Not for Gerard and Russell, who both now use a mandibular advancement splint (MAS).
Russell says most people enquire about the MAS device because of complaints about their snoring but it is equally important to address the problem of sleep apnoea. 25% of the population are affected by sleep apnoea, however 90% of those remain undiagnosed.
He says sleep apnoea was described recently to him by one jolly sleep dentistry academic as ‘the wake up gasping, choking, die-in-your-sleep disease’. It causes increased gastric reflux, blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and type II diabetes.
However, the main reason Russell wants to wear his MAS every night is that he wakes up each morning noticeably more refreshed and clear-headed because of the longer deep sleep (Stage 3) he enjoys, now that his sleep apnoea has been treated.
