People living with epilepsy often incorporate various changes into their lives to help manage their condition, ranging from taking medications to ensuring they get ample sleep. Another such step that some individuals might make, is purchasing an anti-suffocation pillow.
These pillows are sometimes referred to as “epilepsy pillows” or “anti-seizure” pillows. Regardless, the broad principle behind them is the same: they are designed to allow for easier breathing if someone suffers a seizure while they are asleep, and is lying face down in their pillow at the time this occurs.
Lying face down can make it harder to breathe, thereby potentially presenting a risk of suffocation if someone is doing so and has a seizure while asleep.
Why are epilepsy pillows so necessary?
As a condition that affects the brain and causes frequent seizures, epilepsy can present a risk of SUDUP, otherwise known as Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy. This is the term applied to sudden, unexpected death in a person with epilepsy, whether or not there is evidence of a seizure preceding the death, in which there is no evidence of other disease, injury, or drowning having caused the death.
It is important to understand that SUDUP is rare. Approximately one in every thousand adults with epilepsy die from SUDUP every year, and one in 4,500 children with the condition.
However, with research having discovered that the majority of SUDUP cases occur at night, with as many as 80% or more of SUDUP victims found lying face-down in their beds, the knowledge of this spurred on the development of anti-seizure pillows to help reduce the risk of SUDUP.
There are various ways in which these pillows are designed to help improve airflow. Here at Epilepsy Solutions, we are pleased to stock the Breathe-zy Anti-Suffocation Pillow, which is a Class 1 medical device that is breathable across the entirety of its surface, rather than merely certain areas.
Indeed, the Breathe-zy pillow is 10 times more breathable than a standard pillow, and seven times more breathable than its closest competitor. So, choosing this anti-suffocation pillow enables you to enjoy peace of mind, knowing that you will always be in a safe and secure position at any stage of your sleep, and whatever your sleeping style.
How effective are anti-suffocation pillows at protecting against SUDUP?
It is important to acknowledge that there is presently a lack of scientific evidence on the subject of whether epilepsy pillows truly prevent SUDUP. It has been suggested by some observers that SUDUP could be attributable to heart problems rather than breathing; there is much that we do not yet know about this condition.
However, one study in 2014 did find that anti-suffocation pillows allow for improved oxygen flows when compared to traditional pillows in situations where the user is lying facing down. This suggests that such pillows could greatly help improve safety, if the hypothesis that suffocation is the principal cause of SUDUP does turn out to be correct.
If, then, you are seeking out the benefits that the right anti-suffocation pillow can bring – ranging from improved airflow when the user is lying down, to increased peace of mind – the Breathe-zy Anti-Suffocation Pillow in our range could represent an excellent investment.