Treatments for Sleep Apnea

When you seek treatment for sleep apnea the type of treatment that you healthcare provider recommends will help to restore restful and recuperative sleep by restoring your normal breathing patterns during sleep. By improving your sleep habits other health issues you are experiencing will likely improve as well.

There is a wide variety of treatment options that your healthcare professional will discuss with you.  Some of the options include breathing devices that you will use while you sleep, lifestyle changes, and in extreme instances surgery may be recommended.  The following information will provide you with an overview of the various treatment options and how they are used to relieve the symptoms of sleep apnea.

Mouthpiece Devices

If you suffer from mild sleep apnea or a problem with your jaw structure creates air blockage while you sleep, your healthcare professional may recommend that you use a special mouthpiece while you sleep.  The mouthpiece is custom fit to your mouth and is usually created by a dentist or an orthodontist.

Once the mouthpiece is created you must insert it each night before going to sleep.  The mouthpiece will adjust your lower jaw appropriately and position your tongue to allow your air passage to remain open while you sleep.  When you start wearing the mouthpiece it may feel uncomfortable and prevent you from sleeping though the entire night.  In this case it is important to tell you dentist or orthodontist as it may require a few adjustments before the mouthpiece is comfortable.

Lifestyle Changes

You healthcare professional may recommend changes in your lifestyle to help improve the symptoms of sleep apnea.  More often than not lifestyle factors can be the main cause of sleep apnea.

If you are overweight this causes the buildup of fat disuse in your air passages which can aggravate sleep apnea.  Even losing a few pounds can dramatically improve the symptoms of sleep apnea.

If you suffer from sleep apnea it is highly likely you probably use some type of sleep aid.  This can actually exacerbate the symptoms of sleep apnea since it will make it difficult for your throat to remain open during the course of the night.  Avoid the sedatives altogether as well as any other habits that you have developed in an effort to induce sleep such as drinking alcohol before you retire at night.  Also, if you smoke try to find a way to quit by talking with your physician about the best way to go about it.

If you tend to sleep on your back there are special pillows and therapeutic shirts that you can use to ensure you do not inadvertently end up sleeping on your back at night.  Sleeping on your back is one of the main causes of air blockage when you suffer from sleep apnea.

Breathing Devices

Breathing devices that help to keep your airways open during the night are a very common treatment for sleep apnea.  The device is known as a CPAP or ‘continuous positive airway pressure’ and is a mask that you are required to wear while you sleep.  The mask is fitted over your nose and mouth and is connected to a machine that keeps air flowing into your windpipe to ensure it remains open so you can breathe.  The airflow creates pressure on you’re the walls of your windpipe which helps it to remain open while you sleep.

A CPAP device can be uncomfortable but the good news is that there are many different types and it may take a period of trail and error before you find the setup that is right for you.  The majority of people feel better and have increased energy once they start using the CPAP device.  This is because their sleep cycle is no longer being interrupted by episodes of air blockage.

Surgery

Surgery is used for sleep apnea when other forms of treatment have not proven to be successful.  Surgery is used in extreme cases of sleep apnea and in cases where there are problems associated with the physical structure of the neck, excess tissue in the mouth, or irregular structure in the lower jaw.

Depending upon hat is causing sleep apnea in a patient the surgery can involve removing excess tissue from the throat, removal of the tonsils if they are causing a blockage, resetting the lower jaw, or shrinking the tissue by using a treatment that involves injections.  In the case of young children your health care provider may suggest waiting on surgery to see if the tissues shrink as your child gets older.

As you can see, there are a lot of options you can pursue if you suffer from sleep apnea.  Of course, before one or more of these options are recommended you will be subject to a series of diagnostic tests to identify the specific type of sleep apnea that you may have.