More than just snoring, sleep apnea is a medical disorder that can cause extreme daytime sleepiness, make it difficult to concentrate during the day, and leave one fatigued even after a long night’s rest.

Although most people know CPAP devices treat sleep apnea, there are other choices available.

Read on to discover the top sleep apnea treatment choices and how your dentist might be able to assist you in identifying a more convenient solution.

Sleep apnea: what is it?

One condition that disturbs your breathing while you sleep is sleep apnea. Patients with sleep apnea may stop breathing totally at night or breathe extremely shallowly. Often accompanied by loud snoring, these periods of interrupted breathing—known as “apneas”—may last anything from a few seconds to many minutes.

The most often occurring kind is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which results from a blocked upper airway during sleep. An uncommon kind of sleep apnea, central sleep apnea (CSA) results from the brain’s stopping of delivering signals to the body to breathe, therefore slowing the breathing.

Let’s go over four of the top sleep apnea treatment choices and how they operate to assist you on your road toward peaceful sleep.

1. Oral Instruments: By addressing physical obstruction, several oral devices can help treat sleep apnea. Oral appliances are becoming more and more popular due to their simplicity and convenience. Our recommendation is a mandibular advancement device (MAD), an oral appliance resembling a mouth guard used to stop teeth grinding. A MAD will keep the airway from closing at night and keep the jaw in place. For best comfort and efficacy, we custom-fit them for every patient. Other oral appliances move your tongue forward rather than your jaw, using tongue stabilizing devices (TSDs). These are ideal for those who wear dentures since TSDs never come into touch with teeth in any capacity.

2. PAP equipment: Positive airway pressure (PAP) devices are respiratory ventilated appliances meant to increase oxygen intake and airflow. Using a PAP device entails sleeping and wearing a specific mask over your nose. For obstructive sleep apnea, PAP devices are successful; nonetheless, some patients find them awkward or difficult to use.

3. Lifestyle Modifications: Our dinner, drink, and daily activities during the day can affect our nighttime sleep. Changing specific lifestyle choices might help reduce the severity of sleep apnea and enhance the general quality of sleep.

• • Don’t sleep on your back. Sleeping on your back might impede airflow and strain your airway. Instead, try sleeping on your side.
  • Other sedatives, like alcohol, might disturb sleep patterns and cause airways to relax. Cut off alcohol intake a couple of hours before sleeping.
  • Give up smoking now. Studies reveal that smoking cigarettes can lead to sleeping problems. Quitting smoking can help treat obstructive sleep apnea.
  • Cut extra weight from your life. Too much body fat can strain the tongue and back of the throat, therefore impairing breathing.
  • Increase your workout. Exercise has been shown to help some people treat obstructive sleep apnea, lessen daytime sleepiness, and feel more rested in the morning—even without following weight loss.

4. Surgeons: The best course of action may be surgery if sleep apnea results from enlarged tonsils or adenoids—patches of tissue at the rear of the throat—that obstruct airways. Moreover, deviated septum correction or otherwise nasal airflow encouragement can assist treat sleep apnea.

See the dental sleep experts if you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and are looking for a pleasant and successful fix.