Effective, Life-Changing Sleep Apnea Treatments

Lifestyle Modifications

For some patients with less severe sleep apnea, relatively simple treatment options exist that involve minor changes to their everyday lifestyle. These include:

Weight

• For some patients, carrying excess weight is a primary cause of sleep apnea. In most adults, the condition is most frequently caused by being overweight or obese, as this promotes soft tissue development in the mouth and throat area that prevents airflow during sleep. Weight loss can cause the condition to diminish partially or completely, making regular exercise and an appropriate diet important treatment steps.

Nasal Sprays

• Nasal congestion that contributes to sleep apnea can be addressed through a saline-based nasal spray that clears the nasal cavities during sleep. Sprays and other similar solutions, such as decongestants, are generally short-term solutions.

Smoking Cessation

• In addition to worsening your overall health, smoking can worsen the airway obstruction that causes sleep apnea. If you have sleep apnea, smoking cessation will be recommended as a first step in treatment.

Ventilation Machines

Moderate cases of sleep apnea often require additional interventions beyond simple lifestyle changes. The two primary treatments are different forms of ventilation devices, which promote opened airways during sleep.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Machines

• This ventilator provides a consistent stream of pressure via a mask that is worn over the nose during sleep. The air pressure pushes your air passages open to prevent tissue obstruction that affect sleep apnea sufferers. This device also inhibits snoring and is the most common sleep apnea treatment method. Because each person is different, it may take time to find a CPAP machine that you are comfortable with. Additional modifications to the machine’s pressure levels or other settings may be needed as well. CPAP machines can provide life-changing benefits that can diminish the threats posed by sleep apnea.

Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP) Machines

• Another sleep apnea treatment is the bilevel positive airway pressure machine, which delivers automatic and adjustable air pressure during sleep. Unlike the CPAP machine, the BiPAP ventilator pushes more air through when you are inhaling, while reducing the airflow at times of exhaling, creating a more regulated level of nighttime breathing. This can benefit patients who did not respond fully to CPAP treatment or who have preexisting lung or heart conditions.

Corrective Surgery

In the most severe cases, surgery is performed to correct the breathing obstruction causing the condition. This usually occurs after several treatment options have been tried and found to be insufficient to address the problem. Sleep apnea surgery is designed to create more space in the nasal or throat airway in order to facilitate unobstructed breathing and eliminate snoring. Several different types of surgery exist, including:

Tissue Removal

• The goal of this procedure is to correct throat vibrations that lead to snoring and sleep apnea. It is accomplished by the removal of rear-mouth and throat tissue as well as the tonsils and adenoids.

Jaw Repositioning

• This surgery creates additional space near the tongue and soft palate areas in the mouth by adjusting the jaw. By moving the jaw forward, patients are able to breathe more easily.

Tracheostomy

• For patients with sleep apnea that is threatening their lives, a surgeon will create a neck opening and insert an artificial breathing tube. This surgical opening is uncovered when you sleep so that air may move past the obstructed area.