[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/12345\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ESmarter sleep \u2013 new technologies speed up diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnoea\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EClare Williams was in her early 30s when she received an unexpected diagnosis: obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), the most common sleep-related breathing disorder. Unlike the typical sufferer, she was young, petite and female. Those diagnosed with OSA are usually overweight, male and middle-aged.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018For a long time, doctors dismissed my symptoms because I didn\u2019t fit the profile and they didn\u2019t understand how seriously unwell my disrupted nights were making me,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESleepless solutions\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Erna Sif Arnardottir, a sleep expert with 20 years of experience in the field, is dedicated to finding ways for patients like Williams to be identified earlier and for their OSA to be treated more effectively.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The problem is that sleep is quite a new medical field and, compared to other fields, it\u2019s not always taken very seriously,\u2019 she said. \u2018Medical doctors typically get two to four hours of education on sleep, so if they want to know more, they have to seek further learning after their formal education.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYet sleep disorders can have a disproportionate impact on a person\u2019s life. OSA affects an estimated \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/erj.ersjournals.com\/content\/52\/suppl_62\/OA4961#:~:text=We%20estimated%20a%20European%20OSA,22.7%25)%20patients%20in%20Europe.\u0022\u003E175 million Europeans\u003C\/a\u003E and is associated with many negative health consequences, including an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease, and chronic daytime sleepiness, which can affect a person\u2019s ability to function well in daily life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EArnardottir questions how seriously doctors take sleep disorders currently. \u2018Their approach is quite varied, and we\u2019d like that to change,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EFor a long time, doctors dismissed my symptoms because I didn\u2019t fit the profile.\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EClare Williams, patient coordinator, European Lung Foundation\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EArnardottir is the principal investigator of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/965417\u0022\u003ESLEEP REVOLUTION\u003C\/a\u003E, a four-year international research project funded by the EU. Due to end in 2025, this \u20ac15-million project involves 39 partner institutions and companies in Europe and Australia, including the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/esrs.eu\/\u0022\u003EEuropean Sleep Research Society\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/esrs.eu\/research-networks\/sleep-apnea-network-european-sleep-apnea-database\/\u0022\u003EEuropean Sleep Apnea Database\u003C\/a\u003E (ESADA). Its aim is to revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment of OSA.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs a biomedical scientist, Arnardottir is a firm believer in harnessing the power of new technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) to solve this intractable medical problem.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Our aim is to use AI to assess the severity of sleep apnoea and tailor treatment to every patient,\u2019 said Arnardottir, who is the director of the Reykjavik University Sleep Institute and the secretary of the European Sleep Research Society.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGasping for air\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOSA is considered moderate when a person experiences more than 15 breathing stops or reduced breathing periods per night and severe when they have an episode every other minute or more. The gaps in breathing that are the hallmark of the condition \u2013 caused by collapsed or blocked throat passages \u2013 are followed by loud gasps, choking sounds and snoring as airflow resumes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018I\u2019d get up in the morning with a sore throat and headache, and I\u2019d be exhausted \u2013 some days I\u2019d literally fall asleep on my feet,\u2019 said Williams.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis exhaustion is understandable. With each episode of OSA, a person wakes briefly, typically without remembering it, resulting in a huge loss in the quality and depth of their slumber.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsually, the person is unaware that they\u2019ve surfaced from sleep \u2013 again and again \u2013 which is why years can pass before they seek medical help. And when they do, much time often passes before they are seen at a specialised sleep clinic.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018There are long waiting lists for sleep clinics \u2013 up to two years in some hospitals \u2013 which is unacceptable given how serious sleep apnoea can be,\u2019 said Arnardottir.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHome goal\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team behind SLEEP REVOLUTION hope to accelerate diagnosis by using technology to bring more advanced sleep tests out of the clinic and into people\u2019s homes. This will make them easier and more cost-effective and should make the wait for a sleep assessment shorter.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Today\u2019s sleep clinics are working as if we were still using paper recordings, basically just counting the number of times a person stops breathing,\u2019 said Arnardottir. This is used as the index for OSA severity without looking at the physiological effects of these stops, such as fragmented sleep, lower blood oxygen levels and stress on the cardiovascular system. According to her, this index alone does not take enough account of the symptoms of OSA sufferers and needs to be updated.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe SLEEP REVOLUTION team are testing the use of a self-administered sleep monitoring device to be worn by the patient at home. Over three nights, this device gathers sleep data which is fed to medical practitioners. From afar, they can assess the patient\u2019s condition along with the risk posed to long-term health.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The data provided by this device, as well as by an app and wearable wristband worn for longer periods, will be predictive of a person\u2019s individual risk of developing disease,\u2019 said Arnardottir. \u2018Our belief is that sleep apnoea isn\u2019t equally dangerous for everyone \u2013 it\u2019s the most at-risk people we need to find fast and prioritise for treatment.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne thousand patients with suspected OSA from around Europe are currently being assessed, both in clinics and at home, using the team\u2019s equipment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe processes were tested first in Iceland with pilot patients who used the app and smart wearables for three months. Everything was then translated into 15 different languages for testing across Europe, from Sweden to Romania, Greece, Turkey, Norway and Estonia. All the data collected is stored on a central server based in Iceland where it is made available for project partners to work with.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMoving diagnosis from the hospital to the home opens up the possibility of doing multi-night diagnosis which is too expensive to do in a hospital setting. This makes it possible to detect changes in OSA severity and sleep quality on different nights and observe people\u0027s more natural sleep at home.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EImproving treatment\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWilliams, aged 50, now knows the cause of her apnoea \u2013 a rare inherited genetic disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome which makes her prone to the condition \u2013 and follows a treatment protocol that keeps her in good health.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe uses a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine at night to prevent interruptions in her breathing. This shoebox-sized machine delivers a steady flow of air through a face mask, but it\u2019s not without its downsides: it\u2019s cumbersome to carry and the mask can become too loose, slip off and leak air noisily.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EOur aim is to use AI to assess the severity of sleep apnoea and tailor treatment to every patient.\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Erna Sif Arnard\u00f3ttir, SLEEP REVOLUTION\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs patient coordinator of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/europeanlung.org\/en\/\u0022\u003EEuropean Lung Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013 an organisation that aims to improve lung health by encouraging doctors to work more closely with patients \u2013 she\u2019s aware that many apnoea patients dislike the CPAP machine and some even choose to sleep without it, further risking their health.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELifestyle changes\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELifestyle interventions are another part of the research team\u2019s strategy to help people lower the severity of their OSA, as there\u2019s a strong correlation between obesity and sleep apnoea. \u2018We want people to be getting a more personalised medical experience,\u2019 said Arnardottir.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a set of experiments, groups of OSA patients are receiving instructions from either a sports expert, or the SLEEP REVOLUTION app, aimed at strengthening their muscles, including those of the mouth and throat. They also receive nutritional advice as excess weight can cause a narrowing of the airways.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s expected that interventions found to reduce symptoms and OSA severity will be shared with medical doctors to help them spot and treat OSA more quickly.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The sad fact is that people who end up getting treated have often had sleep apnoea for years and years,\u2019 said Arnardottir. \u2018It would be far better to catch people early.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s Horizon Programme. The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. 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