Mary Schaars (63 years old) from Gendt in Gelderland has been sleeping with an apnea device for about twelve years. She can’t live without it. When the news came out last week that Philips advises against using the machine because harmful foam particles and gases can be inhaled, she tried to sleep one night without the auxiliary mask on. “Never again,” she responds now. “So broke when I woke up. And headache. You’re not yourself. Just like you used to be.”
The Apnea Association, which has been inundated with questions since last week, recognizes it. “We are told by many members that they do try, two or three nights without a device, but that they still decide to use it again. Despite the risks,” says board member Marijke IJff in the NOS Radio 1 News.
In the Netherlands there are approximately 50,000 users of these devices. Philips advised patients to stop using the machines and to consult a doctor. “That is also our advice,” says IJff. “There are people who have an average of fifty breathing stops per hour. If you don’t use such a device, you wake up in the morning wrecked.”
In addition, apnea increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in the long term. Scarce: “So yes, which is worse? When used, a small chance of inhaling harmful substances, or misery if not used? I know.”
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