How Is Sleep Apnea Treated?
Goals of Treatment
The goals of treating obstructive sleep apnea are
to:
- Restore regular breathing during sleep
- Relieve symptoms such as loud snoring and daytime
sleepiness
Treatment may help other medical problems linked to
sleep apnea, such as
high
blood pressure. Treatment also can reduce your risk for heart disease,
stroke, and diabetes.
Specific Types of Treatment
Lifestyle changes, mouthpieces, breathing devices,
and/or surgery are used to treat sleep apnea. Currently, there are no medicines
to treat sleep apnea.
Lifestyle changes and/or mouthpieces may be enough
to relieve mild sleep apnea. People who have moderate or severe sleep apnea
also will need breathing devices or surgery.
Lifestyle Changes
If you have mild sleep apnea, some changes in daily
activities or habits may be all that you need.
- Avoid alcohol and medicines that make you sleepy.
They make it harder for your throat to stay open while you sleep.
- Lose weight if you're
overweight
or obese. Even a little weight loss can improve your symptoms.
- Sleep on your side instead of your back to help
keep your throat open. You can sleep with special pillows or shirts that
prevent you from sleeping on your back.
- Keep your nasal passages open at night with nose
sprays or allergy medicines, if needed. Talk to your doctor about whether these
treatments might help you.
- Stop smoking.
Mouthpiece
A mouthpiece, sometimes called an oral appliance,
may help some people who have mild sleep apnea. Your doctor also may recommend
a mouthpiece if you snore loudly but don't have sleep apnea.
A dentist or orthodontist can make a custom-fit
plastic mouthpiece for treating sleep apnea. (An orthodontist specializes in
correcting teeth or jaw problems.) The mouthpiece will adjust your lower jaw
and your tongue to help keep your airways open while you sleep.
If you use a mouthpiece, it's important that you
check with your doctor about discomfort or pain while using the device. You may
need periodic office visits so your doctor can adjust your mouthpiece to fit
better.
Breathing Devices
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the
most common treatment for moderate to severe sleep apnea in adults. A CPAP
machine uses a mask that fits over your mouth and nose, or just over your nose.
The machine gently blows air into your throat.
The air presses on the wall of your airway. The air
pressure is adjusted so that it's just enough to stop the airways from becoming
narrowed or blocked during sleep.
Treating sleep apnea may help you stop snoring. But
stopping snoring doesn't mean that you no longer have sleep apnea or can stop
using CPAP. Sleep apnea will return if CPAP is stopped or not used correctly.
Usually, a technician will come to your home to
bring the CPAP equipment. The technician will set up the CPAP machine and
adjust it based on your doctor's orders. After the initial setup, you may need
to have the CPAP adjusted on occasion for the best results.
CPAP treatment may cause side effects in some
people. These side effects include a dry or stuffy nose, irritated skin on your
face, sore eyes, and headaches. If your CPAP isn't properly adjusted, you may
get stomach bloating and discomfort while wearing the mask.
If you're having trouble with CPAP side effects,
work with your sleep specialist, his or her nursing staff, and the CPAP
technician. Together, you can take steps to reduce these side effects. These
steps include adjusting the CPAP settings or the size/fit of the mask, or
adding moisture to the air as it flows through the mask. A nasal spray may
relieve a dry, stuffy, or runny nose.
There are many different kinds of CPAP machines and
masks. Be sure to tell your doctor if you're not happy with the type you're
using. He or she may suggest switching to a different kind that may work better
for you.
People who have severe sleep apnea symptoms
generally feel much better once they begin treatment with CPAP.
Surgery
Some people who have sleep apnea may benefit from
surgery. The type of surgery and how well it works depend on the cause of the
sleep apnea.
Surgery is done to widen breathing passages. It
usually involves removing, shrinking, or stiffening excess tissue in the mouth
and throat or resetting the lower jaw.
Surgery to shrink or stiffen excess tissue in the
mouth or throat is done in a doctor's office or a hospital. Shrinking tissue
may involve small shots or other treatments to the tissue. A series of such
treatments may be needed to shrink the excess tissue. To stiffen excess tissue,
the doctor makes a small cut in the tissue and inserts a small piece of stiff
plastic.
Surgery to remove excess tissue is only done in a
hospital. You're given medicine that makes you sleep during the surgery. After
surgery, you may have throat pain that lasts for 1 to 2 weeks.
Surgery to remove the tonsils, if they're blocking
the airway, may be very helpful for some children. Your child's doctor may
suggest waiting some time to see whether these tissues shrink on their own.
This is common as small children grow. |