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What Treatment Offers

People with sleep apnea can benefit not only from specific treatments for apnea, but by making a few minor adjustments in their lifestyle. Specific Treatments Continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP is an effective method of treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. During this treatment, a mask is placed over your nose during sleep. Air is forced through the nasal passages by an air compressor, causing the air passageways to remain open. Recent studies have suggested that CPAP may also be effective in the treatment of central apnea, as well. For some people, oral devices to open the airway by bringing the jaw, tongue and soft palate forward may be used. If your sleep apnea problem is caused by such physical abnormalities as enlarged tonsils or adenoids, your doctor may suggest surgically removing them. Other problems may be nasal polyps, a deviated nasal septum, and malformations of the jaw or soft palate. In a technique known as uvuolpalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), excess tissue which may be blocking the airway during sleep is removed. UPPP studies have shown that approximately half of the patients benefit from the procedures. Some patients have reported negative side effects of the UPPP such as nasal speech and the regurgitations of liquids into the nose when swallowing. For people with severe cases of obstructive sleep apnea, a tracheostomy may be required. An opening is made into the trachea and a tube is inserted. During the day, the opening remains closed, allowing the person to speak and breathe through the upper airway. When the person sleeps, the tube is opened so that the air bypasses the obstructed area of the throat, allowing air to go directly into the lungs. Oxygen supplements may be added to the CPAP treatment of sleep apnea to correct for low-oxygen levels due to existing lung or heart disease. Lifestyle adjustments Weight loss. A minimal weight loss may improve breathing, making sleep more restful and diminishing daytime sleepiness. Avoid alcohol and sleeping pills. Both depress breathing which makes apnea more frequent and more severe. Use all drugs with care. Medications for headache, anxiety, and other common problems can affect sleep and breathing. Sleep on your side. Some sleep apnea suffers are only affected when they sleep on their backs. If you have a problem sleeping on your side, try placing pillows behind your back or attaching a tennis ball to the back of your pajamas. Decongestion medications may be helpful in reducing snoring and the likelihood of apnea. Despite the fact that loud snoring is often the target of bad jokes and well placed elbows during the night, snoring should not be taken lightly. Loud snoring may be your body's way of telling you that something is seriously wrong with your breathing during sleep. When you snore, your airway is not fully open. Because the passage way is narrowed, the noise of snoring is the result of the air being forced through the passage. Between 10 and 30 percent of all adults snore and suffer from no serious medical consequences. However, an estimated five in 100 people who snore extremely loud are suffering from obstructive sleep apnea, a potentially life-threatening disorder. Because sleep apnea affects the breathing during sleep, people who suffer from it don't get enough sleep. As a result of sleep apnea, you may be excessively sleepy during the daytime. It can also trigger high blood pressure, heart failure, heart attack and stroke. If you snore loudly, every night in all positions, you should consider seeing a healthcare professional, who may recommend a sleep study at a sleep disorders center, such as Sanford Health's Sleep Disorders Center. Our sleep specialists will work to diagnose breathing disorders in the earlier more treatable stages of the disorder. With proper treatment, sleep apneas' potentially life-threatening consequences can be prevented or reversed.