In this part we will be looking at how sleep apnea is treated.

Part 4 of 5 – Sleep Apnea Education series

Today, lets look at how sleep apnea is treated from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.

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

Remember in a previous part we looked why not seeking treatment can be a risky proposition with long range effects.

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.

If you have sleep apnea, talk to your doctor or sleep specialist about the treatment options that are most appropriate for your specific condition.

Lifestyle changes and/or mouthpieces may be enough to relieve mild sleep apnea. People who have moderate or severe sleep apnea may need breathing devices or surgery.

The full article covers the varies types of treatment.  Seeing this is a Hosehead blog I will focus on just Continuous Positive Air Pressure (or CPAP) treatment.

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.

This is the treatment I was prescribed.  During my sleep study different air pressures were tested and my sleep Dr set a pressure of 7cmH2O.

See other Education articles on Hosehead Life.  (Including all 5 parts of this Sleep Apnea Education series.)