Can Obstructive Sleep Apnea be Cured? Exploring Treatment Options and Long-Term Outcomes

Obstructive sleep apnea increases the risk of serious health issues including heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes. Excessive daytime fatigue from the resulting sleep deprivation also increases your risk of a traffic accident and workplace injuries.

Once diagnosed, obstructive sleep apnea can be treated with a range of options to reduce these health risks. The treatment depends on the severity of the disorder and its cause.

However, can obstructive sleep apnea be cured through these treatment options?

Can Obstructive Sleep Apnea Be Cured?

Obstructive sleep apnea?can be treated and managed, but it is rarely cured. Lifestyle changes and treatment options like CPAP can reduce, and in some instances, eliminate obstructive sleep apnea symptoms to improve the quality of your sleep.

You will need to continue to manage the disorder to prevent symptoms from returning. While surgery has the potential to cure sleep apnea by removing an anatomical issue causing the blockage to the airways, it is more likely to reduce symptoms and help with the effectiveness of other treatment methods.

Lifestyle Changes

For those diagnosed with mild to moderate sleep apnea, lifestyle changes may significantly reduce symptoms. Such changes could include:

• Weight loss: Obesity is a primary contributing risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea. Your healthcare provider will work with you to find a suitable weight loss plan?that may include a healthier diet including more fruit and vegetables, plus increased exercise.
• Quit smoking: Smoking can increase the risk of inflammation and a narrowing of the airways. Even non-smokers can be affected by inflammation if they are often around a smoker.
• Avoid alcohol: Consuming alcohol before bed can impact airflow as it is a relaxant that can worsen the obstruction of the airways.
• Improved sleep hygiene: Adopting a consistent bedtime routine can help promote sleep, as can a quiet bedroom environment with a comfortable temperature and no light-emitting screens.
• Breathing exercises: Exercises centered around strengthening the throat and mouth muscles to improve tone could help prevent the collapse of tissues that obstruct the airways.

Sleep Position

If you tend to sleep on your back, gravity pulling the tongue back into the mouth and obstructing the airways could contribute to your sleep apnea.?

Therefore, your healthcare provider or sleep specialist may recommend sleeping on your side as this could ease your breathing difficulties and reduce your sleep apnea symptoms.?

This can take a little getting used to if you usually sleep on your back. An old trick is to sew something like a tennis ball into the base of the top you sleep in to force you to sleep on your side.

Another solution if you struggle to sleep on your side is to use a pillow wedge or raise your bed to prop up your body. Sleeping at this angle can help keep the airways clear of obstruction.

Treat Allergies

Allergies can cause nasal congestion that restricts airflow and worsens obstructive sleep apnea symptoms. Congestion caused by allergens can also make sleep more difficult and hinder sleep apnea treatment.

It is not always possible to avoid the allergens that cause your allergies, and therefore your healthcare provider may prescribe medication or recommend a saline spray to help ease congestion.

Congestion from colds and flu also needs addressing to prevent exacerbating obstructive sleep apnea symptoms.

Sleep Apnea Treatment Options

Sleep apnea treatments manage the disorder to reduce and occasionally eliminate symptoms. They are generally recommended to people with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, who are also likely to have been advised to make some lifestyle changes. Options include:

• CPAP: This device delivers a continuous stream of pressurized air through a mask worn while you sleep. The air is pressurized to a setting to keep the airways free from obstruction.
• BiPAP: Similar to CPAP, the air pressure with a BiPAP is lowered when exhaling which some users find easier to tolerate.
• APAP: This device monitors breathing patterns as you sleep and automatically adjusts air pressure settings accordingly.
• Oral appliance: This is a custom-fitted device that is placed in the mouth to help keep the airways open, usually by moving the jaw forward or by preventing the tongue from falling back toward the airways.
• Nasal appliance: An emerging option known as EPAP uses two valves that cover the nostrils while you sleep. EPAP does not require a device or a mask as it uses exhaled air to create pressure to keep the airways clear.
• Hypoglossal nerve stimulation: This involves an implanted device that monitors your breathing as you sleep, using the rhythm of your breathing to stimulate the hypoglossal nerve to move the tongue forward and prevent it from falling back and blocking the airways.
• Surgery: When obstructive sleep apnea is caused by an anatomical feature, surgery may be considered an option if other treatments are not successful at reducing breathing problems. Examples of surgery include an uvulopalatopharyngoplasty to remove soft tissues toward the back of the throat or a septoplasty to correct a crooked septum obstructing airflow.

Can Obstructive Sleep Apnea Be Cured in Children?

Our anatomy is generally fixed following adolescence, which makes obstructive sleep apnea management more feasible than a cure. However, with children, there is a greater chance of eliminating sleep apnea symptoms.

Larger than average tonsils or adenoids are common causes of obstructive sleep apnea for children. An adenotonsillectomy?is surgery to remove enlarged adenoids and tonsils if this is a contributing factor to a child’s sleep apnea.?

The surgery will eliminate sleep apnea symptoms for many children. However, there is a possibility the adenoids and tonsils will grow back in some children.

Obstructive sleep apnea can be managed through lifestyle changes and treatment options to reduce and sometimes eliminate symptoms. This improves sleep and decreases the risk of serious health issues linked to sleep apnea left untreated.

When considering if obstructive sleep apnea be cured, it is a no in most cases, as the anatomy of the airway in adults is developed and permanent. However, even reducing sleep apnea symptoms can have a major impact on quality of life.