Treating Sleep Apnea

The treatment of sleep apnea depends on the type of apnea the patient is suffering from. For obstructive apnea patients, the most basic instruction is to sleep on the side instead of the back. Obese persons with sleep apnea are advised to first of all shed as much weight as possible, and also sleep on their side. Other steps that patients can take include reducing /stopping smoking and alcohol intake, as both these have been found to induce sleep apnea.

These are the general precautions one can take to ensure that apnea instances are minimized. Besides these, nowadays other options available are:

1. Breathing assistance devices
2. Surgery

There are numerous devices available for people with sleep apnea to use. These work by ensuring that the muscles in the air passage remain in their normal position and stop them from closing the air passage.

Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP)

These are commonly used by obstructive sleep apnea patients. They provide air through a mask at a constant pressure through the patient's nose, thereby ensuring that the nasal passage stays open and doesn't become obstructed.

Bi-Level Positive Air Pressure (BiPAP)

These are more expensive than CPAPs. Here the air pressure is not constant, but varies according to the patient's requirements.

Tongue Restraining Devices (TRDs)

These have suction cups that that keep the tongue in place, thereby keeping the air passage open.

Other devices include a nasal pillow, which is basically a nose plug that can be used instead of a mask to keep the airways in the nasal passage open.

Sleep apnea surgery

Besides these devices, there is always the option of surgery.

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP)

A common surgical procedure is the Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty or UPPP, which involves removal of the uvula and the tightening of the soft tissue in the palate and also the pharynx. However, its success rate is only 50%, and many people who have the UPPP procedure done end up using a CPAP anyway.

Laser-Assisted UPPP

Another common procedure is Laser-Assisted UPPP. This is helpful in curing snoring, but its effectiveness in curing patient of sleep apnea is not clear yet.

Other surgical procedures involve surgeries of the nasal passage (repairing a deviated septum), the tonsils, the adenoids, and the jaw.

Treating sleep apnea with drugs

In cases where sleep apnea is a result of hypothyroidism, intake of dry extracts of the thyroid gland, or carefully administered doses of thyroxin, helps eliminate the problem.

In cases where sleep apnea is a result of hormonal imbalance, supplementing the progesterone levels in the body help remove the symptoms of sleep apnea.