My wife (oral surgeon) says the only real solution to sleep apnea is surgery. CPAP machines to her and bunk. I believe she moves the jaw forward to help open up the airway.
Whatever works I guess.
Whatever works I guess.
CPAP is life saving treatment for some. Sleep apnea surgeries have poor success rates https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3480570/
He also suggested palate coblation, which seemed more reasonable. I chose to forgo both of those procedures and eventually ended up with a mandibular advancement device from a TMJ specialist, which has made a huge difference.
Nerve damage occurs in the vast majority of cases. The older you are, the worse the recovery from that seems to be.
CPAP machines may not work for everybody, but there is a significant set of people for whom they clearly do.
They don't work for everyone.
For people (like me) that they work for, the benefit is large, and immediately obvious.
My narrow palate is due to sucking my thumb until I was 9 due to some mental trauma from home fires and moving a lot when I was a kid, changing schools etc. I had braces/headgear until I was 17 and was left with a jaw set too far back. 20 years of growth hormone from working out caused my jaw to grow back into my throat and narrow my airway.
After being dismissed this year by 2 orthodontists who also said I needed orthognathic (jaw) surgery, I began researching on my own and stumbled onto orthotropics and the A.L.F. appliance:
https://www.google.com/search?q=orthotropics&tbm=vid
https://www.google.com/search?q=alf+appliance&tbm=vid
Luckily I found a dentist locally who specializes in this. As an adult, it takes several times longer to move teeth and expand your upper jaw, but it is possible. I'm about 3 months into a 9-18 month treatment and have felt immediate relief. With breathe right strips, I'm back to feeling awake and happy again (I don't know if the strips are as safe as CPAP, especially over the long term though).
I'm also starting myofunctional and osteopathic therapy. It turns out that many problems in the body with posture and breathing start with the teeth/jaw/tongue. Computer geeks are at terribly high risk of these problems due to our sedentary lifestyle. I think Gen X finally reached middle age and is hitting long-predicted health issues like these.
Hope this helps someone.
Some dentists (like mine) offer a removable orthotic [0] that you wear during sleep which accomplishes the required jaw movement and improves sleep quality. It's an alternative to treatment with CPAP that doesn't require anything invasive like surgery.
I haven't undergone this particular treatment myself, but I know from wearing other styles of precisely designed orthotics (both removable and semi-permanent) that they can improve the quality of your breathing, and thus improve the quality of your sleep.
There are few treatments with better cost/effect ratios.
CPAP is by far the best solution for most obstructive sleep apnea patients.
And this is why she is an oral surgeon and not a sleep specialist.
Also, chronic sleep disruption is associated with a cluster of symptoms (impaired insulin sensitivity, lethargy, increased hunger) that make it very difficult to lose weight in a normal/healthy way. Many patients find that they lose 10-20 pounds after starting CPAP with no conscious change in their lifestyle.