Sleep Apnea Treatments
Sleep apnea treatments range from lifestyle changes, such as losing weight or changing sleep positions, to CPAP therapy, to surgery.
Treating Sleep Apnea at Home
You may be able to treat mild cases of sleep apnea by changing your behavior, for example:
- Losing weight.
- Avoiding alcohol and sleeping pills.
- Changing sleep positions to improve breathing.
- Stopping smoking. Smoking can increase the swelling in the upper airway, which may worsen both snoring and apnea.
- Avoiding sleeping on your back.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)
There are different ways to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea but the most effective one is using CPAP.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure — also called 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 nose. This air flow helps keep the airways open so that breathing is regular. CPAP is the most common treatment for sleep apnea. There’s also bi-level positive airway pressure, or BPAP, which is similar to CPAP but the air flow changes when you breathe in and then breathe out.