle of the night due to condensation buildup, a sense of breathlessness or for other reasons. I'm curious to hear of personal experiences with the device, if anyone has used them, and how they liked them.


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