Your Guide to Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment Options
Approximately 22 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea – a common sleep disorder.
If you have this disorder, your health depends on treating it the right way. You might wonder what the best obstructive sleep apnea treatment is, and we’ve got you covered.
Doctors treat this disorder in several ways, but what are the different treatment options? In this guide, we’ll discuss the best options you can choose to treat this common sleep disorder.
Learning the Diagnosis and Severity of the Condition
The first step in treating obstructive sleep apnea is getting the diagnosis from your doctor. Your doctor can do this by performing several tests.
First, the doctor might discuss the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea with you. Here are some of them:
- Snoring while sleeping
- Gasping for air while asleep
- Dry mouth when waking up
- Irritability and fatigue
Next, the doctor might order a polysomnography, which is a sleep study. During this test, you must spend the night at a clinic where they will hook up various machines to you.
The machines track various things, including your heart rate, blood pressure, and movement.
With these tests, your doctor can diagnose sleep apnea. If you get this diagnosis, you might want to ask your doctor, “what is obstructive sleep apnea?”
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition that causes a person to stop breathing while sleeping. When the person stops breathing, they wake up. As a result, a person with sleep apnea is prone to feeling tired all the time.
People with sleep apnea also may experience trouble focusing and might have a higher risk of other health problems.
Some of the health risks you face if you fail to treat your sleep apnea include increased risks of heart attacks, heart disease, diabetes, depression, and high blood pressure.
After diagnosing your condition, your doctor might want to consider the severity of your sleep apnea before recommending a treatment plan.
Some people have minor cases of sleep apnea, while others might have more serious cases. The treatment your doctor recommends depends on the severity of your situation.
Choosing a Treatment Option
By now you might wonder how to treat obstructive sleep apnea. You can talk to your doctor about the treatment options, but ultimately, you might get to choose.
The best way to choose the right treatment plan is by following these tips:
- Get the diagnosis
- Find out the severity of your case
- Learn about the possible options for treating sleep apnea
- Ask your doctor for a recommendation
- Research the options
- Make an informed decision
When you find the right treatment plan, you might see some visible improvements in how you feel. You’ll also reduce your risks of developing other health problems.
Here are some of the top benefits of choosing the right treatment plan for your sleep apnea:
- You will sleep better
- You will feel more rested and energetic
- You will have a better attention span
- You can protect your heart
- You can reduce your chances of developing health problems from your sleep apnea
If you are ready to feel better and live a healthier life, you can start learning the treatment options.
The Best Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment Options
While there are numerous ways to treat this issue, there are some common methods. Here are some of the best obstructive sleep apnea treatment options available today:
Lifestyle Changes
When people have minor cases of sleep apnea, they might be able to reverse it by making a few lifestyle changes. For example, if you are overweight, losing weight might solve the problem.
If you smoke, your doctor might recommend quitting. Adding exercise to your life might also help, and limiting your alcohol can make a difference.
If you prefer natural remedies, you might want to try making these changes to see if it makes a difference.
Oral Mouthpiece
People with minor cases of obstructive sleep apnea might also choose to treat the condition with an oral mouthpiece. When you get a custom-made mouthpiece, you’ll put it in your mouth before going to sleep.
The purpose of the mouthpiece is to create a gap between your tongue and throat. The result is that it helps your airway stay open while you sleep, which can help you keep breathing all night.
CPAP Machine
CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure, and a CPAP machine is a common form of treatment for sleep apnea. When you use this, you place a breathing apparatus over your mouth and nose.
The apparatus hooks to a machine that forces air into your mouth and nose while you sleep. The purpose is to keep you breathing all night.
These machines work well, but they can be uncomfortable for some people.
Jaw or Tongue Surgery
People with severe cases of sleep apnea might decide to use a surgical method to treat their sleep apnea. For example, you can have jaw or tongue surgery to shift these body parts enough to help you breathe easier.
Inspire Surgery
The final option is the Inspire CPAP alternative, which is also a surgical procedure you can use for treating sleep apnea.
This procedure is an outpatient procedure that requires no recovery time afterward. During it, the doctor inserts a small device into your chest, and you receive a small remote to operate it.
You use the remote to turn on the device before sleeping, and the device helps you breathe easier.
You can have the device removed at any time if you don’t want to use it any longer, but this is an effective option to consider.
So, which is the best obstructive sleep apnea treatment? You can talk to your doctor to determine the right answer for your situation.
Research Your Options to Find the Best One
If your doctor diagnoses you with sleep apnea, you’ll need to find the best treatment option for your case. You can discuss obstructive sleep apnea treatment options with your doctor to find the best one.
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