Snoring And Sleep Apnea: What Are The Facts About Oral Appliances Versus CPAP?
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which your breathing stops for just a very brief moment during routine sleep due to a narrowing or blocking of the airway. People may be experiencing many hundreds of these apnea episodes, or interruptions in breathing, through any one given night. Many people identified as having this medical problem, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), have a significant problem with snoring. Snoring becomes bothersome either for themselves or for a partner, spouse or another family member with whom they’re sleeping.
There are several different common treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea sufferers to get the condition under control, including snoring and apnea episodes. Oral appliances, or OAs, open the upper airway usually by pulling up while the OSA patient inhales and exhales. This will make the airways less narrow, which minimizes snoring and, supposedly, apnea episodes too. Another major treatment for OSA patients is with the usage of continuous positive airway pressure machines. CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machines actually send forced air through the airways, holding them open to avoid apnea and reducing snoring.
Obviously, there is much debate about the various treatments for obstructive sleep apnea and which produces the best results. In some instances, the patient may go through less apnea episodes (which is a positive thing), but then experience more snoring or additional unwanted effects. Investigation by scientists and professionals in the medical community has been conducted, especially over the past decade, to check the effectiveness of CPAP versus other treatments like oral appliances.
CPAP Machines At Wwork
Before diving into the myriad of research projects scientists have conducted with obstructive sleep apnea patients and CPAP technology, you have to first understand how CPAP actively works to get sleep apnea and other symptoms, like snoring, under control. More often than not in sleep apnea patients, the physiological reason for snoring and apnea episodes is because of the relaxation of muscles that occurs. This relaxation causes tissues at the back of the throat along with the uvula to collapse, which ultimately restricts the passage of air. In turn, this has an effect on your breathing during the night.
Whenever a CPAP machine is prescribed for any sleep apnea patient, they’re given a large machine in addition to a CPAP mask. What occurs during the night time is that the patient wears the mask, which is connected to the machine. The CPAP machine forces air — through the CPAP mask — using positive pressure that gets sent to the airway to prevent its obstruction and enhance breathing. In addition to improving breathing, the CPAP mask and machine also reduces snoring.
Research on CPAP Effectiveness
The analysis conducted on CPAP machines have largely focused on their usefulness for reducing snoring, apnea episodes and other symptoms related to obstructive sleep apnea. Considering the entire body of research, you may conclude the CPAP is probably the most effective remedy available on the market for OSA patients. However, there are downsides as well.
Researchers at a university in Tokyo released a study in a 2004 issue of Internal Medicine in which they looked at the patient’s quality of life, depressive symptoms and excessive daytime sleepiness before and after receiving treatment using a CPAP machine. Before treatment with CPAP, scientists found that patients’ total well being was significantly linked to the ratings on their self-depression scales. After treatment, however, self-depression scales reduced significantly as also did the excessive sleepiness scale scores. The experts concluded that treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea with CPAP improves patients’ quality of life by alleviating depression.
Receiving treatment using a CPAP machine in your own home also offers great implications for ones relationship with a spouse or bed partner. Researchers at a university in Chicago, Illinois, published a 2007 study in the American Academy of Sleep Medicine where they examined the sleep of married couples, in both the laboratory and at home. The researchers measured both the husband’s and wives’ quality of life (QOL) using a unique self-report scale, and in addition they required the individuals to take a sleepiness scale.
While the husband’s adjustment to receiving treatment with CPAP was positive and actually raised his QOL scores, the same was not true for the wives. Whether it was the noise from the machine or simply being conditioned to arousal, the wives’ QOL scores were less than the husband’s after receiving treatment with CPAP. Quite simply, the husband adjusted far better to receiving treatment with CPAP than the wives’ did. However, researchers conclude that a longer follow-up period is needed in further research to determine if similar effects are seen.
There are many other types of stop snoring aids that are alternatives to the traditiona CPAP machines, stop snoring mouth guards and other appliances are available that can be a good alternative if you are diagnosed with chronic sleep apnea. Also, there are different types of sugeries that are available that can stiffen the soft tissue at the back of the throat to help eliminate snoring. Before you consider using a snoring mouth guard or other type of appliance, make sure to consult a sleep specialist to rule out sleep apnea.
Making a good effort to make sure you diagose your problem is the best way to be able to find the methods and options that will help you get over your snoring forever.
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