Healthy lifestyle
First of all, it is recommended to try to improve one's lifestyle by pursuing the following objectives:
- Regular physical activity (preferably in the first half of the day)
- Lose weight (a 10% loss of body weight reduces the severity of apnea by 26%)
- Stop smoking (smoking creates airway inflammation that makes apnea worse)
- Avoid sleeping pills and alcohol (which cause the muscles in the throat and tongue to relax, making breathing problems worse).
Sleeping on your side also improves the syndrome by opening the airways more. Similarly, treating allergies reduces nasal congestion and the risk of apnea that they cause.
Medical treatment
Obstructive sleep apnea can be addressed at several levels. The causes and consequences of the disease determine the treatment needed. This may include the use of a mouth tray, the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device with a mask, or surgery. These different treatments reduce respiratory obstruction and improve health.
The mouthpiece
Without any health risk, dental orthosis can be used to keep the lower jaw forward and facilitate the passage of air. Called a “mandibular advancement splint”, this orthosis is mainly used for patients with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
Positive pressure ventilation
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is the standard treatment. This is a mask worn at night, connected to a continuous positive airway pressure device to keep the airway open. The use of a mask at night requires a phase of adaptation. However, this treatment gives very good results:
- Reduction of the feeling of drowsiness within a few days
- Improvement in overall health
- Increased vigilance
- A better memory
High blood pressure and associated risks also tend to decrease.
Surgery
For those who are not accustomed to masks or for whom the beneficial effects are lower, surgery may be considered. Several types of surgery are available to reduce sleep apnea:
- Nose surgery, considered when sleep apnea is promoted by a deformation of the nasal septum or swelling of the cones
- For children: surgery to remove tonsils or vegetations
- Bariatric surgery, considered in the presence of significant obesity
Sunrise can help you!
The best way to treat night-time breathing problems is to make sure that the diagnosis is correct. This is not always easy... The reference test in a hospital setting cannot analyze how sleep is experienced at home. The many sensors used disrupt sleep by forcing the patient to adopt a position in which he or she may not be used to sleeping. Polysomnography is expensive, cannot be repeated easily, and the results take a long time to arrive.
Our sensor is here to help. Lightweight, simple and discreet, it analyzes your sleep and detects any breathing problems from your own bed. The response, fast and reliable, reaches you as soon as you wake up and allows a simplified and much faster medical care.
