Can you cure sleep apnea? Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts while a person is sleeping. It affects millions of people worldwide and can lead to serious health complications if left untreated. But can you cure sleep apnea? Let’s talk about this.
First, it’s important to understand that sleep apnea is a chronic condition, meaning it cannot be cured completely. However, the severity of sleep apnea can can sometimes be reduced through lifestyle and behavioral changes.
Lifestyle and Behavior Changes to Improve Sleep Apnea
Here are some ‘natural remedies’ that can help manage sleep apnea symptoms:
Lose Weight: Excess weight is a common risk factor for sleep apnea, so losing weight can help improve symptoms.
Avoid Alcohol and Sedatives: Alcohol and sedatives can relax the muscles in your throat, making it more difficult to breathe during sleep.
Change Sleeping Position: Sleeping on your back can make sleep apnea worse. Try sleeping on your side or with your head in an elevated position to help keep your airway open.
Exercise Regularly: Regular exercise can help strengthen the muscles in your throat, making it less likely that they will collapse during sleep.
Use a Humidifier: Dry air can irritate the tissues in your throat, making it more difficult to breathe. Using a humidifier can help keep the air moist and reduce symptoms.
Medical Treatments for OSA
If lifestyle changes and natural remedies don’t improve your sleep apnea symptoms, your doctor may recommend medical treatments.
Here are some medical options for treating sleep apnea:
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Therapy: CPAP therapy involves wearing a mask over your nose and/or mouth while you sleep. The mask is connected to a machine that delivers a continuous stream of air pressure to keep your airway open.
Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT): A non-invasive treatment for sleep apnea that involves wearing a custom-fitted dental appliance to keep the airway open during sleep.
Surgery: Surgery may be an option if other treatments haven’t worked. Surgical options for sleep apnea include uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), which removes excess tissue from the throat, and maxillomandibular advancement (MMA), which repositions the jaw to keep the airway open.
Surgical Implant: The Inspire sleep apnea device is a surgically implanted device that delivers mild stimulation to key airway muscles during sleep to keep the airway open.
While sleep apnea cannot be cured completely, it can be managed effectively with the right treatment plan. Lifestyle changes and natural remedies can help improve symptoms in many cases, but medical treatments like CPAP therapy and surgery may be necessary for more severe cases.
If you think you may have sleep apnea, it’s important to speak with your doctor. They can help you determine the best course of treatment to manage your symptoms and improve your overall health and quality of life.
New CPAP alternative treatment: EPAP – CPAP therapy is the most popular treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. While it is common, the bulky masks and tubes that come with most CPAP machines are major negatives of this sleep apnea therapy option. For OSA sufferers who cannot tolerate CPAP, there have been several alternative treatments that have sprung up in recent years. EPAP therapy has emerged as an effective CPAP alternative for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.
EPAP vs. CPAP Therapy
CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure; CPAP therapy works by pushing a continuous stream of air into the throat, keeping the airway open throughout the night. This prevents the airway from closing or collapsing during sleep and allows for uninterrupted breathing. A CPAP machine requires electricity, distilled water, a mask, and tubing to work. CPAP therapy is effective at treating sleep apnea.
EPAP stands for Expiratory Positive Airway Pressure; EPAP therapy works by creating pressure when exhaling, keeping the airway open until the next inhale. This allows for normal breathing by preventing airways from closing during sleep. An EPAP device seals with nostrils and does not require electricity to work. Bongo Rx is an FDA-cleared new CPAP alternative for the effective treatment for mild or moderate obstructive sleep apnea.
Reasons You Can’t Use CPAP
There are several reasons some OSA patients cannot tolerate CPAP therapy. The bulky machine and time-consuming set up may be too big of a hindrance for some. Sleeping with a mask covering both the nose and mouth can be uncomfortable. Using a CPAP machine also comes with side-effects including stomach bloating, skin irritation due to the mask, and dry nose and throat after waking up. All these problems make it difficult for some users to consistently use their CPAP machine, which is important for effective sleep apnea therapy.
