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Sleep Apnea Treatments
Symptoms of sleep apnea range from mild to severe, and what sleep apnea treatments you try pretty much depends on the severity of your symptoms. There are various ways of treating sleep apnea, from behavioral modifications to surgery, so you're bound to find one that will 'fit the bill'.
Treating sleep apnea (mild - moderate)
For mild/minor cases of sleep apnea, self-help treatments and/or behavior modifications may work. Some self-help treatments include - - Managing sleep positions
Many people only experience symptoms of sleep apnea when they sleep on their backs. In this case, sleep apnea cures can include special sleep apnea pillows, or the old 'stop snoring' trick of sewing pockets onto the back of your PJ's and putting tennis balls inside them. This obviously prevents any sort of comfortable sleep while on your back!
- Losing weight
Carrying too much weight is a contributing factor in snoring and sleep apnea. If you're overweight, seriously consider a diet/exercise program to help you shed those extra pounds. Aim to lose a minimum of 10% of your weight.
- Don't smoke, drink alcohol or take sleeping pills/sedatives
All these substances increase your risks of suffering from sleep apnea episodes. They can narrow your airways and affect your respiration, guaranteed to make your symptoms worse. Avoid them.
Treating sleep apnea (moderate - severe)
Sleep apnea treatments for moderate to severe cases of this disorder require more intervention. They can include -- CPAP - Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
This is the best known and most popular, and well known, way of treating sleep apnea. It involves wearing a mask over your nose (or nose and mouth), while you're sleeping. This mask is connected to a machine which blows a continuous flow of air into your nose, keeping your airways open. This has proven to be one of the most successful sleep apnea treatments.The downside of CPAP is that although it's very popular with doctors and health professionals, in the past sleep apnea sufferers often haven't shared their enthusiasm. That's because older style machines tended to be cumbersome, noisy and uncomfortable to use. However, recent advancements and refinements have produced newer models which have many more options and are much more patient-friendly.
- Dental/oral appliances and devices
If your sleep apnea symptoms fall into the moderate (or even mild) category, dental devices that reposition your jaw or tongue can help keep your airways open and reduce, or even eliminate, sleep apnea symptoms.
- Corrective surgery
Certain types of surgery are included in sleep apnea treatments for people suffering from severe symptoms. The surgeries themselves range from simple to complex. Maybe just removing your tonsils and/or adenoids will relieve your sleep apnea problems, or your doctor may recommend removing additional soft tissue from your throat/nose. Jaw reconstructive surgery or a procedure called uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP for short!) which requires quite extensive reoval or oral tissue may be recommended.
Because sleep apnea poses severe risks to your health, it's important to find a sleep apnea treatment that is effective, and that you can stick with. Having a CPAP machine sitting idle on your nightstand isn't going to help your sleep apnea symptoms, or reduce your health risks!As you can see, there is a range of sleep apnea treatments and options available to sufferers, so please discuss them with your doctor and experiment until you find one that's a good 'fit' in terms of effectiveness and usability..... Your life (not to mention your chance of getting a good nights sleep) depends on it!
Page/Article Links:
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep Apnea Machine
Causes of Sleep Apnea
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
Sleep Disorders
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