Preferred Sleep Apnea Treatment Approaches

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 22:52:18 -0400

Nobody wants to hear it, but shedding a few pounds is usually the first thing the doctor will tell you to help your apnea. Experts say that 70% of people with sleep apnea are obese. The throat is like a hose, and if the fat that makes up the neck gets thicker, it constricts the flow. A weight drop of even 10-20 pounds can dramatically fix your sleep The first thing the doctor might tell you is to learn to sleep on your stomach or side. You may want to put a pillow behind you while sleeping on your side to avoid lying on your back. We all toss and turn, but if we have deep sleep actually we don’t move too much so if you find a position that allows you to breathe even with apnea, you might find you wake in the same postion you fell asleep in. Back sleepers hate developing apnea, because they can’t be back sleepers anymore unless they tolerate the CPAP well. According to most experts, it can take 6 months of habit to become a side sleeper, and you may need more cushion under your side.

Moderate to severe sleep apnea will probably see you getting fitted for a CPAP or BIPAP, but you could go the aggressive route and try to get fit. And you might want to dramatically reduce your alcohol intake, it has been linked to narrowed airways. It’s a natural and more holistic approach to treating apnea, but it takes work.Smoking increases swelling in the upper airway and therefore worsens the sleep apnea. And contrary to what you might think, don’t take any sleep aids because if you stop breathing and you are on some from of sleep aid medication you simply might not wake up for good!

Losing weight, changing sleeping positions, and avoiding alcohol and smoking are just some of the steps that you can take to prevent the worsening of sleep apnea.

Sleep Apnea is historically best treated by CPAP or continuous airway pressure-basically an air splint to keep your throat open. A constant pressure of air will be determined by a sleep study and your throat will be kept open by an air flow. Continuous air is delivered from the machine through a mask that covers the mouth and nose or a mask that covers the nose only or prongs that fit inside the nose. Masks that cover the face are wonderful, but not often offered to the patient initially.

We’ve all heard about a deviated septum, but did you know it can exacerbate apnea? The cartilage between your nostrils can be misaligned by birth or development and surgery is required to fix ti if it interferes with breathing. A deviated septum can be corrected with nasal surgery. There is another surgery called UPPP where the uvula and some soft tissue in the back of the throat are removed to open the throat. Another surgery called Mandibular maxillar advancement surgery is an option where the surgeon corrects the jaw to open the airway. A word of caution, though, the surgery doesn’t have a high success rate.

When choosing a sleep apnea treatment, it is important that you know the severity of your condition. Sleep Apnea Snoring Doctor, Sleep Apnea Treatment

Fresh Approaches To Fight Unhealthy Sleep Apnea

Preferred Sleep Apnea Treatment Approaches