Sleep Apnea Treatment

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If a sleep study shows that you have sleep apnea, your healthcare provider may talk to you about making lifelong healthy lifestyle changes. You may also benefit from a positive airway pressure or oral device, or other treatments to keep your airways open while you sleep.

To help treat your sleep apnea, healthy lifestyle changes can be very effective. These include getting regular physical activity, maintaining healthy sleeping habits and a healthy weight, limiting alcohol and caffeine intake, and quitting smoking. Your provider may also recommend that you sleep on your side — not on your back — as this can help keep your airway open while you sleep.

A PAP machine is the most common treatment for sleep apnea. There are different types of PAP machines. Talk to your provider about which type is most appropriate for you.

• A continuous PAP (CPAP) machine provides constant air pressure through your mouth and/or nose to keep your airways open and help you breathe during sleep.
• A bilevel PAP (BPAP) machine is like a CPAP machine, but it delivers different pressure based on whether you are inhaling or exhaling.
• An auto-adjusting PAP (APAP) machine automatically adjusts the air pressure you receive during sleep.

PAP machines often work best when they are paired with healthy lifestyle changes.

Side effects may include congestion, dry eyes or mouth, nosebleeds, or a runny nose. If you experience stomach discomfort or bloating, you should stop using your PAP machine and contact your healthcare provider.

Living With Sleep Apnea has information about what to do if you have problems or side effects from your PAP device.

If you have sleep apnea, your provider may prescribe an oral device if you do not want to use or cannot tolerate a CPAP machine. You may be referred to a dentist or orthodontist. They will custom fit a device to your mouth so that it is comfortable and teach you how to use it for best results.

Oral devices (also called oral appliances) are placed in the mouth to prevent blocked airways while you sleep.

There are two types of oral devices.

• Mandibular repositioning mouthpieces cover the upper and lower teeth and hold the lower jaw in place. They prevent the jaw from sliding backward and blocking the upper airway.
• Tongue-retaining devices are mouthpieces that hold the tongue in a forward position to prevent it from blocking the upper airway.

Another type of device is used while you are awake.

• Removable tongue muscle stimulators are mouthpieces that stimulate and tone the tongue. These are typically used once a day while you are awake. They can help prevent your tongue from falling backward and blocking the airway during sleep.

Exercises for your mouth and facial muscles, called orofacial therapy, may also be an effective treatment for sleep apnea in children and adults. This therapy helps to strengthen and reposition the tongue and muscles that control your lips, tongue, upper airway, and face.

Surgical options for sleep apnea include:

• Hypoglossal nerve stimulation to stimulate the nerve under your tongue and keep your airways open. A device is implanted under the skin of your chest and connects to the nerve in your mouth.
• Tonsillectomy to remove your tonsils
• Surgery to remove tissue from your mouth and throat, to help make your upper airway larger
• Upper or lower jaw advancement to move your upper jaw and lower jaw forward, to help make your upper airway larger
• Weight-loss surgery (also called bariatric surgery) if obesity contributes to your sleep apnea and other treatments do not work