Sleep Apnea Treatment Options To Achieve Better Sleep
Sleep Apnea CauseGetting enough sleep at night is crucial in restoring your used energy, yet there are instances and conditions that may cause you to lose significant night sleep. One of them is sleep apnea, wherein your breathing stops frequently during the entire night. The condition may be caused by different causes, but all of them produce your upper airway to collapse during sleep, thus resulting to halt in breathing.
Suffering from it may cause you to experience a number of symptoms including daytime sleepiness, loud snoring, acid reflux, headaches, frequent urination through the night, large size of the neck, shortness of breath after suddenly awakening during sleep.
The most common treatment administered to patients is CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). A face mask is worn by the patient while sleeping that delivers constant air flow to support and keep the airway open. When your doctor has determined that CPAP is the best treatment option for you, then you would need to obtain durable equipment for the medical treatment. The prescribed pressure will be set on the CPAP machine you will be issued, along with other paraphernalia like hose, humidifier and fitted mask. Your mask should be comfortable and allows nominal leakage as you wear it. It certainly is not comfortable to wear a mask while sleeping, but some patients get used to the mask after several weeks of using CPA.
If you cannot tolerate the discomfort of CPAP, there are other options for treatment that you may also try.
• Losing weight. Obesity and being overweight is one of the major causes of this sleep problem. If your sleep condition is due to your excess weight, then by all means, you need to shed off the extra pounds. About 10% of the total body weight must be eliminated so that sleep apnea may be corrected. The airway becomes substantially narrow, or may be close to collapsing due to excessive weight. Dieting and exercising will help in getting rid of unwanted and troublesome weight.
• Changing sleep position and positional sleep aids. Your position while sleeping could also be a contributor or trigger to sleep problem. If you sleep on your back and you notice that you suffer more from sleep apnea and snore a lot while at this position, try sleeping on your sides to remedy the problem. With the help of several pillows, prop your body on side position. Some sufferers find that their condition is reduced when the head of the bed they are sleeping on is slightly elevated at an angle. To achieve this, you can place a wedge, or a foam ramp at the highest part of the bed. There are also adjustable beds you can use to achieve the head elevation.
• Oral appliances or tools. These tools help in fixing anatomical problems. For people with recessed or short jaw, a device for mandibular adjustment may help in moving certain parts to a much better placement. Your dentist can help you with this oral appliance that must be worn at night when sleeping.
• Less alcohol and sedatives. The upper airway is more susceptible to collapsing with your intake of alcohol and sedatives; thus avoiding them hours before sleep will help reduce incidences of sleep apnea.
• Surgeries. There are also surgical options that are administered to sleep apnea patients if the doctor deemed it necessary.
Discover useful information to cure sleep apnea with no CPAP from No CPAP Sleep Apnea Cure. Learn of exercises that can effectively cure sleep apnea through Sleep Apnea Exercises.