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Treatment of Sleep Apnoea
When sleep apnoea (and snoring) are not severe then simple approaches can help. Losing some weight, not drinking alsohol after 6.00pm (alcohol relaxes the upper airway muscles even more), keeping the nose as clear as possible, and sleeping on one's side or semi propped up can all help.
There are now simple dental devices worn at night, some of which are like sports type gum shields, that can greatly reduce snoring.
When snoring is very objectionable, with the patient and his partner desperate for a solution, then an operation on the back of the throat may help - but this is a last resort and should only be done when a sleep study has shown snoring alone with very little, or no, sleep apnoea.
The only really effective treatment currently used for bad sleep apnoea is nasal continuous airway pressure (nasal CPAP). Because the throat is collapsing it can be help open by slightly pressurised air. To deliver this air a mask is worn during sleep just over the nose and connected to a little quiet pump beside the bed. Breathing is then able to return to normal during sleep with the air gently blowing through the nose, holding open the throat. The response is usually dramatic with greatly improved sleep and disappearance of the daytime sleepiness.
Although these devices are cumbersome to wear, and hardly improve one's appearance, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages with the vast majority of patients deciding to use their machines every night at home after a one night trial in hospital.