Non-Surgical Sleep Apnea Treatments

Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. There are many treatments available for sleep apnea sufferers, which include both surgical and non-surgical sleep apnea treatments. But you should always consult your doctor to determine which sleep apnea treatment is best for you. For milder cases of sleep apnea, your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes, which include:

Lose weight, since sleep apnea is most common with the people who are overweight. Even a little weight loss can improve your symptoms.
Avoid alcohol, smoking, and medicines that make you sleepy. They make it harder for your throat to stay open while you sleep.
Change your sleeping habits. Sleep on your side instead of your back may help keep your throat open.
Avoid the intake of medicines like sleeping pills or sedatives that might affect your breathing, before sleep

If these measures don't improve your signs and symptoms of sleep apnea or if your apnea is moderate to severe, a number of other sleep apnea treatments are available. Here we are going to see the non-surgical sleep apnea treatments. Certain devices are available for non-surgical sleep apnea treatment, which can help open up a blocked airway. They include:

Continuous Positive Airflow Pressure (CPAP): CPAP is the most common sleep apnea treatment option, which involves wearing a mask that blows air into your throat at a pressure level that is right for you during sleep. The airflow keeps the nasal passages open sufficiently to prevent airway collapse and apnea. CPAP may eliminate snoring and prevent sleep apnea. Stopping snoring does not mean that you no longer have sleep apnea or that you can stop using CPAP. Sleep apnea will return if CPAP is stopped or if it is not used correctly.
Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure (Bilevel PAP): Bilevel PAP is another device use in sleep apnea treatment, which builds to a higher pressure when you inhale and decreases to a lower pressure when you exhale. Some bilevel PAP devices can be set to automatically deliver a breath if the device detects that you haven't taken a breath after so many seconds. The goal of this treatment is to boost the weak-breathing pattern of central sleep apnea.
Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV): ASV is the more recently approved airflow device, which is designed to treat central sleep apnea and complex sleep apnea. The device learns your normal breathing pattern and stores the information into a built-in computer. After you fall asleep, the machine uses pressure to normalize your breathing pattern and prevent pauses in your breathing.
The mandibular advancement device (MAD): MAD is the most widely used device for sleep apnea treatment. It looks like sports mouth guard. MAD forces the lower jaw forward and down slightly, which keeps the airway open. They reduce apneas significantly for those with mild to moderate apnea, particularly if patients sleep either on their backs or stomachs. They may also improve airflow, although less well, in those with severe apnea. They improve sleep and reduce the frequency of snoring and loudness of snoring in most patients.

Other procedures, which are useful in non-surgical sleep apnea treatment, include:

Supplemental oxygen: Various forms of oxygen are available along with different devices to deliver oxygen to your lungs. Using supplemental oxygen while you sleep may help in central sleep apnea treatment.
Oral appliances: Oral appliance like mouthpiece may be helpful in some people with mild sleep apnea. The mouthpiece will adjust your lower jaw and your tongue to help keep the airway in your throat open while you are sleeping. Air can then flow easily into your lungs because there is less resistance to breathing. Mouthpiece promote adequate air intake and help to provide normal sleep in people who snore. The possible side effects of the mouthpiece include damage to your Teeth, Gums and Jaws.

Effects of Sleep Apnea

The consequences or effects of sleep apnea range from annoying to life threatening. The main effects of sleep apnea are

Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea happens when enough air cannot move into your lungs while you are sleeping. When you are awake, and normally during sleep, your throat muscles keep your throat open and air flows into your lungs. Here we are going to see some common symptoms of sleep apnea. Common symptoms of sleep apnea include

Surgical Sleep Apnea Treatments

In cases where all non-surgical sleep apnea treatments fail or if the sleep apnea is severe, surgical sleep apnea treatments may be necessary. The goal of surgery for sleep apnea is to remove excess tissue from your nose or throat that may be vibrating and causing you to snore, or that may be blocking your upper air passages and causing sleep apnea. Surgical sleep apnea treatment options may include:

What is the Relation Between Sleep Apnea and Acid Reflux?

Is there any relation between sleep apnea and acid reflux? Yes, it’s definite that sleep apnea and acid reflux are linked together. Sleep apnea and acid reflux often go hand in hand.

Signs and Symptoms of Thyroid Problems

Symptoms of thyroid problems occur when the thyroid gland, which regulates the speed of the body's metabolism doesn’t operate properly. That means it does not convert the food that we eat into energy.

Sleep Apnea and Snoring

Though both Sleep Apnea and Snoring fall into the category of sleep-disordered breathing they are not the same thing. Snoring is not sleep apnea, and sleep apnea is not snoring.

Home Treatment for Sleep Apnea

Medications are generally not effective in the treatment of sleep apnea. Therefore more and more people are attracted towards the home treatment for sleep apnea. If you have mild sleep apnea you can treat it at home. Home treatment for sleep apnea includes:

Essential Oils used for Insomnia and Sleep Apnea

Essential oils are used for Insomnia and Sleep Apnea due to their anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and calming effects, which help in inducing sleep. If you are able to concentrate on the smell of the oils, it will help you to Relax, breathe deep, and allow yourself to drift off into a calmer world of peaceful aroma. This is another reason why essential oils are used for Insomnia and Sleep Apnea.

7 Tips On Using Ayurveda For A Sounder Sleep

With the growing number of individuals suffering from chronic sleep disorders, it has come to the attention of health practitioners to address this problem. After all, lack of quality sleep could impact one's health immensely. Ayurveda is considered as one of the natural methods of improving quality of sleep to regain one's health and vitality.

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