Sleep apnea is a medical condition where one’s breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. The common symptoms of this disease include awakening with a dry mouth, loud snoring, morning headaches, feeling sleepy even after a full night’s sleep, and gasping for air during sleep. Sleep apnea can be of three types—obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, and complex sleep apnea.
Among the treatments for sleep apnea, CPAP machine, or continuous positive airways pressure, is the most common one. CPAP is a mask that delivers pressurized air during sleep to the patient. This treatment is used for moderate to severe cases of sleep apnea. Though a trusted and dependable treatment, it does cause discomfort to the patient. Luckily, there are alternatives to CPAP which are effective treatments for sleep apnea.
The other treatments for sleep apnea include the following:
1. Other forms of airway pressure equipment
After consulting your doctor, you can use other types of airway pressure equipment if you are not in favor of using CPAP for any reason. Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure or BPAP is one such device. This device enables more pressure during inhalation and less while exhaling.
2. Oral devices
Another alternative to CPAP used as treatments for sleep apnea is oral devices that enable the throat to remain open. These devices are easy to use.
3. Surgery
Surgery is the last option that a doctor opts for when the other treatments for sleep apnea have not worked effectively. After the devices have been used by the patient for a few months but the desired results are not obtained, then the doctor recommends surgery. On the contrary, if the patient has a certain type of jaw structure that does not permit the use of CPAP or other devices, then surgery is the first option considered by the doctor.
The various surgical procedures that can be used to treat sleep apnea are:
- Tongue reduction surgery
Certain patients of this medical condition have enlarged tongues which lead to symptoms of sleep apnea. In such cases, the doctor opts for tongue reduction surgery from among the choices of treatments for sleep apnea. Through this surgery, the airway collapses less and improves airflow and breathing in the patients thus giving them comfort.
- Bariatric surgery
For an obese patient, bariatric surgery is one of the treatments for sleep apnea that is considered. With excess weight, fat tissue builds-up around the throat and at the foot of the tongue causing sleep apnea. Consequently, weight loss surgery is the only option in such cases.
- Tonsil removal
With the removal of enlarged tonsils in some patients, sleep apnea can be cured.
Patients will need to choose the other treatment option depending on the seriousness of their condition after consulting their doctors. It is necessary to consult the doctor before choosing to change devices that aid breathing. In the case of surgery, the doctor will decide the method to be used after examining the patient and determining the severity of the disease.