Sleep Apnea Treatments

Treating Sleep Apnea - Mild to Moderate Cases

For mild or minor cases of sleep apnea, your doctor may recommend trying the following behavior modifications to see if they relieve your symptoms.

• Managing sleep positions - Many people only experience symptoms of sleep apnea when they sleep on their backs. In this case, sleep apnea remedies can include the use of a special sleep apnea pillow or the tried and true stop-snoring trick of sewing pockets onto the back of your pajamas and putting tennis balls inside them.

  This obviously prevents you from rolling on your back at night during sleep... when snoring and airway blockage is most likely to occur.

• Losing weight - Carrying too much weight is a contributing factor in snoring and sleep apnea. If you're overweight, seriously consider a doctor-supervised diet and exercise program to help shed those extra pounds. To learn more about the link between this sleep disorder and your weight, visit this site's article on Weight Gain and Sleep Apnea page.

• Don't smoke, drink alcohol or take sleeping pills - All of these substances increase your risk of sleep apnea episodes. They can narrow your airways and affect your respiration, which make your symptoms worse.

Sleep apnea treatments for moderate to severe cases of this disorder require more intervention.

• Snore guards or a snoring mouthpiece - 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 snoring and other sleep apnea symptoms.

• Breathing therapy - Using a CPAP machine (continuous positive airway pressure) when you sleep is the most frequently prescribed treatment. With a CPAP machine, you wear a mask over your nose (or nose and mouth) that is connected to a machine which pushes air continuously into your nose and/or mouth, keeping your airways open. This has proven to be one of the most successful sleep apnea treatments. For more information on sleep apnea machines, click here.

• Corrective surgery - Certain types of surgery are included in sleep apnea treatments for people with severe cases. Removing tonsils and/or adenoids sometimes will relieve sleep apnea problems. Or, your doctor may recommend removing additional soft tissue from your throat or nose. Jaw reconstructive surgery or a procedure called uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP for short) that requires quite extensive removal of oral tissue may be recommended.

Related Information

Share Your Comments