Sleep Apnea Treatment

You’ve just been diagnosed with sleep apnea. What comes next? No doubt you’re tired and not thinking too clearly. For the great majority of sufferers there is only one option offered – CPAP. It is not an easy solution to accept and has many drawbacks. But for those suffering with daytime fatigue and worry over long term serious health effects, it is a lifeline.

However, it’s important to understand that there are CPAP alternatives.

In this section we describe alternative sleep apnea cures. Some of the treatments require little effort on your part, and can make a world of difference to your sleep apnea. Others need a lot of effort and planning on your part.

Let’s start with the easy ones!

Easiest Sleep Apnea Treatments

Here are some alternative sleep apnea treatments that are the easy to do – but they will not completely cure your apnea. What they WILL do is help you to get a better night’s sleep while you are looking into permanent apnea solutions.

1. Change your sleeping position

This treatment involves sleeping on your side, instead of on your back. Sleeping on your back is perhaps the worst position to aggravate snoring and apnea events, because sleeping on your back allows the jaw to fall back, as well as the tongue – which cuts off your airway.

2. Breathing solutions

This solution is appropriate for people with mild to moderate apnea, and who have obstructions that are primarily in the outer nasal areas.

Example of breathing solutions include nasal strips and saline drops.

3. Didgeridoo therapy

This alternative sleep apnea treatment involving breathe control therapy focusing on strengthening the airway muscles and calming.

4. Singing therapy

This is similar to didgeridoo therapy, but more commitment is required to strengthen airway muscles.

Sleep Apnea Treatments� That Require More Effort

5. Lifestyle changes

Lifestyle changes that can improve apnea include the reduction or elimination of drinking, smoking, and drugs.

6. Dental device (also called Oral device)

A dental device is worn in the mouth to bed and holds your jaw in a forward position, which opens your airway. After a referral from your doctor, a dentist will make a mold of your teeth and create a mouthpiece. You can also buy a generic mouth piece and trim it (or heat it) to fit your mouth.

7. Acupuncture

During acupuncture treatment, very fine needles are inserted into areas of your body. This stimulation may facilitate release of body-healing hormones.

Surgical Sleep Apnea Treatments

8. Throat surgery

Surgery can sometimes be an effective way of treating sleep apnea – especially if your apnea is caused by a problem with the structure of your airway.

There are a number of surgical procedures that can open your airway, which involve the removal of tissue. These include the removal of the uvula, adenoids, and tonsils. Other procedures involve stiffening of the upper throat with implants, and repositioning (advancement) of your tongue.

9. Nasal surgery

Just like throat surgery, nasal surgery can be an effective treatment for some sleep apnea sufferers. Nasal surgery can include any of the following types of surgery:

o Straightening of the septum
o Reduction in size of the turbinates, either through tissue removal or radio frequency to reduce underlying bony structure
o Removal of inflamed or infected tissue in the sinuses
o Enlargement or removal of bony tissue in the upper sinus area

To receive a FREE e-course on 7 proven sleep apnea treatments (that don’t use CPAP), please click here.

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8 Comments

  1. Hi, cool post. I have been wondering about this topic,so thanks for writing.

    Comment by KrisBelucci — June 3, 2009 @ 1:57 am

  2. Great post! Just wanted to let you know you have a new subscriber- me!

    Comment by AndrewBoldman — June 4, 2009 @ 7:29 pm

  3. Please send me info on alternative from cpap

    Comment by Elizab Wall — October 22, 2009 @ 12:29 am

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  6. Hi I’m an eight grader at Manteo Middle School, we are doing BIG reports on charities like apnea, cancer, or other type of medical things like so. Well i was just wondering if you could email me so i could do a interview with you (which is required for my report)! i feel bad about all with this type or problem and would like to help this cause! thanks for reading this and i hope to hear from you soon!

    Comment by kimberly — January 13, 2010 @ 5:40 pm

  7. If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea CPAP will usually be prescribed. If you do not tlerate CPAP consider an oral appliance.
    http://www.ihatecpap,com has excellent examples of many types of oral appliances.

    Comment by Ira Shapira — January 29, 2010 @ 2:58 am

  8. Thanks for dropping by the site, Dr. Shapira. There are indeed many people who cannot tolerate CPAP (that’s why I set up this site!), and an oral appliance may be a good option for some of them.

    Marc
    Editor, ApneaTreatmentGuide.com

    Comment by Marc — January 29, 2010 @ 4:55 pm

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