Sleep Apnea Treatments

Sleep apnea treatments range from conservative measures -- such as losing weight if you are overweight or changing sleep positions -- to surgery.

Behavioral Modifications

In mild cases of sleep apnea, conservative therapy may be all that is needed. Conservative approaches include:

• Lose weight
• Avoid alcohol and sleeping pills
• Change sleep positions to promote regular breathing
• Stop smoking. Smoking can increase the swelling in the upper airway which may worsen both snoring and apnea.
• Avoid sleeping on your back

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a treatment in which a mask is worn over the nose and/or mouth while you sleep. The mask is hooked up to a machine that delivers a continuous flow of air into the nostrils. The positive pressure from air flowing into the nostrils helps keep the airways open so that breathing is not impaired.

Dental Devices

Dental appliances can be made that help keep the airway open during sleep. Such devices can be specifically designed by dentists with special expertise in treating sleep apnea.

Surgery

If you have a deviated nasal septum, markedly enlarged tonsils, or a small lower jaw with an overbite causing the throat to be abnormally narrow, surgery may be needed to correct sleep apnea.

The most commonly performed surgical procedures for sleep apnea include:

• Somnoplasty: A minimally invasive procedure to reduce the soft tissue in the upper airway.
• Nasal surgery: Correction of nasal obstructions such as a deviated septum.
• Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP): A procedure that removes soft tissue on the back of the throat and palate, increasing the width of the airway at the throat opening.
• Mandibular maxillar advancement surgery: Invasive surgery to correct certain facial abnormalities or throat obstructions that contribute to sleep apnea.

Other Options: Pillar Palatal Implant

New research suggests that a simple procedure -- known as the Pillar Palatal Implant -- can reduce snoring and improve sleep for people suffering from snoring and sleep apnea.

The implants work by reducing the movement or vibration of the soft palate with implants designed to stiffen it. Using a special needle, three pieces of polyester mesh are inserted into the soft palate near where it meets the hard palate. Although considered a surgical procedure, implantation takes only about 10 minutes and is done under local anesthesia in a doctor's office.

The implants have been approved by the FDA for snoring and sleep apnea, but their use has been slowed by its price tag, which is upwards of $2,000. The makers of the implants expect that health insurers will begin reimbursing the procedure in one to two years, after more studies on the implants are completed.