Introducing eXciteOSA® Home Snoring and Sleep Apnea Treatment

Benefits of eXciteOSA® 

We’re very excited to add this device to our treatment options because it offers significant benefits for our Denver snoring and sleep apnea patients. eXciteOSA®:

• Is easy to use
• Takes just 20 minutes a day
• Reduces your snoring
• Leads to snoring reduction your partner will notice
• Reduces louder snoring more
• Can improve sleep apnea
• Reduces daytime sleepiness
• Can pair with oral appliance therapy or CPAP

All of these benefits make eXciteOSA®  a great addition to our treatment options. Because it can play a supporting role in improving other treatments, this device is appropriate for almost everyone with snoring or sleep apnea. 

How eXciteOSA®  Works

In snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, your airway narrows or collapses during sleep. When you are lying down, gravity naturally pulls your airway closed. There are few bones supporting your airway. Between your jaw and your shoulders, the only bone supporting your airway is the hyoid bone, which isn’t connected to any other bones. 

This means that it’s your muscles’ responsibility to support your airway at night. The problem is that many people might have muscles that can’t keep their airway open. 

You might consider exercises to tone your airway muscles, but it can be hard to effectively exercise your tongue and airway muscles. There are many proposed exercise strategies out there, from general exercise routines to specialized exercises to taking up the didgeridoo. Denver sleep dentist Dr. Berry thinks these are generally unproven and often impractical. 

eXciteOSA® is a targeted treatment to exercise your tongue and airway muscles during the day so they can do their job at night. eXciteOSA® uses neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) to exercise your tongue and upper airway muscles. It’s similar to the TENS machine we use for the diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ/TMD). However, it’s designed specifically for your tongue and upper airway. 

How to Use eXciteOSA® 

eXciteOSA ® is easy to use. All you have to do is put the device in your mouth for 20 minutes daily. This is enough exercise to help your muscles build strength and endurance so your airway will stay open more at night. The device has an app to help remind you of treatment and customize your care. 

You should see results within six weeks of more or less daily use. 

Once you reach the six-week point, you must use the device twice weekly to maintain your results. 

eXciteOSA® Treats Snoring

The big question Denver sleep dentist Dr. Berry asks before introducing a new treatment is: does it work? 

We can happily answer that yes, eXciteOSA does work. It’s scientifically proven to help with snoring and mild sleep apnea. It can also play a significant supporting role in treating more serious sleep apnea. 

In a study of people using eXciteOSA® for snoring, 90% experienced a reduction in their snoring. That’s according to objective measurements, which showed that the amount of time snoring over 40 dB decreased by an average of 41%. The time spent snoring at louder volumes decreased even more. The time spent snoring at 50dB or more decreased by 54%. The study also found that 89% of sleeping partners said they noticed that the snorer was not as loud. 

eXciteOSA® Improves Sleep Apnea

eXciteOSA is not a standalone treatment for sleep apnea. 

In a similar study, about 70 participants with mild sleep apnea tried eXciteOSA® for six weeks. Participants saw their apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) drop from an average of 10.2 to 6.8. However, when researchers limited their analysis to the 78% of patients they defined as “responders,” the AHI dropped from 10.4 to 5.0. It wasn’t just AHI that decreased, either. Instead, the eXciteOSA® also decreased daytime sleepiness and snoring. 

It’s also important to note that overall, people used the device 85% of days. This means that eXciteOSA® addresses one of the biggest shortcomings of CPAP for sleep apnea: poor compliance. CPAP compliance is especially poor for people with mild to moderate sleep apnea, who might not see the benefits as being worth the trouble. eXciteOSA®  is so easy to use that it’s definitely worth the benefits. 

Denver sleep dentist Dr. Berry can help you decide if this device makes sense for your sleep apnea. 

Snoring and Sleep Apnea Treatment in Denver

If you are unhappy with snoring or sleep apnea, Denver sleep dentist Dr. Kevin Berry can help you find the treatment or treatments best suited to your condition. If you want to reduce or eliminate snoring or get better results from your sleep apnea treatment, eXciteOSA® might be right for you. 

Please call (303) 691-0267 or use our online form to request an appointment at the TMJ Therapy & Sleep Center of Colorado, located near the intersection of I-25 and Colorado Blvd.