If you are someone who is currently struggling with adjusting to a CPAP machine because you have been diagnosed with OSA or Sleep Apnea, we may be able to help.
First of all I need to say that if you have been diagnosed as having “mild” to “moderate” sleep apnea there is a good chance you don’t have to wear the CPAP at night because you could be a candidate for a physician approved oral appliance that will help you get the quality sleep you need. It is a called a Mandibular Advancement Device, or MAD. We work in conjunction with your sleep physician to fit this appliance and then it is “good-bye” to the CPAP.
But….if you have been diagnosed as having “severe” sleep apnea you will probably need to use the CPAP machine, or at the very least give it the best try possible. One of the major complaints of the CPAP wearer is the high amount of air pressure that is being blown into the airway to help keep the airway open. It is this one factor that causes a lot of patients who have been told they need a CPAP to give up and quit wearing it. They simply can’t get used to the high air pressure.
We can use a combined therapy of an oral appliance and the CPAP machine that will allow the Sleep Physician to significantly reduce the amount of air pressure needed to keep the airway open, and therefore reduce or resolve the patient’s Sleep Apnea. Because the Oral Appliance is holding the jaw and tongue slightly forward a resulting improvement of the shape of the airway (air hole) occurs. Because of this change in the airway shape the Sleep Physician does not need to use near the amount of air pressure to open the airway.
Okay….I know it is a little bit hard to explain and is a bit complicated, but the bottom line is this….patients who used to give up and put their CPAP machine aside and continue to suffer from the effects of Sleep Apnea now have an option that will help. And remember, Sleep Apnea is not just a mere annoyance and inconvenience, it is slowly killing people. Statistically it reduces the life span of a person with Sleep Apnea by 7 to 8 years.
Don’t let your loved one ( or yourself ) become of victim of Sleep Apnea when there are ways to effectively treat this condition. Get it checked out, don’t give up and explore the options available to you.
