Science
Research summaries
Plain-language summaries of peer-reviewed papers on snoring, sleep apnea and sleep technology. Each one starts with the study type and how strong the evidence is.
Congress abstractSleep Europe 2026: eight findings from the congressEight findings from the 2026 congress of the European Sleep Research Society, at three levels: for children, for everyone and for experts.Guidelines and reviews
Beyond single studies, the recommendations expert panels reach by weighing the evidence. Decisions on diagnosis, treatment and scoring mostly rest on these.
AASM: diagnosing sleep apnea in adults (2017)
What it says: sleep apnea is diagnosed with a sleep test done in a laboratory or at home, not with a questionnaire. A test is recommended for people with daytime sleepiness and risk signs. Useful for: doctors; it also explains to patients why the test is needed.
Kapur VK, Auckley DH, Chowdhuri S et al. Clinical Practice Guideline for Diagnostic Testing for Adult Obstructive Sleep Apnea: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2017;13(3):479-504. doi:10.5664/jcsm.6506
International Classification of Sleep Disorders, ICSD-3-TR (2023)
What it says: defines the diagnostic criteria for all sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, insomnia and snoring. Snoring on its own is not counted as a disease. Useful for: doctors.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine. International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Third Edition, Text Revision (ICSD-3-TR). Darien (IL): AASM; 2023.
AASM manual for scoring sleep and respiratory events, version 3 (2023)
What it says: sets uniform rules for how pauses in breathing, reduced breathing and sleep stages are counted in a sleep test. Useful for: doctors and sleep technologists.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events: Rules, Terminology and Technical Specifications. Version 3. Darien (IL): AASM; 2023.
AASM: positive airway pressure treatment for sleep apnea (2019)
What it says: an air pressure device is strongly recommended for sleep apnea patients with excessive daytime sleepiness; education and follow-up in the first weeks improve adherence. Useful for: doctors and patients.
Patil SP, Ayappa IA, Caples SM et al. Treatment of Adult Obstructive Sleep Apnea with Positive Airway Pressure: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2019;15(2):335-343. doi:10.5664/jcsm.7640
ERS: non-CPAP treatments for sleep apnea (2021)
What it says: assesses options such as oral appliances, positional therapy, hypoglossal nerve stimulation and bariatric surgery by strength of evidence. Most recommendations are conditional. Useful for: doctors; it also guides patients who cannot use CPAP.
Randerath W, Verbraecken J, de Raaff CAL et al. European Respiratory Society guideline on non-CPAP therapies for obstructive sleep apnoea. European Respiratory Review. 2021;30(162):210200. doi:10.1183/16000617.0200-2021
ATS: weight management in sleep apnea (2018)
What it says: a comprehensive programme combining diet, physical activity and behavioural support is strongly recommended for overweight patients with sleep apnea. Useful for: doctors and patients.
Hudgel DW, Patel SR, Ahasic AM et al. The Role of Weight Management in the Treatment of Adult Obstructive Sleep Apnea. An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2018;198(6):e70-e87. doi:10.1164/rccm.201807-1326ST
Cochrane: positional therapy for sleep apnea (2019)
What it says: methods that keep you on your side reduce breathing events, but not as much as CPAP. The evidence is of low to moderate certainty and the studies are short. Useful for: patients and doctors.
Srijithesh PR, Aghoram R, Goel A et al. Positional therapy for obstructive sleep apnoea. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2019;2019(5):CD010990. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010990.pub2
ATS: sleep apnea, sleepiness and driving risk (2013)
What it says: sleep apnea increases the risk of drowsy driving. Diagnosis and treatment should not be delayed in a sleepy driver. Useful for: doctors and patients who drive.
Strohl KP, Brown DB, Collop N et al. An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline: Sleep Apnea, Sleepiness, and Driving Risk in Noncommercial Drivers. An Update of a 1994 Statement. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2013;187(11):1259-1266. doi:10.1164/rccm.201304-0726ST
AASM: behavioural and psychological treatments for chronic insomnia (2021)
What it says: the first choice in chronic insomnia is cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (strong recommendation). Sleep hygiene alone is not enough as a treatment. Useful for: doctors and people with insomnia.
Edinger JD, Arnedt JT, Bertisch SM et al. Behavioral and psychological treatments for chronic insomnia disorder in adults: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine clinical practice guideline. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2021;17(2):255-262. doi:10.5664/jcsm.8986
How to read the level of evidence
Each summary starts with the type of study and how strong the evidence is. We use four levels: high ■■■■, moderate ■■■□, low ■■□□, very low ■□□□. However good a single study is, it is marked as a "single study".
How do we choose?
We systematically search the peer-reviewed literature for each function of the app. We choose the studies to summarise by their contribution to the topic and their level of evidence, and we check the references against publisher records.