7 Alternatives to CPAP to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnoea

CPAP has been a very helpful tool for most obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) sufferers. But unfortunately for other OSA patients, CPAP is not as effective and appropriate as they thought it would be for them.

CPAP machines are used during sleep to enable normal breathing for OSA patients. In the event of OSA, the 10 seconds or longer restricted breathing during sleep can cause various health risks like high blood pressure, stroke, and heart ailments if ignored. So if a patient doesn’t find CPAP as an appropriate relief to obstructive sleep apnoea, they should immediately find alternative treatment suit to their liking and they find more effective.

The following are some of the alternatives to CPAP machine that can be effective to anyone suffering from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).

1. Positional Therapy – This is a simple way to find relief for OSA during sleep. Positional therapy simply assess the best sleeping side wherein patients experience less airway obstruction. This could be assessed through sleep test in hospitals or can also be conducted at home.
2. Mandibular Advancement Appliance – is a mouth device that increase the size of the upper airway and lessens air resistance which causes the obstruction in the breathing pattern. This is only advisable for patients with mild to moderate OSA.
3. Uvulectomy – This is a procedure to widen the airway by removing excess tissue in the soft palate. Having a wider airway makes it easier for the air to move through the throat and prevent sleep apnoea and snoring. The procedure is effective for patients with mild to moderate OSA case.
4. Tonsils/Adenoids Removal – Most of the time, enlarged tonsils and adenoids contribute to snoring. Removing them will help avoid OSA and its complications.
5. Maxillomandibular Advancement – This surgery for severe OSA is for patients with shortened upper or lower jawbones. The procedure is used to lengthened and move the upper and lower jawbones forward to have a long lasting relief from snoring and sleep apnoea.
6. Tongue Reduction – In some cases, the snoring and obstruction in breathing is caused by enlarged tongue which can be reduced with a tongue surgery.
7. Weight Loss – obesity is a major contributing factor to snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea as fat tissue can build up around the throat that causes airway obstruction. Medical weight loss or weight loss management will be advised to address the obesity and eventually prevent obstructive sleep apnoea.

There are a lot of options for treating obstructive sleep apnoea. Although CPAP machines are still the most used relief for OSA, there are better and long term relief for OSA like the treatments and procedures mentioned above.