Sleep Apnea Solutions

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Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea, where the airway may collapse partially or completely. This type of sleep apnea can result to cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Thankfully though, there are a number of sleep apnea solutions to treat the disorder. The solutions will vary depending upon the severity of the problem. All solutions for sleep apnea are designed to target one problem: obstruction of the airways.

Sometimes, simple changes such as the use of a humidifier while sleeping are the best treatments for sleep apnea. For the most severe cases, surgery may be the only option. Other solutions include cleaning your nasal passage before hitting the bed so that there is no congestion. Many doctors recommend sleeping on your side instead of sleeping on your back in order to treat sleep apnea. Acupuncture, taking natural herbs and hypnosis, etc, has also been proven to be helpful. Changing your lifestyle and putting an end to bad habits like smoking and drinking can help too.

While these solutions are simple, there are cases where none of them help and the use of appliances or other techniques to beat the disorder becomes a must. Here are a few:

Ø  Oral appliances such as the mandibular advancement device or the MAD are used in order to help the airways stay open. This device is adjusted by the dentist depending upon the patient.

Ø  Pressurized air is a popular method to treat sleep apnea. With this, a medical pump is used to pump the air into the patient’s mouth through a tube that is in turn attached to a mask. This method ensures that the patient’s airways remain open. Continuous Positive Air Pressure or CPAP is the most popular.

Ø  Tissue reduction is another technique used to tackle the reason behind the obstruction. In this process, the thickness of the tongue is reduced

Ø  Surgery is often the last option when nothing else seems to work. Tonsillectomy, uvulopalatoplasty, adenoidectomy are some of the procedures.

Sleep apnea can’t be cured overnight. It is a chronic problem and it may also require treatment throughout one’s life.