What You Need to Know about Sleep Apnea Treatment

If you find yourself stop breathing while sleep, you may have obstructive sleep apnea. Untreated sleep apnea can cause loud snoring and daytime tiredness, even lead to serious health problems. But what you need to know about sleep apnea treatment?

Sleep Apnea Treatment-Lifestyle Changes

For milder cases of sleep apnea, you can treat it by changing lifestyle:

1. Exercise regularly and lose weight if you’re overweight

2. Stop smoking and don’t drink alcohol before bed

3. Change sleep positions and don’t sleep on your back

4. Use a nasal decongestant or allergy medications

5. Avoid taking sedative medications such as anti-anxiety drugs or sleeping pills

Sleep Apnea Treatment

1. Positive airway pressure

When you sleep, a machine delivers air pressure through a piece that fits into your nose or is placed over your nose and mouth, that can reduce the number of respiratory events that occur as you sleep, reduce daytime sleepiness and improve your quality of life.

2. Oral device

Oral devices can help keep your airway open during sleep. You may need to try different types to find a suitable mask. Most people learn to adjust the mask with some practice to obtain a comfortable and secure fit.

Medical Machines and Surgery

If the measures above don’t improve your signs and symptoms or if your apnea is moderate to severe, a number of other treatments are available.

1. Machine

Continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP) machine is the most common treatment for sleep apnea. Different from the CPAP machine, auto CPAP(APAP) machine adjusts how much pressure it gives you while you sleep based on your needs. In addition, bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) machine can also use pressure to put air into your lungs and help you breathe.

2. Surgery

Nasal surgery, uvulo palato pharyngo plasty(UPPP) and mandibular maxillomandibular advancement surgery are the most common types of surgery for sleep apnea.