If your case of sleep apnea is not severe, you may find that some sleep apnea solutions that can improve it. If you are overweight, then losing weight can reduce the occurrences. Also, try not to drink alcohol at night time. Smoking can also be a contributory factor, so giving up cigarettes can also help. Anything that relaxes the muscles medically, such as tranquillizers or sleeping pills can also have a detrimental effect on the throat’s muscle system. Some people find that sleeping on one side, instead of on their back lessens the symptoms too.

For more severe cases, sleep apnea treatments such as Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is a possible treatment. This is a mask which you wear over your mouth when sleeping. It sends compressed air into your throat, ensuring that the airway does not get blocked. Many people find this strange to wear to begin with, and some stop using it because of this. However, patients who persevere with it report that it works very effectively, despite their initial misgivings.

Amazingly, several medical studies in respected journals, such as the British Medical Journal have suggested that regularly playing the didgeridoo can also reduce snoring, daytime sleepiness, and other symptoms of sleep apnea. The study suggested that this was due to the patient training themselves to control their upper airways, and becoming more aware of how the muscles work. The study used 25 patients suffering from moderate obstructive sleep apnea. They took a random selection of these patients, and asked them to practice the didgeridoo every day for four months. After four months, the didgeridoo players reported significant improvements, compared to the control group.

The most obvious effect of sleep apnea is that the sufferers’ sleep is frequently interrupted because when the airway is shut off, the person suffocates, and wakes up to breathe. This sleep deprivation can lead to a number of maladies, of which the most obvious is daytime sleepiness. In addition, the extra tissue which can cause OSA will frequently also vibrate while the person is breathing, causing snoring. Sleep apnea has also been linked to waking up with morning headaches, sexual dysfunction and even certain cognitive disabilities (related to memory and learning). To add insult to injury, the sleep deprivation caused by sleep apnea also leads to an increased rate of automobile accidents, which, of course, carry a range of negative outcomes, ranging from simple property damage all of the way to dismemberment and death.

Although these effects are all unpleasant and inconvenient, they pale next to the more serious side effects of sleep apnea. People who suffer from sleep apnea have a much higher incidence of cardiovascular problems, as well as diabetes. The high blood pressure which can be caused by OSA is unique in that it never allows the body to rest since readings do not stop during sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea also has neurological effects, including both increased risk of stroke and, recently discovered, tissue loss in parts of the brain that serve as memory storage.

Finally, obstructive sleep apnea can cause cor pulmonary. This is the failure of the right ventricle of the heart, which provides blood to the lungs. Cor pulmonary is fatal. Central sleep apnea is a much rarer form of the malady and is caused by a failure in the respiratory controls in the brain. Put simply, the brain forgets to have the sufferer breathe. This can be caused by a number of things, including medications which depress the central nervous system. It has similar effects to OSA.

Although sleep apnea has a number of unpleasant side effects, it is treatable. Some sleep apnea treatments are as simple as lifestyle changes (losing weight, ceasing smoking or alcohol use), while the use of a CPAP machine is also an option. Serious cases can also be treated surgically. Luckily, the serious side effects of sleep apnea can be removed by treating the apnea.

Sleep apnea is common in overweight individuals, so naturally one treatment is to lose weight. Cutting your weight by a few pounds can help you sleep better. Stop taking sedative drugs or even stop drinking alcohol or using tobacco products can help alleviate sleep apnea. These aforementioned items relax the throat which makes snoring more prone to happening. Usually sleep apnea occurs when people sleep on their backs. Naturally sleeping on your side can prevent this. Anything to help stop snoring can help which can be done by raising your bed or your pillows.

Something that has worked for me was the use of nasal strips. These go across the bridge of your nose and open up the passageways. These work extremely well and helps me breath amazingly during the night. Those are some things you can do to help, but there are also other sleep apnea cures and medical treatments as well.

The most common and effective treatment is CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure. Basically, you wear a mask while you sleep and it feed air through your nose as you sleep. This air prevents the airway from collapsing and doesn’t make you snore. The problem with this technique is that the mask is extremely uncomfortable. They have made some better masks now to wear to make this technique even better. Another option is surgery which can increase the size of the airway. This may include the removal of tonsils, adenoids, etc. This can eliminate sleep apnea all together.

One last option is jaw devices. These devices lower the jaw and push the tongue forward which opens up the airway all together. This has many side effects like a sore mouth. Overall, sleep apnea can be a nuisance, but there are many different ways to treat and alleviate it.

If so, then you should talk with your partner about the possibility of sleep apnea. Diabetics and overweight people tend to increase the likelihood of developing sleep apnea. Many people are sensitive when it comes to discussing their embarrassing sleeping habits. That’s why I make it a point to ask spouses whether or not these events are occurring. I then look for other oral conditions that may exacerbate breathing while sleeping. If a patient presents with an abnormally large tongue or uvula during an oral examination that I believe may impede his or her ability to sleep, then a physician referral becomes necessary for proper diagnosis and treatment.

As far as sleep apnea treatments are concerned, the physician and dental professional must work together in concert. Treatment, of course, depends on the severity of the condition. The severity of the condition is often defined as how many interrupted breathing occurrences happen within a specified time frame.

A special machine with a face mask known as a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) may sometimes be used to treat obstructive sleep apnea. However compliance and home care maintenance to avoid bacterial growth in the various lines of the machine often reduce the success of such a treatment.

Alternatively, lesser invasive appliances such as an oral device may work better for patients with less severe forms of sleep apnea. Furthermore, in some mild cases, weight loss may be issued as a form of treatment to treat sleep apnea. Decreasing the amount of fat and therefore pressure may help to open up the airway, and in more radical cases, some patients may even opt to have their uvula surgically removed in order to create a more efficient airway.

Finally, one may also help treat their sleep apnea condition by positioning themselves more upright during sleep. This, however, may affect the quality of sleep one may receive as some people find it difficult to sleep in such a position. These are only a few of the available sleep apnea cures you can ask your physician about.

She provided me with a referral to a specialist along with a brochure on sleep apnea. I scheduled an appointment with the specialist and I was quickly schedule to undergo a sleep study. I showed up at the appointment and they prepared a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine (which is a device used to treat sleep apnea) and wired me up for monitoring.

They are monitoring you for multiple things including breathing patterns, eye movement, brain activity and extremity movement. The night started off going to sleep around 10pm and by about 2am they entered the room to put the CPAP machine. They monitored for another 4-5 hours and then I was let go until the results could be provided to my specialist. At this point, I had no idea my life was going change after reviewing the sleep study results. I met with the specialist a week later to find out I had a severe case of sleep apnea. The results were very clear I could never get into a REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep cycle and on the average I stopped breathing about 28 times a minute.

When I heard that number I wondered how I even kept myself alive while sleeping. We then turned to the comparative results when they placed the CPAP device on me. They had to make a few adjustments to the air pressure they were using, but where able to eliminate me from stopping breathing, no more snoring and they were able to see me get into a REM sleep cycle. After reviewing the results the treatment was on its way. I was provided a CPAP machine and fitted for a mask.

With my sleep apnea treatment in hand I headed home with the hope this would actually help. Within a week I could already see a huge difference. I woke up feeling more refreshed and alert in the mornings. When I was driving home from work I no longer felt tired and didn’t have to fight to keep myself awake. My energy started to turn around and I could now start to live again.

It has been a couple years now and there is no way anyone would take the CPAP machine away. I can’t even take a nap without having the CPAP. The CPAP is and will be my long term treatment for my sleep apnea condition.