Treatment of sleep apnea is usually started with small lifestyle changes depending on the possible cause of the problem, so when apnea is caused by being overweight, for example, it is recommended to consult a nutritionist to establish a nutritional plan to lose weight in order to improve breathing.
When sleep apnea is caused or aggravated by smoking, it is advisable to stop smoking or reduce the number of cigarettes smoked per day, to avoid inflammation of the airways and facilitate the passage of air.
- However.
- In the most severe cases.
- Such as when it is not possible to treat sleep apnea with these small changes.
- Other forms of treatment.
- Which are usually the use of CPAP or surgery.
- May be recommended.
CPAP is a device, similar to an oxygen mask, but that pushes air into the lungs through the inflamed tissues of the throat, allowing normal breathing that does not interrupt sleep and therefore allows for more restful sleep.Learn more about how this device works.
Normally, this device is only indicated in cases of complete airway obstruction during sleep or when it is not possible to improve symptoms with routine changes.
However, using CPAP can be uncomfortable and, as a result, many people choose to try other CPAP-type devices or perform surgery to correct the problem.
Surgical treatment of sleep apnea is usually only indicated when other forms of treatment do not work, it is recommended to try these treatments for at least 3 months; However, in some cases, it is necessary to modify the facial structures to correct the problem and, therefore, surgery can be considered the first form of treatment.
The main types of surgery that are performed to treat this problem include:
In addition, all surgeries can be adapted to treat each person’s specific problem and therefore it is very important to discuss all treatment options with your doctor.
Signs of improvement can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks to appear, depending on the type of treatment, and include a decrease or absence of snoring during sleep, a lower feeling of fatigue during the day, headache relief, and the ability to sleep without waking up at night.
Signs of worsening occur when treatment is not started and include increased fatigue during the day, waking up several times during the day with severe shortness of breath, and loud snoring during sleep, for example.