Seattle-based television station King5 recently did a segment on a clinical trial in which asthma patients are using CPAP devices.

More than 25 million Americans suffer from asthma. They use steroids, inhalers, and pills to help control symptoms. But soon there may be a new way: it’s not a drug but a device used for sleep disorders.

As part of a clinical trial, doctors are testing whether treatment with a CPAP machine can improve symptoms in asthma patients by making their airways less reactive.

“At nighttime, their muscles that are around their windpipes are not being allowed to relax. In essence, they’re working almost 24 hours a day,” Mario Castro, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine said.