My Life and Sleep Apnea

If you have sleep apnea then you probably searched out every possible remedy imaginable. From mouth exercises to playing the didgeridoo to more traditional cures such as surgery and the CPAP machine. It is a lot to consider because some things work for some folks and others don’t. Surgery, at least some surgery, can take a long time to recover from and may only have a small chance at working. The usual fix for sleep apnea is the CPAP machine, which also has issues for many sleep apnea sufferers, such as not being able to get used to the mask and the air blowing down your airway. Another option would be dental devices , but from what I have read in the past their success has only been minimal. A new study is suggesting that may not be true. According to a press release from the website ihatecpap.com “CPAP can no longer be considered the "Gold Standard" of treatment for mild to moderate sleep apnea. There is a rapidly changing dynamic in the field of sleep medicine. It ...

Luckily there are many remedies besides the CPAP ( although it is probably the most popular ) that are effective remedies for sleep apnea. I recently wrote about throat exercises to tighten loose tissue in the back of the mouth, it may not cure your sleep apnea but it may help. Playing the didgerido o, a musical instrument, also helps to unblock the airway. And there are also dental devices , also called oral appliances that you may want to try. In a previous post I described MAD or the mandibular advancement device , a device that is fitted in your mouth to push forward the jaw which helps keep the airway open. There is also a dental device TRD or tongue retraining device. What happens with the TRD is the tongue is kept in place by a splint which in turn keeps the airway open. Of course dental devices like the CPAP aren’t for everyone. If you have severe obstructive sleep apnea dental devices might not be enough, using a cpap or surgery might be your only option. And you might ...