What is Positional Therapy?

Rematee Bumper Belt is a non-prescription positional therapy device. 2,000 Sleep Doctors trust Rematee to keep you sleeping ON YOUR SIDE.  Side Sleeping can be an effective alternative and adjunct treatment combined with CPAP, Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT), or surgery.

How Positional Therapy Works

The Rematee bumper belt is a positional therapy option. Positional therapy works by changing the position of your body to counteract your airway's tendency to collapse. The inflatable bumpers on the back of the belt will keep you sleeping on your side. This counteracts gravity and prevents your airway from collapsing. By sleeping on your side, you will stop snoring. Positional therapy is the least invasive, most comfortable, and most affordable anti snore solution

What is Snoring? What is Sleep Apnea? How can I stop snoring?

Over half of all people over the age of 50 snore. Snoring happens when your airway collapses onto itself. The back of your throat will then vibrate and cause the loud sound of snoring. In some cases, the airway closes up completely, and the sleeper stops breathing briefly and is then awakened. This pattern of breath-stoppage and sleep-interruption when chronic, is called Sleep Apnea.

Sleep apnea leads to decreased oxygen levels in the blood while the subject is asleep. Decreased blood oxygen levels have been linked to high blood pressure, and sometimes brain damage or heart failure. It is also believed to lead to Alzheimer's and other diseases. See our Clinical Studies section for more information.

The most common treatment for sleep apnea and snoring is using a CPAP machine, which can cost thousands of dollars, and requires regular maintenance. However, positional therapy alone can often be enough to treat mild to moderate cases of sleep apnea.

Snoring is often caused when the muscles at the back of the throat and tongue relax during sleep. While sleeping on your back your airway can narrow which results in vibrations as the air passes through. These vibrations are what causes the snoring sound.

Three key factors that may contribute to snoring:

  1. Excess weight or obesity (can contribute to fatty tissues in the throat which narrows the airway)
  2. Alcohol or medications with sedative effects (can cause throat muscles to relax more than usual)
  3. Sleeping Position (sleeping on your back can cause gravity to pull your jaw and tongue back, narrowing the airway and creating tissue vibrations ie: snoring)

Of these key factors, research has indicated that 60% of all snorers will snore most often while sleeping on their back!

Snoring can negatively impact a person's sleep quality, health, and even their relationships.

Some snorers snore loudly enough that they wake themselves during the night or they wake their partners who return the favour with a flying elbow. These disrupted sleep cycles can gradually erode sleep patterns which can cause:

The potential health impacts of snoring are many. The reduction in oxygen flow to the brain caused by snoring over time can lead to: Heart disease Stroke High blood pressure Hypertension

In addition to sleep and health considerations, snoring can lead to significant strife in a relationship. The loss of sleep, for both partners, can be poisonous to a relationship and often causes one partner to sleep in a separate bedroom. If not addressed, snoring in a relationship can result in:

  1. Frustration
  2. Resentment
  3. Stress
  4. Loss of intimacy 

Treatment Options

Positional Therapy: Avoiding sleeping on the back can be the simplest and least invasive option. Positional therapy can also be used to supplement other forms of treatment to increase their effectiveness. Research indicates that 60% of all snorers snore more heavily while sleeping on their back.

CPAP - (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure): Is a form of treatment that uses a machine to keep an apnea sufferer's airway open. The machine delivers a constant flow of air pressure through a mask that the user wears while sleeping. This form of treatment is know to be very effective, but can be uncomfortable for the user and also expensive to obtain.

Oral Devices: Work like a retainer and are worn in the mouth while sleeping. They were created to keep the user's throat open by moving the jaw forward and forcing the tongue into a forward position. Oral devices can be uncomfortable to wear and prohibitively expensive.

Surgery is used as a last resort to treating sleep apnea. There are several different types of surgery which involve removing excess tissue from the throat and nose — which causes the snoring sound and obstructs the airways. Surgery is very intrusive and not guaranteed to work for all patients.

Many doctors also recommend lifestyle changes including exercise, weight management and avoiding food and alcohol before bed