REMastered Sleep - Where Are They Now?
What’s something we do every day, but often take for granted? Sleep. It is one of the most important things a person can work on to improve their overall health, well-being, and relationships, yet so many are not sleeping as well as they could be every night. One big obstacle to getting a good night’s rest is snoring, which directly impacts the quality of sleep of those around you and, in some cases, can be an indicator of obstructive sleep apnea, a serious medical condition. There are many snoring solutions which combat this, but unfortunately, most are quick fixes that do not address the underlying problems and worse, either do not work or require sacrificing sleep, comfort, or dignity.
What if you could address some of the underlying conditions that contribute to snoring just by drinking water?
Meet Anders Olmanson, who got involved with this problem while working on his Master of Science in Medical Device Innovation at the University of Minnesota. After learning that continuous positive air pressure (CPAP), the most common treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, had only a 60% compliance rate, Anders put together a team to find a better solution for sleep apnea sufferers and snorers.
An interesting study the team found used the didgeridoo, an Australian wind instrument, as a method of reducing apnea-hypopnea index and improving sleep quality. While the didgeridoo itself may not be the answer everyone’s looking for, further research revealed studies that had success by using oropharyngeal exercises to strengthen mouth and throat muscles. The team focused on these exercises as a natural approach to address issues in neuromuscular responsiveness of upper airway muscles, a contributing cause to snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. In June of 2019, the team began developing a solution using human-centered design practices to incorporate these exercises into a product that people would actually want to use. That product is REMplenish.
REMplenish looks just like an ordinary water bottle, but by drinking from it, REMplenish works on fighting underlying causes of snoring and tiredness. By drinking one or two bottles of water per day, the myofunctional therapy nozzle naturally exercises mouth and throat muscles. In turn, these muscles reduce vibration and collapsibility of the upper airway.
Currently, the company REMasteredSleep is working hard at their mission to “make healthy easy.” You can learn more about Anders and his team, and shop for their water bottle kit on their new website at remasteredsleep.com.