What is the Best Treatment for Sleep Apnea?
Do you or your spouse snore at night? Is the snoring loud or prolonged? This is the most common sign of a sleep disorder known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). When a person suffers from obstructive sleep apnea, their airway collapses and obstructs the airway. It can even cause the person to stop breathing for seconds at a time.
As you can imagine, OSA disrupts the natural sleep cycle, inhibiting your ability to get a quality night’s sleep. You may find that you feel groggy throughout the day and doze off easily. This is especially problematic if you have a long commute to work or if your job requires long stretches of time behind the wheel. Sleep apnea can also lead to other health issues including heart disease and diabetes.
If you snore or feel tired a lot despite sleeping for what seems like a sufficient length of time, you can rest assured that there are a few treatment options. What is the best treatment for sleep apnea? Consider the options and find the best treatment for you.
CPAP Machine
One of the most common treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea is a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine. A CPAP machine consists of a mask you wear over your mouth and nose with a tube that is attached to a machine that produces a continuous flow of air into your airway to keep it open. You only need to use the CPAP machine at night when you sleep to see a positive improvement in the quality of your sleep.
Oral Appliance
Another option for treatment of OSA is an oral appliance. Your dentist can fit you with a mouthpiece that helps to reposition your jaw so that your tongue and the soft tissues of your mouth will not slip back into your throat to block your airway. A sleep apnea appliance is created to fit over your top and bottom rows of teeth to hold your bottom jaw in the ideal position to prevent airway obstruction.
Surgery
In some cases the tonsils are enlarged or there are flaps of tissue in the back of the mouth and throat that cause the blockage to the airway when you sleep. If this is the case, surgery may be recommended to remove the excess tissue.
Which Option is Best?
The right sleep apnea treatment for you depends on your individual situation and preferences. For mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea, an oral appliance is often the preferred method for most patients. The reason is that it is smaller, quieter, and more comfortable to wear than a CPAP machine. It is also affordable, compact for travel, and easy to clean.
A CPAP machine can be uncomfortable to wear and cumbersome to travel with. It can also be difficult to clean, and failure to keep the apparatus clean can result in respiratory infection. However, severe cases of OSA may only be treatable with this method. Speak with your doctor or your dentist about your symptoms and consider undergoing a sleep study to determine the severity of your condition.
If surgery can permanently solve your sleep apnea, that may be your best option. Surgery may cost more up front and require a bit of recovery time, but it may be the best long term solution for those who are ideal candidates.
Doctors Lake Sleep and Wellness Provides Sleep Apnea Treatment
If you or a loved one suffers from obstructive sleep apnea, discuss your symptoms with your doctor and allow our highly specialized team at Doctors Lake Sleep and Wellness to treat your Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Using state-of-the-art equipment, Doctors Lake Sleep and Wellness customizes an oral appliance specifically for you so that you can sleep restfully throughout the night.
Call 904-264-6700 or contact us today to schedule a consultation. We look forward to helping you get better quality sleep.