Getting a good night’s rest is necessary for a person to feel energized and ready for the following day ahead. Apart from this, a good night’s sleep paves the way for the body to recuperate from the exhaustion brought about by a busy day. Thus, it is important for people with sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, to seek the necessary treatment and be able to catch up on their much-needed sleep.
CPAP Therapy
CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure, is one of the most common treatments for people suffering from sleep apnea. As part of this treatment, patients are required to wear masks for sleep apnea that either covers the nose and mouth, or the nose only. A tube connects the mask to the motor of the CPAP machine, which blows air into the tube. This therapy is specifically intended for obstructive sleep apnea wherein not enough air reaches the lungs.
Oral Appliance
For people who are not really into wearing a mask, an oral or dental appliance is deemed as another popular option to treat sleep apnea. These oral appliances prevent the airway from collapsing by holding the person’s tongue in position so that he or she can breathe while sleeping. However, this treatment is only recommended for people who have mild to moderate sleep apnea.
Positional Therapy
Positional therapy is a behavioral strategy that is intended to treat positional sleep apnea. There are certain people who encounter this sleep disorder only when they sleep on their back, or the supine position. Often times, their breathing returns to normal when they shift on their side. In order to ensure that these patients sleep on their side, patients are required to wear a special device on their waist or back.
Weight Management Program
There are instances wherein all it takes to fight this sleep disorder is losing weight. This is because overweight people often have thicker tissue in their throat that may block their airway. However, losing weight doesn’t provide a guarantee that the sleep apnea of an individual can be cured.
Surgery
Finally, there is still the option of surgery for those who are suffering from sleep apnea. With the proper surgery, the extra tissue in a person’s throat is reduced or eliminated to free his or her airway from obstruction. While there are surgeries that may prove to be less invasive, there are also those which are overly complex. Thus, it can be deemed that the success of the surgery greatly depends on the particular level of a person’s sleep apnea condition.
Sleep apnea inhibits a person from getting the necessary sleep he needs to be able to get rejuvenated. While there are several home remedies that can relieve an individual from this sleep disorder, it is still important for people suffering from sleep apnea to consult a medical professional and get the proper treatment. This is to ensure that they will be able to catch up on their sleep and guarantee that they have the energy they need to conquer the next day ahead.