Posted: June 15, 2023
Many people think that sleep apnea is a condition that merely makes you snore. However, this sleep disorder can cause far greater inconvenience and harm. If you have sleep apnea, you know it can also prevent or restrict your ability to breathe. In addition to making it difficult to breathe, sleep apnea makes you prone to heart disease and stroke. But we have great news. There are four sleep apnea devices you can use to reduce your sleep apnea complications.
CPAP
Most sleep disorder doctors recommend using a continuous-positive-airway-pressure machine if you have sleep apnea. A continuous-positive-airway-pressure machine is better known as a CPAP machine. The main components of a CPAP machine are the mask you’ll put on before you go to sleep and the tubing, which is attached to the mask, that will continuously send air into your lungs.
APAP
An auto-adjusting-positive-airway-pressure machine (APAP) is similar to a CPAP machine. An APAP machine continuously sends pressurized air into your lungs by way of a mask and tubing. However, APAP machines are designed to lower and raise the pressure of the air that gets sent to your lungs based on how well or poorly you’re breathing at that moment.
BiPAP
A BiPAP is a bilevel-positive-air-pressure machine. Similar to a CPAP machine, the BiPAP machine sends pressurized air into your lungs. However, unlike a CPAP machine–which treats central and obstructive sleep apnea equally well–a BiPAP machine is best used to treat central sleep apnea. A sleep medicine doctor may recommend a BiPAP machine if you have congestive heart failure or a neurological disorder.
Oral Appliances
If the thought of putting on a mask before you go to sleep concerns you, there is another potential solution to your sleep disorder. You may benefit from a mandibular repositioning mouthpiece application. This mouthpiece will hold your jaw in place, so your soft tissue can’t obstruct your airways. Otherwise, the doctor may recommend a tongue-retaining device, which holds your tongue in place, so it doesn’t slip down your airway.
Experienced Sleep Medicine Doctor in Lakewood, CO
Sleep apnea requires treatment if you want to see improvement in your sleep patterns. An experienced sleep medicine practitioner, such as Dr. Greenhalgh of Scott Greenhalgh, DDS, can advise you which sleep apnea remedies are best for you. If you want to learn more about reducing sleep apnea complications, call 303-988-9060 to set up an appointment with one of the best sleep apnea doctors Lakewood, CO, has to offer.
