What is the best treatment for sleep apnea? I am often asked: "What is the best sleep apnea treatment
?" The answer is simple: CPAP is the best treatment for sleep apnea
. But the fact that many of my patients in the
do not understand that CPAP is not only >> << apnea treatment. There are five basic ways to treat sleep apnea. In this article >> << I will briefly describe these five methods. Prior to the development
CPAP, tracheostomy was
gold standard treatment for sleep apnea. This may sound like
extreme option, but it makes a lot of logical sense
. Since sleep apnea is the collapse
upper respiratory tract, if you "punch a hole" in the
bottom of the airway (trachea)
air in and out of the lungs, not caring for airway collapse >>. << It goes without saying that this is not
popular treatment of sleep apnea. Fortunately, CPAP has been developed by
. CPAP was first used to treat sleep apnea
1981 Sullivan and Associates. It now
gold standard treatment of sleep apnea. It works so well because it uses the basic principles of physics
keep the airways open at night. Much like
inflating balloon blowing temperature continuously >> << gently inflates the respiratory tract, so it is not broken
or make a vibrating sound of snoring. The patient wears a mask
on the night to get this pressure in the airways. Although initially it is often difficult to tolerate
, over time, patients become adapted to the
equipment. There are a number of operations that have been
developed for the treatment of sleep apnea, but the most popular
called Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty
(UPPP). UPPP involves cutting back the tab (>> << "punching bag" in the back of the throat) and a floppy >> << tissue on both sides of it. The idea is to
remove the floppy airway tissue is less likely
vibrate (snoring), and collapse. The good thing
operation is that if it works, no more dragging >> << that CPAP machine
everywhere you go. The disadvantage is that it only works
about 30% to 50% of the time, and it >> << are generally not sufficiently effective for severe cases of sleep apnea
. Finally, as a rule, do not >> << a final decision as symptoms of sleep apnea can return
with age. Oral therapy techniques, perhaps the most convenient
treatment of sleep apnea. It involves going to the dentist
, which specializes in oral appliance therapy for
sleep apnea, taking impressions of your teeth
and get a plastic device that fits
close to the upper and lower teeth. There
usually "connector" that attaches to the top to the bottom of >> << that "projections," the lower jaw forward. The idea is that by pulling the jaw forward, you drag

tongue forward. When the tongue is pulled
forward, he looked up from the back of the throat
, opening the airways and reduce the likelihood
airway collapse. They are comfortable >> << that they are easy to travel, hike with,
, and the camp, you should not be near >> << outlet. Lack of oral appliance therapy
you can just pull the jaw so far forward
before it can lead to temporomandibular joint
(temporomandibular joint). Thus, only >> << considered effective for mild to moderate cases of sleep apnea <<. >> Medical management is the least effective treatment for sleep apnea
. It consists of three methods:
weight loss, avoiding sedatives and alcohol
before bedtime, and positional therapy
(sleep on side or with the head of the bed elevated
) . Unfortunately, while weight loss
healthy thing to do in general tend not
have a significant impact on sleep apnea sufficient to
reliable method of treatment. For some patients,
are very overweight, and only a light sleep apnea
, a significant weight loss can be helpful, but
someone with severe sleep apnea, which is only moderately overweight
, weight, weight loss is not usually
effective treatment for sleep apnea. Alcohol and sedatives
it's safe to sleep apnea
worse, but this is rarely the sole cause of sleep apnea
Positional therapy can be helpful for some patients,
, but generally moderate
severe cases of sleep apnea did not respond. It's five main options for the treatment of sleep apnea.
. Beware anything that is not on this list
There are countless products and techniques that
advertised by different vendors, manufacturers and advertising
for the treatment of sleep apnea, but many of the
. is not useful. As always, the first step is the
to make an appointment with the doctor who sleep
can appreciate that you have correctly perform accurate
sleep study, and help you make a decision based on the seriousness of your
sleep apnea. Disclaimer: As with all content on this page >> << this article should be viewed as an educational >> << only. In no case shall be construed as medical advice >>. << If you're worried that you may have a sleep disorder
appointment >> << sleep doctor for proper advice. .