Sleep Apnea Snoring Treatment Choices
Sleep apnea treatment options for mild occurences of sleep apnea involve self-help and behavioral changes. They include slimming down, eliminating alcohol, quitting smoking, stopping taking sleeping pills, sleeping on your side, and maintaining regular sleep hours.
For more severe cases of sleep apnea, these self-help options are not adequate. Several other sleep apnea treatments are available. These include:
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP):
The most prevalent severe sleep apnea treatment is a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine (CPAP). A CPAP machine contributes airway pressure to a sufferer of sleep apnea. The sleeper is outfitted with a mask-breathing device while sleeping. Pressurized air is provided, and the patient inhales, preventing the airway from collapsing and mitigating apnea episodes and snoring. The CPAP machine supplies constant air pressure irrespective of if the person is inhaling or expiring.
A CPAP machine is an excellent sleep apnea treatment, but many of the afflicted have found the breathing mask to be uncomfortable. Thanks to recent improvements, CPAP masks are now more pleasant to wear. Newer CPAP masks come in many styles, allowing sleepers to find the mask that works best for them.
Advancements in CPAP sleep apnea treatment have included adjustable air pressure. Bi-level PAP gives the sufferer to switch from high to low air pressure during exhalation. Auto PAP automatically changes air pressure via an internal regulator at fluctuating instead of fixed levels.
Oral Appliances:
Oral appliances, like a sports mouth guard or orthodontic retainer, which fit in a sleeper’s mouth, are an effective mode of mild to moderate sleep apnea snoring treatment. These oral appliances assist with keeping the sleeper’s throat and airway unobstructed. Many sufferers find the oral appliances more facile to use than a CPAP machine, but not as effective. Other oral appliances fit around the head and chin to adjust the lower jaw of the wearer, bringing it forward and relieving snoring and apnea.
Two oral utensils that are frequently used to bring the jaw forward during sleep are the Tongue Retaining Device and the Mandibular Repositioning Device. These tools are available from a dentist who specializes in sleep apnea treatment. Some sleep apnea sufferers find the oral device uncomfortable and suffer jaw problems, nausea, saliva build-up, soreness, and tooth tenderness.
Surgery:
Certain surgeries can remove tissues, tonsils, or adenoids, assisting the airway from being able to close and are an alternative sleep apnea treatment. Surgery may offer permanent relief, but there are risks of infection and complications. Depending on the type of sleep apnea, the surgery options for sleep apnea treatment include:
Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) - A surgeon removes the tonsils, adenoids, tissue from the back of the mouth, and from the top of the throat.
Maxillomandibular Advancement - A surgeon moves the upper and lower jaw forward, enlarging the space behind the soft palate and tongue.