For those who suffer from sleep apnea, the quality of their health easily becomes affected. This condition often leads to a variety of issues including, but not limited to: fatigue, depression, irritability, and restlessness. In addition to these, sleep apnea patients may also have an increased risk of associated health complications, such as heart failure, liver problems, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
While initial treatment for sleep apnea may involve medical approaches such as Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy, some sleep apnea patients may explore non-surgical treatments to further enhance their treatment. These treatments, when used in conjunction with continuous medical treatments, can help to increase a patient’s overall health by addressing the root causes of their sleep apnea.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a condition that affects a person’s ability to breathe while they are sleeping. It is caused by an obstruction of the airway or a failure of the brain’s signals to keep the airway open. The two most common types of sleep apnea are obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA).
OSA occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat relax, leading to the soft tissue of the throat collapsing and blocking the airway. This can cause a person to temporarily stop breathing, causing them to snore. CSA, on the other hand, occurs when the brain fails to send signals to regulate breathing. This can lead to long pauses in a person’s breathing and can result in severe restlessness and interruptions in their sleep.
Why Sleep Apnea Causes Poor Health
When a person has sleep apnea, they are not only unable to get the restful sleep that they need, but their body is also unable to get the oxygen that it needs to function properly. This can lead to a variety of related health complications that can have a major impact on a person’s life. Just some of these conditions include:
- Fatigue and drowsiness
- Dental problems
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Liver problems
- Type 2 diabetes
- Depression
- Obesity
These complications can lead to increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and obstructive pulmonary disease. Additionally, a person with sleep apnea may be at higher risk of having automobile accidents due to chronic tiredness. And they may also have a reduced ability to fight off infections.
Advanced Non-Surgical Treatments
A number of non-surgical treatments can be used in combination with other traditional treatments to help reduce the severity of a sleep apnea patient’s symptoms. These treatments help alleviate the underlying cause of a person’s sleep apnea, which can lead to a reduction in the severity of symptoms.
Oral Devices
Oral devices are a type of non-surgical treatment for sleep apnea that gently reposition the jaw to help keep the airway open during sleep. These devices can help alleviate snoring and reduce the number of apneas a person experiences.
Positional Therapy
Positional therapy is a form of non-surgical treatment that involves helping a patient find ways to sleep in a position that will help them to keep their airway open. This can be accomplished by changing the angle of the person’s head, torso, and limbs while they sleep.
Expiratory Positive Airway Pressure Therapy (EPAP)
EPAP therapy is a form of non-surgical treatment that involves using specialized adhesive strips to help keep the airway open during sleep. These strips help create a lightweight vacuum to gently pull the soft tissues in the airway open to allow for more effective breathing.
Mandibular Advancement Devices (MAD)
Mandibular advancement devices are a type of non-surgical treatment for sleep apnea that reposition the jaw in order to keep the airway open during sleep. These devices are customized to a patient’s jaw and are designed to gently reposition the lower jaw to the desired angle.
Conclusion
Sleep apnea can severely affect a person’s ability to get the restful sleep that they need. In addition to causing fatigue and irritability, sleep apnea can also lead to an increased risk of health complications such as heart disease, high blood pressure, liver problems, and obesity. To help combat the effects of sleep apnea on a person’s health, a number of non-surgical treatments can be used to alleviate a person’s symptoms. These treatments focus on addressing the underlying cause of a person’s sleep apnea in order to help improve their overall health.