What Are the Best Sleep Apnea Treatment Options for You?

About a third of the population do not get enough sleep, or adults that can last seven hours a night. This can lead to major health problems like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. A major cause of poor sleep is sleep apnea, and this is when breathing starts and stops while you are sleeping. Thankfully this is treatable.

Your dentist in Royse city, TX may recommend only lifestyle changes for milder sleep apnea cases, such as quitting smoking or losing weight. However, if you experience nasal allergies, your doctor may recommend treatment for the allergies.

Types of Sleep Apnea Treatment

Some of the most used sleep apnea treatments options include:

• Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)

If your sleep apnea is either moderate or severe, you might benefit by using a machine that delivers air pressure through a mask when sleeping. With CPAP, its air pressure is somehow greater than the surrounding air and is just enough to keep your airway passages open, preventing you from snoring or apnea.

Although CPAP is one of the common and the best sleep apnea treatment near you, some people may find it uncomfortable or cumbersome. Some people thus give up on the machine, though with practice must learn to adjust the tension of the mask’s straps to obtain a secure and comfortable one.

• Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP)

A BiPAP machine is like a CPAP because it provides a stretch of air to keep your airways open. However, unlike the CPAP, a BiPAP does not always give constant air pressure. As a result, some people experience trouble exhaling with steady pressure. Thus, BiPAP is a good option since it gives you less air while you breathe.

• Oral Appliances

Wearing an oral appliance helps keep your throat open. CPAP is more effective than oral appliances, but the latter might be easier to use. They are designed to keep your airway open by bringing your upper jaw forward, which can sometimes relieve mild obstructive sleep apnea and snoring. These devices are available at our dentist’s office near you.

Once you find the right for you, you will need to follow up with your dentist often during the first year and then regularly after to ensure that the fit is good and secure and to secure signs and symptoms.

• Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV)

Adaptive servo-ventilation is a more recently approved device that learns your normal breathing pattern and stores the information acquired in a built-in computer. Then, after you fall asleep, the device uses pressure to normalize your breathing pattern and prevent stops in your breathing.

From a recent study, ASV is more successful in treating complex sleep apnea in some people than any other form of positive airway pressure. However, it is unsuitable for people with central sleep apnea and advanced heart failure.

Sleep Apnea Lifestyle Remedies

Some alternative home remedies that your dentist recommends in Royse City, TX that can serve as an alternative treatment include:

• Maintain a healthy weight

Doctors at Pleasure Dental often recommend people with sleep apnea to lose weight as obesity, specifically in your upper body, can increase the risk of your airway getting obstructed. The obstructions can stop your breathing suddenly when you are sleeping. Maintaining a healthy weight keeps your airway clear and reduces sleep apnea symptoms.

• Try Yoga

Regular exercise can strengthen your heart, increase energy, and reduce sleep apnea. Yoga can specifically improve the strength of your respiratory strength and encourage oxygen flow in your body. Yoga improves your oxygen levels through various breathing exercises, thus reducing any sleep interruptions you may experience.

• Alter your sleep position

Altering your sleep position can reduce sleep apnea symptoms and improve your night’s rest, although the change is small. For example, some studies have shown that sleeping in a supine position can worsen your symptoms. For other adults, sleeping on your side can help to breathe return to normal.

• Avoid smoking and alcohol

Quitting smoking and limiting your intake of alcohol can reduce your sleep apnea symptoms. Alcohol relaxes the throat muscles that control your breathing, thus can lead to snoring and an interrupted sleep pattern. Alcohol can also lead to inflammation in your airways, thus blocking airflow.

Like alcohol, tobacco use can also contribute to inflammation and swelling in your ways, thus worsening your snoring and sleep apnea.