Monday, August 22, 2011

Effective ways for sleep apnea treatment


Because sleep apnea can be very stressful and serious disorder its treatment is important. There are two goals in the treatment of sleep apnea. The first is to reduce symptoms and the second is to stabilize breathing patterns. Treatment depends on the severity of the disease. Here some of option for sleep apnea treatment you can try.

Lifestyle changes. It's called behavioral therapy too. The goals of changing lifestyle are to change habits, activities, and way of life. Such as, reducing weight can considerably lessen sleep apnea as overweight can significantly cause the narrowing of the airway. It's also necessary to keep away from alcohol, sedatives, and other medicines that can cause throat muscles relax and may cause sleepiness. Keeping away from tobacco is important too. 

In addition, It's helpful for people with sleep apnea to sleep on the back rather than on the side. Sleeping on the back can relax the tongue and palate more and thus block the air ways. For keeping the nasal passages open, it's recommended using saline nasal sprays. 

Surgeries. The goal of surgical operation is to maintain the air way wide and open, thus let the free air flowing. Surgical operation is usually performed on those with serious sleep apnea, But what kind of surgery to undergo is depend on its cause. There are surgeries that remove excess tissues from the throat and soft palate that block the airway. Others, meanwhile, shrink tissues in the mouth and throat.

Device. Treatment for sleep apnea with diverse severities use breathing and oral devices. For instances, continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) and mouthpiece. CPAP is a mask like device connected to a machine that is suggested for people with moderate and severe apnea. CPAP is worn over the nose while sleeping and brings pressurized air to avoid the airway from narrowing. 

Successful treatment of sleep apnea is probably determined by the commitment of the person as the treatments mentioned above can be quite difficult to maintain. For example, changing lifestyle. Probably it will be difficult for some people to reduce weight or stay away from alcohol. In the end, it is still about healthy living. It is about taking steps toward eliminating the dangers of sleep apnea.

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