Sleep apnea is a very serious sleep disorder that causes a person to stop breathing while they are sleeping. This can cause a wide array of health complications ranging from heart failure to stroke to diabetes. But once you have been diagnosed, what will you use for treatment? There are many different sleep apnea machines you can choose from. Read on to learn more.
Oral Appliances
One of the major sleep apnea causes is a collapsed airway at the back of a person’s throat and neck. These oral appliances look very similar to a mouth guard and will support the jaw, keeping it in a forward position. This will keep the airway open during sleep, and is a great method of treatment for those who suffer from extreme obstructive sleep apnea.
Weight Loss
If you are overweight, there is a very high possibility you will suffer from sleep apnea. In overweight people, fatty tissues build up and line the airways. This narrows the airways, thus making it harder to breathe. Sometimes, simple lifestyle changes as changing your diet and loosing weight will cause sleep apnea to go away on its own.
Oral Medicines
As sleep apnea happens during the night, it is possible to suffer from extreme fatigue during the day. There are many prescription medications you can take to help you stay awake during the day so you do not have to face the potential risks and dangers that comes with being exceptionally drowsy.
CPAP Machines
The most common form of treatment for sleep apnea is a CPAP machine. This stands for continuous positive airway pressure, and works by blowing a consistent stream of air up your nose to hold the airways up while sleeping.
CPAP machines consist of three parts:
1. A mask that fits over your nose with a nasal pillow.
2. A motor that blows air.
3. A large tube, called a cannula, that connects the motor to the mask.
Typically, these CPAP machines are the size of a shoe box and do not make much noise. Not only will these machines reduce your snoring, but they will cause you to have a better quality of sleep, and you will feel like a brand new person with just one use!
