Suffering [sleepless nights](https://www.vice.com/en/article/8894d3/panic-attacks-and-sleepless-nights-doctors-are-secretly-starting-to-struggle) because of unbearable [snoring](https://www.vice.com/en/article/59y4vq/products-to-stop-snoring)? Many have been there. But a solution could soon be on the way, at least according to [scientists](https://www.vice.com/en/topic/science) who are developing a pill that could potentially reduce snoring. 

<p>The other night I couldn't sleep. My friend was sick and I was keeping him company. He fell asleep immediately after he took his meds. Here's the problem: he snored. And he snored unusually loud for a long time. I thought there might be something wrong with him. <br><br> The next morning when I told him about what happened, he didn't share my concern. "Really? I thought snoring means I sleep really well, or that I'm exhausted."<br><br>Many believe that when someone is snoring, it means they're either exhausted or having a nice deep sleep. But Yanti Mulyani, a 35 year-old Bogor resident and ex-snorer, believes differently. "I think people with obesity tend to snore. I recall snoring a lot when I was fat," Yanti told me.</p><hr><div style="max-width: 2400px;" data-iframely-id="7GI2qyp" class="article__embed article__embed--iframely"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;" data-iframely-smart-iframe="true"><iframe data-iframely-url="//oembed.vice.com/7GI2qyp?summary=true&app=1" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen data-iframely-smart-iframe="true" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div><hr><p>At first, Yanti wasn't aware of her snoring habits. She only realized it later after a friend told her about it. She didn't notice something was wrong in her sleep. "I slept soundly. I didn't feel any significant difference in my sleep patterns when I snored. Except for my partner, he's annoyed with the sound," she told me. <br><br> People tend not to take snoring seriously. I got in touch with Andreas Prasadja, an expert in sleeping disorders. We met at his sleeping lab, in Mitra Keluarga Kemayoran Hospital, North Jakarta.<br><br> Inside the lab, a series of breathing tools hung on the wall. I saw patients come and go. I never thought there are many people who suffer from sleeping disorders, and that they go through intensive care and treatment.<br><br> As it turns out, snoring isn't a sign you sleep soundly. When somebody snores, it's a sign that something is wrong. This condition is called sleep apnea. Twenty percent of Jakarta residents suffer from this condition, according to research by Indonesian Society of Sleep Medicine. Sleep apnea happens when your respiratory tract narrows or closes off, which causes you to reduce or stop your breathing, which can lead to death. This condition usually goes unnoticed, since few people notice what they do in their sleep.</p><p> What makes sleep apnea a silent killer is people's misconception. Snoring is more dangerous than smoking or having high cholesterol, according to research published in the medical journal <i> The Laryngoscope</i>. <br><br> "In our society, snoring is still considered normal, especially since the person snoring doesn't feel anything. They might feel strange when they wake up, and sleepy during the afternoon, but they won't feel anything in their sleep," Andreas told me.<br><br>Andreas said that sleep apnea can cause hypertension, diabetes, cardiac disease, stroke, depression, impotence, and death. When sleep apnea happens to a pregnant woman, it may lead to premature childbirth, fetal disorders, and other pregnancy issues. </p><p>According to Andreas, foreign literature shows that sleep apnea patients make up to 14-16 percent of the population in Western countries. But populations in Western countries are mainly caucasian, which means they have longer necks and bigger jaws than most Asians. About 20 percent of people in Asian countries suffer from sleep apnea, where a majority of the population have smaller jaws and longer necks than Westerners.<br><br> Does snoring have anything to do with body weight? Andreas said no. It's caused by external factors, such as smoking or vaping, which lead to a swollen respiratory tract.<br><br> "Bear in mind that the cause is narrow respiratory tract. As we get older, [our respiratory tract] gets more flabby. And we can't fight aging," Andreas told me.</p>

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Snoring Can Actually Kill You

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Science

Massachusetts-based clinical-stage pharmaceutical company Apnimed has been [conducting trials of a pill](https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/results/NCT04580394) named AD109 that aims to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), which refers to the intermittent relaxing and blocking of airways during sleep.

OSA [causes breathing difficulties](https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-apnea/obstructive-sleep-apnea) during sleep, which leads to snoring. The pill, which is meant to be taken once daily, contains two medications that were found to have reduced snoring in those with OSA.

In 2018, a separate team of researchers based in Boston [conducted a study](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/09/drug-combo-shows-promise-treating-sleep-apnea) on 20 patients and found that each one experienced a reduction in snoring by at least 50 percent after taking the medications atomoxetine and oxybutynin.

Atomoxetine is widely used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), by increasing levels of the brain chemical norepinephrine. The Boston-based scientists believe that norepinephrine can help improve activity of the throat muscles when one is asleep. Oxybutynin, on the other hand, is usually used to treat overactive bladder but is now believed to also prevent a tongue muscle from moving and blocking the throat, which causes snoring. Phase one of Apnimed’s study found that R-oxybutynin [was well-tolerated](https://apnimed.com/apnimed-successfully-completes-phase-1-study-in-lead-program-for-obstructive-sleep-apnea/) and that there were no adverse events related to the study drug.

“The drug is designed to be safe, effective, and convenient, addressing the key limitations of the current standard of care treatments,” Apnimed [said in a statement](https://apnimed.com/apnimed-successfully-completes-phase-1-study-in-lead-program-for-obstructive-sleep-apnea/).  

Apnimed’s study is still in its early stages and experts say it is too soon to tell just how effective or safe the pill is, but the second phase of trials is [set to begin in the fourth quarter](https://apnimed.com/apnimed-successfully-completes-phase-1-study-in-lead-program-for-obstructive-sleep-apnea/) of this year.

According to sleep and health site Sleep Foundation, around 2 to 9 percent of adults in the United States [have OSA](https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-apnea), but many cases go undiagnosed.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices are commonly used to treat OSA. A CPAP machine ensures a constant flow of air into one’s airways through tubing and a mask. For milder cases, lifestyle changes are typically recommended, such as exercising and avoiding smoking.

Scientists Are Testing a Pill That Could Stop Snoring

Snoring Can Actually Kill You

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