New CPAP Device Alternative: EPAP is Convenient Treatment for Sleep Apnea
Patients generally prefer EPAP therapy to CPAP therapy.1 The convenience of EPAP therapy is one of its top selling points. The Bongo Rx is one of the most convenient options in the EPAP device market. Portable and reusable, the Bongo Rx uses soft silicone nasal pillows that fit snuggly into your nostrils. Requiring no electricity, masks, or tubing, you can use it anytime or anywhere you fall asleep, including during air travel.
Some symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea for you to consider. Do you often get woken up in the middle of the night by a severe coughing fit? Does your sleeping partner complain about your loud snoring? Restless nights and not getting enough hours of sleep are so normalized in our fast-paced world that bad sleeping patterns may not seem out of the ordinary. However, nighttime coughing fits and loud snoring may be signs you have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Obstructive sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder that causes your breathing to repeatedly stop and start while you sleep. Out of the different types of sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea is the most common. It occurs when your throat muscles intermittently relax, collapsing the airway during sleep and blocking normal breathing. Loud snoring is one of the more obvious obstructive sleep apnea symptoms, but there are other signs to look out for.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Symptoms
If you experience one or more of these symptoms listed below, there is a chance you are suffering from obstructive sleep apnea.
Loud snoring
Abrupt awakening accompanied by gasping or choking
Periods of stopped breathing during sleep
Excessive daytime sleepiness
Morning headaches
Waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat
Nighttime sweating
Difficulty concentrating during the day
Mood changes such as depression or irritability
High blood pressure
Decreased libido
Consult with your doctor on how to get a diagnosis and the different methods of treatment for sleep apnea if you are experiencing the following:
Your snoring is disturbing you and your sleeping partner’s sleep
Regularly waking up gasping or choking
You stop breathing intermittently during sleep
Excessive daytime drowsiness causes you to fall asleep at work or while driving
How to Get an Obstructive Sleep Apnea Diagnosis
In order to be diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, you will need to consult with your doctor. They will make an evaluation based on your signs and symptoms as well as the results of some tests. If they think its necessary, they may refer you to a sleep specialist for further evaluation.
With a physical examination, your doctor will look at the back of your throat, mouth, and nose to check for extra tissues or other abnormalities. They may also check your blood pressure, your weight, and your neck circumference. A sleep specialist will conduct additional evaluations in order to reach an obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis, which can include multiple tests.
Polysomnography (PSG).This sleep study hooks you up to equipment to monitor your heart, lung, and brain activity, breathing patterns, leg and arm movements, and blood oxygen levels while you sleep. Conducted as a full-night study or split-night study at a sleep lab, a polysomnography test can diagnosis you with OSA and help rule out other sleep disorders.
Home Sleep Testing (HST). Depending on the circumstances, your doctor might provide you with a version of the sleep test that you can do at home. This test measures airflow, breathing patterns, blood oxygen levels, limb movements, and snoring intensity.
Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea
After being diagnosed with OSA, there are several treatment methods your doctor may suggest. Lifestyle changes such as losing weight, regularly exercising, and quitting cigarettes are often recommended. If these changes don’t improve your sleep, there are a few therapies your doctor can recommend. Positive airway pressure, also known as CPAP therapy, is the most common, while surgery (see Inspire Sleep Apnea Device) is the most extreme option.
For those who can’t tolerate CPAP or want to avoid the bulky machines, masks, and hoses, expiratory positive airway pressure or EPAP therapy is an effective CPAP alternative. Those who want to try EPAP should consider the Bongo RX. The Bongo RX is a reusable sleep apnea nasal device that delivers convenient and effective EPAP therapy wherever you fall asleep. It is FDA-cleared to treat mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea.
Learn About The New CPAP Alternative That Does Not Require a Machine, Mask or Hose – Bongo Rx EPAP Therapy
