Sleep is a vital component of the human life cycle, and both its quality and quantity play a critical role in mental, physical, and social health.
The prevalence of sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, is increasing in Brazil. However, current clinical protocols for evaluating sleep are often expensive and uncomfortable.
Nowadays, sleep disorderslike sleep apnea can have significant long-term effects on health, including fragmented sleep, decreased oxygen supply, daytime drowsiness, fatigue, and cognitive decline. Untreated sleep apnea increases the risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and depression.
Given these consequences, it is imperative that individuals who suspect they may have sleep apnea receive a proper diagnosis. Unfortunately, high costs and lack of accessibility prevent millions from undergoing testing and receiving adequate care.
The diagnostic process can be long and costly, requiring a full evaluation of sleep patterns and physiological parameters. The gold standard is polysomnography (PSG), which involves spending a night in a sleep lab while monitoring brain waves, eye movements, heart rate, and breathing patterns.
While PSG provides valuable information, it is also expensive and limited in availability. Specialized sleep centers often have long waiting lists, creating additional barriers for individuals seeking diagnosis and treatment.
Treatment Options for Sleep Apnea
Once diagnosed, sleep apnea can be managed through various treatment options aimed at reducing adverse effects and improving sleep quality. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy is the most common and effective treatment. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) uses a machine with a nasal or oronasal mask to deliver a continuous flow of pressurized air, keeping the airways open during sleep. Despite its effectiveness, adherence can be challenging due to discomfort, skin irritation, or feelings of claustrophobia when wearing the mask.
In those cases in which apnea does not need CPAP or the patient does not tolerate it, there are other alternatives:
Intraoral Devices: Customized appliances that reposition the jaw and tongue to maintain airway patency.
Surgery: Procedures such as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) or maxillomandibular advancement, generally recommended for severe cases with anatomical abnormalities contributing to apnea.
Lifestyle Changes: Weight loss, regular physical activity, and avoiding alcohol or sedatives can reduce symptoms and improve sleep quality, particularly in mild cases.
Overall, obtaining a diagnosis remains the first and most significant challenge before selecting an appropriate treatment.
Sleep Apnea Diagnosis
During the night, patients with sleep apnea typically present two hallmark symptoms: snoring with breathing pauses (temporary inability to breathe) and hypertension resulting from respiratory stress. These episodes are often accompanied by brief awakenings that reopen the airways, leading to excessive daytime drowsiness, although patients are usually unaware of these occurrences.
Recognizing the challenges in diagnosis, Biologix developed an innovative device that enables at-home testing.
Nowadays, Biologix Sleep Test® (multimodal polysomnography) is a simple, efficient, and easy-to-use solution that allows patients to be evaluated at home, without the need to spend the night in a sleep lab. This innovative and versatile system is transforming how sleep apnea is diagnosed and can be applied both in home and hospital environments.
While advances in modern medicine have increased life expectancy and made treatments safer and more comfortable, the cost of healthcare remains high, limiting access for many.
Biologix aims to revolutionize the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring by making it more accessible and affordable. The company’s mission extends beyond diagnosis to raising awareness, sharing relevant research, and improving the overall quality of life for patients.
Millions of people still lack access to formal sleep apnea testing. The Biologix Sleep Test® addresses this unmet need by providing healthcare practitioners with a simple, comfortable, efficient, and clinically validated tool. In doing so, it helps integrate more patients into the continuum of care while significantly reducing the societal burden of sleep apnea.
Do you ask your patients about their sleep quality?
Biologix and the Democratization of Sleep Apnea and Snoring Diagnosis
Founded in 2015 in São Paulo, Biologix is a health-tech company dedicated to sleep medicine, with a mission to democratize access to diagnosis and support the treatment of snoring and sleep apnea . Leading healthcare practitioners have endorsed its clinically validated solution in the field: the Biologix Sleep Test®.
Nowadays, Biologix Sleep Test® is a multimodal nighttime polysomnography that requires only a smartphone and a compact, wireless sensor, with no electrodes attached to the patient. Any healthcare practitioner or accredited Biologix center can acquire this low-cost solution . . ..
Para realizar o diagnóstico da AOS, o Exame do Sono Biologix® faz a records and processes multiple parameters overnight. The sensor Oxistar® measures blood oxygen saturation, detects desaturation events, monitors heart rate, and calculates estimated sleep time. The smartphone is responsible for recording and classifying snoringhile processing all collected data. From this information, the oxygen desaturation index (ODI) is calculated, allowing healthcare practitioners to determine the severity of apnea according to reference standards. Because the process is fully automated, it also ensures complete data privacy .
The Biologix Sleep Test® has been clinically validated with results showing 95.1% sensitivity, 80.2% specificity, and 90.1% accuracy compared to standard lab polysomnography. These outcomes were confirmed in studies conducted by specialists at the Heart Institute Sleep Lab of the University of São Paulo Medical School, as well as by several recognized Brazilian regulatory bodies. Today, Biologix continues its mission to revolutionize the diagnosis of snoring and sleep apnea.
Are you interested? Would you like to collaborate with us to transform sleep health? Visit our website and social media channels to learn more about the solutions that are redefining sleep care worldwide.
