Harnessing the Power of the Mandibular Movement
What is Jaw Activity ?
Jaw activity is the measure of the movement of the jaw during sleep. Jaw activity is made up of three components: Mouth Opening, Nervous Gnathic Twitches, and Mandibular movement. Many studies have shown that jaw activity is an excellent marker of Sleep-Disordered Breathing. Most importantly, mandibular movement is an excellent surrogate for esophageal pressure.
Why the use of Jaw Activity ?
The founders of Nomics decided to investigate the jaw based on their clinical observations. They noticed that snorers and sleep apnea patients tend to open their mouths while sleeping.
What is the JAWAC sensor ?
JAWAC comes from “Jaw Activity” and is the most accurate way to assess the movement of the jaw and measure the opening of the mouth. It works by continuously measuring the distance between two sensors placed on the chin and forehead. The resulting signal is interpreted by an algorithm to provide a legible signal or to be further analyzed by AI to create an automated conclusion.
What are the advantages of the JAWAC technology ?
A non-invasive surrogate of the Esophageal Pressure
Several studies demonstrated that the JAWAC sensor is non-invasive and patient-friendly while accurately measuring respiratory effort. To know more about the studies on the JAWAC signal, head to our publications.
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Not another AHI device
While AHI remains the main index for diagnosing OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea), it is far from perfect. Because the JAWAC sensor measures respiratory effort, all JAWAC-powered devices can provide an RDI alongside the AHI, empowering you to go further in your diagnosis. The world of sleep medicine is slowly moving beyond the AHI. Will you too?
Moreover, receiving more information from a home sleep test means fewer referrals to a sleep center for in-hospital polysomnography (PSG). -
It just works
The JAWAC sensor is so easy to use that your patients can record their night's sleep at home on their own. Because of its simplicity, the JAWAC sensor has an extremely low failure rate. The sensors use two resilient receptors fixed on the forehead and chin with little to no risk of interference. It just works!
97,3%
Success rate
In over 24.000 analyses, only 2,7% were inconclusive.
In rigorous study conditions, the failure rate remained below 4%. -
An accurate measure of total sleep time
JAWAC is an industry leading measure of sleep and wake. Indeed, JAWAC measures the activation of the central nervous system thanks to what we call ‘Nervous Gnathic Twitch’ (NGT). ‘Gnathic Twitch’ because it measures a pattern of sudden jaw movements, and ‘Nervous’ because it reveals an activation of the CNS (i.e., an arousal). The total sleep time measured with JAWAC correlates strongly with the time measured by EEG (R = .93*). A more accurate total sleep time is essential to provide a AHI or RDI you can trust.
* Chakar et al. Sleep Sci. 2017 -
No contraindication
Contrary to other technology used in-home sleep tests, the JAWAC sensor can be used with virtually any patient, even those with an altered peripheral vascular system or who cannot support abdominal belts.
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Mouth opening: the key to oral breathing
The JAWAC sensor measures the Mouth Opening to assess oral breathing during a simple home sleep test. Oral breathing is a potential cause of sleep apnea in children and a cause of many OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) treatments’ failure.
RERAs, RDI, … Why does Respiratory Effort Matter ?
Respiratory effort in sleep apnea
Respiratory effort is a hallmark of OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea). Indeed, as central apnea events are due to temporary central neurologic failures to breathe, they are not associated with an increased respiratory effort. Obstructive apnea events, however, result from an obstruction somewhere along the respiratory airways leading to a build-up of respiratory effort to try to force-open the airways. Respiratory effort is essential to differentiate between central, mixed and obstructive events correctly.
RDI vs. AHI
The Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) remains the most widely used index in OSA. However, there is a growing concern over AHI’s limitations. A key weakness of AHI is its poor correlation to patient complaints. Indeed, as opposed to the RDI, AHI omits RERAs and hypopnea with micro-arousals which are both related to respiratory efforts. Moreover, there is a growing body of evidence that respiratory effort is associated with key symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness. AHI is only showing a part of the picture. Get the full picture with JAWAC-based home sleep tests.
Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome
Measuring the respiratory effort is essential to diagnose the Upper Airways Resistance Syndrome (UARS). UARS is an underdiagnosed Sleep Breathing Disorder that leads to non-restorative sleep and daytime sleepiness. The main difference with sleep apnea comes from the respiratory events involved. The Upper Airways Resistance Syndrome has little to no apnea or hypopnea but many RERAs leading to a low/normal AHI and a high RDI. The diagnostic is based on symptoms and a mismatch between the AHI and RDI.
Not a sleep specialist ? The JAWAC technology can still be helpful to you !
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General Practitioners
Excessive daytime sleepiness is a widespread symptom in general practice. It is often challenging to conduct of full investigation of the causes because of limited tools. Sleep studies can be limited to sleep centers with excessive waiting time. Affordable solutions such as clinical questionnaires can help but are rarely enough.
The Brizzy is the perfect tool for you! Affordable, reusable, accurate, and easy to use for you and your patient. The Brizzy is the best way to screen your patients for Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders.
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Cardiologists
Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders are frequent comorbidity of cardiovascular disorders, even for rhythmic disorders. Moreover, risk factors for cardiovascular disorders, such as obesity, often overlap with those of Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly crucial for cardiologists to consider Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders in their practice.
The Brizzy is the perfect tool if you want to exclude Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders as a cause of some cardiovascular events or as a potential risk factor in some patients.
The Brizzy+ or Somnolter are your best bet if you want to further diagnose Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders without relying on an in-hospital sleep study.
All JAWAC-powered home sleep tests are affordable, reusable, accurate, and easy to use for both you and your patient.
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ENTs and dentists
The JAWAC signal offers some critical insights into the movement of the mouth during sleep. Therefore, the JAWAC-powered home sleep tests are excellent tools to determine whether MADs or surgical treatments can benefit a patient. Furthermore, if a surgical intervention is necessary, a study with the JAWAC signal can be useful to evaluate the intervention results.
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Pediatricians
Sleep-related breathing disorders are not limited to adults and have been well-described in children. The JAWAC sensor is just as easy to use in children than in adults as they are quite small. The JAWAC sensor is so easy to use that it can be better at measuring respiratory effort in children that do not tolerate RIP belts or that move a lot during the night.
The Brizzy is the perfect tool to reliably exclude sleep-related breathing disorders with a minimum of the sensor.
The Brizzy+ or Somnolter are best for diagnosing sleep-related breathing disorders without relying on an in-hospital sleep study or an imposing at-home setup.
All JAWAC-powered home sleep tests are clinically approved for children, affordable, reusable, accurate and easy to use for both you and your patient.