A recent study suggests that people with obstructive sleep apnea may one day be able to treat their condition with a pill instead of relying on a breathing mask during sleep.
Researchers have found that a drug called sulthiame significantly reduced breathing interruptions and improved oxygen levels in patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea.
The study was partly led by researchers from the University of Gothenburg and was published in the respected medical journal The Lancet.
Obstructive sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders in the world. It happens when the muscles in the throat relax too much during sleep, causing the upper airway to partially or completely collapse.
When this happens, breathing repeatedly stops and starts throughout the night. Some people may stop breathing dozens or even hundreds of times while sleeping.
These breathing interruptions reduce oxygen levels in the blood and repeatedly wake the brain from deep sleep, even if the person does not fully realize it.
As a result, many people with sleep apnea feel tired during the day, struggle with concentration, experience morning headaches, or fall asleep easily during normal activities.
Over time, untreated sleep apnea can increase the risk of several serious health problems. Studies have linked the condition to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, irregular heart rhythms, depression, and memory problems.
Doctors currently treat most moderate to severe cases using continuous positive airway pressure, commonly called CPAP.
CPAP treatment uses a machine connected to a mask worn during sleep. The machine pushes air into the airway to keep it open and prevent collapse.
Although CPAP is considered highly effective, many patients struggle to use it consistently.
Some people find the mask uncomfortable, noisy, claustrophobic, or difficult to sleep with. Others experience dry mouth, skin irritation, or difficulty adjusting to the airflow.
Researchers estimate that up to half of patients stop using CPAP regularly within the first year of treatment.
Because of this, scientists have spent years searching for easier and more comfortable alternatives.
The new study focused on a medication called Sulthiame.
Sulthiame is not a completely new drug. It has already been approved in some countries for treating certain forms of epilepsy in children. Because doctors already understand much of its safety profile, researchers believed it might be worth studying for sleep apnea as well.
The clinical trial involved 298 adults with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.
Participants were randomly divided into different groups. Some patients received a placebo pill containing no active medication, while others received sulthiame at different dose levels.
The study was conducted across four European countries and used a double-blind design, meaning neither the patients nor the researchers knew who received the real drug during the trial.
The results were encouraging.
Patients taking higher doses of sulthiame experienced up to 47% fewer breathing interruptions during sleep compared with patients taking placebo.
Researchers also found that oxygen levels in the blood improved during sleep in patients receiving the medication.
Scientists believe the drug works by stabilizing the body’s breathing control system and increasing the drive to breathe during sleep.
Normally, in people with obstructive sleep apnea, the airway muscles relax too much, making the airway collapse more easily.
Sulthiame appears to help the body maintain more stable breathing signals, reducing the likelihood that the upper airway will close.
Researchers say this approach differs from CPAP because it targets the body’s breathing control system rather than mechanically forcing the airway open.
Another important finding involved side effects.
Most side effects reported in the study were mild and temporary. Researchers said the side effects generally disappeared on their own without serious complications.
This is important because treatment safety and comfort are major concerns for patients living with sleep apnea.
Professor Jan Hedner, a senior expert in lung medicine at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, described the findings as potentially groundbreaking.
He and his colleagues, including researchers Ludger Grote and Kaj Stenlöf, have worked on this treatment strategy for many years.
Researchers say the findings represent an important step forward, but they also caution that larger and longer-term studies are still needed.
The current study mainly examined short-term results, so scientists still need to determine how effective and safe sulthiame remains over longer periods of use.
Researchers also want to better understand which patients may benefit most from the drug and whether it could eventually be combined with other sleep apnea treatments.
Even so, the findings raise hope for millions of people who struggle with CPAP treatment.
A pill-based therapy could make treatment easier, simpler, and more comfortable for many patients who currently find masks difficult to tolerate.
The study also reflects growing interest in developing new medical approaches for sleep apnea beyond mechanical devices and surgery.
Scientists increasingly recognize that sleep apnea is not simply a problem of airway anatomy but also involves complex breathing control systems inside the body.
Future treatments may therefore focus not only on physically opening the airway but also on improving how the brain controls breathing during sleep.
Although sulthiame is not yet approved specifically for sleep apnea treatment, the results suggest it could eventually become an important alternative option if future studies confirm its benefits.
For millions of people living with obstructive sleep apnea, the possibility of replacing bulky nighttime masks with medication could represent a major improvement in comfort, treatment adherence, and overall health.
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