The specific therapy for sleep apnea is tailored to the individual patient based on medical history, physical examination and the results of a sleep study. There are currently no effective pharmacological agents available to treat OSA.
Behavioral changes may be all that is needed in mild cases of sleep apnea, including avoidance of alcohol, tobacco, and sleeping pills, which make the airway more likely to collapse during sleep and prolong the apneic periods.
In some patients with mild sleep apnea, breathing pauses occur only when they sleep on their backs. In such cases, use of pillows and other devices that help them sleep in a side position is often helpful.
Physical or mechanical therapy procedures include nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), in which the patient wears a mask over the nose during sleep, and air pressure from a pump prevents airway collapse. The air pressure is adjusted so that it is just enough to prevent the throat from collapsing during sleep.
Dental appliances that reposition the lower jaw and the tongue have been helpful to some patients with mild sleep apnea or who snore but do not have apnea.
Surgery helps many patients with sleep apnea. Some of the more common procedures include removal of adenoids and tonsils (especially in children), nasal polyps or other growths or tissue in the airway and correction of structural deformities.
