TREATING SLEEP APNEA

Treating Sleep Apnea is absolutely possible and there are lots of methods to treat sleep apnea disorder. If you have a mild disorder, or your main problem is obesity, you can combine the following types of alternative treatments and have very good results:

• ·         Positional Therapy
• ·         Alternatives to CPAP
• ·         Weight Loss
• ·         Apnea Exercises
• ·         Or pharyngeal Exercises for Sleep Apnea and snoring
• ·         Tongue Exercises for Sleep Apnea

Treating Sleep Apnea-Positional Therapy:  

We heard the argument that if you elbow a snorer and they roll over, their snoring will stop. In some cases, this actually works and after rolling over, the snorer and the person doing the elbowing both get a good and quiet night's rest.

There are devices that you can purchase that help the snorer to sleep in a position that encourages less snoring, like bumper belt or anti snore shirt .The idea behind them is that if the snorer's body is in a certain position the airway through their throat will be more open and that allows a clearer passage of air. The more air that gets through, the less likely the person is to snore.

Sleeping on the side can also successfully treat sleep apnea disorder, when your condition is worse while sleeping on the back (lying flat). That's why during sleep studies, the technician wants some of your sleep while on your back - so that they can see if your sleep apnea is positional.

And that's why understanding your sleep study results are helpful because it shows, how bad your sleep apnea is in different positions when you are sleeping.

Techniques Available for Positional Therapy include:

Placing three to four tennis balls in a pocket sewn on the back of a pajama top. 

Pinning a sock filled with tennis balls to the back of a sleep garment. 

Sleeping with a filled backpack.

Sleeping with a bumper belt or anti snore shirt.

Using a posture alarm that is triggered whenever a person remains in a supine position.

Elevating the head and trunk at a 30 - 60 degree angle

 

·         Alternatives to CPAP

Over the last 15 to 20 years, the CPAP equipment and masks have become increasingly used. These machines are smaller, portable, and quieter.

However, if you can't tolerate your CPAP, even after you applied the advice from CPAP side effects, you may want to try the following alternatives to CPAP:

Treating Sleep Apnea-Sleep Apnea Dental Device:

An oral appliance or sleep apnea dental device is used to relieve upper airway obstruction and snoring by modifying the position of the mandible, tongue, and other oral-pharyngeal structures. An oral appliance also prevents the tongue from blocking the airway passages.

There are two types of Sleep Apnea Dental Devices:

1.       Mandibular Advancement Device (MAAs)

These are oral appliances that are fitted to the maxillary and mandibular dentition, and works by altering the position of the lower jaw, or mandible. The dental device pushes the lower jaw forward. This also repositions the tongue, which is attached to the lower jaw.

By repositioning the lower jaw and tongue, the oral appliance keeps airways open and prevents the appearance of snoring and apnea events.

   2. Tongue Retaining Devices (TRD)

This device reposition the tongue in an anterior position by securing it with negative pressure in a soft plastic bulb that directly contacts the base of the tongue.

 Other type of TRD uses a suction cup that attaches to the front of the tongue, pulling the tongue forward to prevent the back of the tongue from collapsing.