The Origins of REMetrics

Disclaimer: This post is for educational purposes only. It is not a medical diagnosis or treatment. The experiences described are personal and should not be interpreted as medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical decisions.

A Personal Journey

The origins of REMetrics are rooted in my own story. For decades, I lived with sleep-disordered breathing symptoms consistent with upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS). Like many people with UARS, I cycled through years of doctor visits and several surgeries, with only limited relief.

At one point, I found myself considering maxillary expansion or jaw surgery. Each carried risks, and the specialists I consulted naturally emphasized different aspects of those options. I was eager to find additional perspectives to complement their insights and better understand how these options related to my airway.

Discovering CFD

That search eventually led me to a technology I had first seen in academic research: Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). CFD is commonly used in engineering to simulate how fluids and gases move. In medical research, it can be applied to the airway to visualize airflow patterns and generate physics-based data about how air behaves as it passes through different anatomical structures.

This possibility caught my attention. Could airflow simulations provide another perspective on the challenges I was facing?

First Experiments

Working with engineers and 3D modeling experts, I built my first CFD simulation of my own airway. The process was long and technically complex, but it was also eye-opening.

For the first time, I could see airflow visualized in a way that reflected my anatomy. This gave me a new framework to think about my breathing and how different regions of the airway might be contributing. While the simulation didn’t provide a diagnosis or prescription, it offered me a unique, physics-based perspective that traditional evaluations had not.

From Personal Project to Mission

That first experiment raised more questions than it answered:

• Could I explore more detailed simulations if I controlled the workflow myself?

• Would the same approach reveal useful patterns in other cases?

• How could this kind of analysis complement existing clinical research?

  
  

Over the following months, I collaborated with engineers, learned CFD fundamentals, and ran test analyses in different scenarios. The experience deepened my conviction that CFD has meaningful potential in the research and educational study of sleep-disordered breathing.

Building REMetrics

Today, REMetrics is pursuing that mission. Our focus is not on diagnosis or treatment, but on developing CFD-based analyses as research and educational tools that can:

• Visualize airflow dynamics in the upper airway

• Provide physics-based data for exploring airway behavior

• Support greater awareness and understanding of sleep-disordered breathing

We are grateful to collaborate with leading experts in fluid simulation, including Ansys, whose infrastructure and expertise have made this work possible.

The Bigger Picture

Sleep-disordered breathing affects millions worldwide, yet awareness and understanding remain limited. Our vision is to raise visibility, democratize access to scientific tools and knowledge, and foster collaboration between patients, researchers, and technologists.

We invite you to follow our YouTube channel, REM Rebel, where we share updates, insights, and ongoing projects at the intersection of science, technology, and patient advocacy.