4 Cheap Ways to Treat Sleep Apnea

Think nightmares are your biggest bedtime problem? Think again. An estimated 22 million Americans suffer from a condition calledsleep apnea, a disorder that causes people to temporarily stop breathing in their sleep. (And most cases go undiagnosed.) Sounds scary, right?

Well, it’s certainly serious. Those pauses in breathing not onlyinterfere with sleep quality, but can also increase your高血压的风险, stroke, andheart failure. With so much at stake, finding a treatment is important. Problem is,many of the options can be priceyand unwieldy. Read on for some cheaper alternatives.

What to Know About Conventional Treatments

When people talk about sleep apnea, they’re likely referring to the “obstructive” kind.Obstructive sleep apneais caused by a blockage — like, say, your tongue — in the body’s breathing passages. (Another condition, called central sleep apnea, also exists, but it’s rare and occurs when a person’s brain shuts off the body’s signal to keep breathing.)

Right now, experts’ go-to fix is a device called a continuous positive airway pressure machine (CPAP), which can supply your body with air via a hose and mask piece.

“CPAP treatment inflates the throat with air to keep the airway open during sleep,” says Peter Fotinakes, MD, the medical director of thebob ios下载 Center at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California. It also “successfully treats obstructive apnea about 90 percent of the time,” he adds.

机器有许多不同的尺寸,可以cost anywhere from about $1,000 to $5,000 for a complete setup. The good news is that most insurance companies consider CPAPs to be medical necessities and therefore, depending on your policy, should at least partially cover the costs. The bad news is that some people think CPAP masks are bulky and simply stop using them.

For those who can’t tolerate a CPAP machine, there’s another, second-line treatment option: Upper airway stimulation (UAS), which requires a surgical implant and “involves placement of a nerve stimulation system inside a patient that is then turned on every night during sleep,” says Eric J. Kezirian, MD, a professor of otolaryngology – head and neck surgery at the University of Southern California. UAS keeps a person’s air passages obstruction-free by stimulating the muscles that prop up the tongue. Not only are there minimal risks involved, but studies also show that this treatment can really improve breathing, says Dr. Kezirian. The downside?The procedure startsat $30,000.

Talk to your doctor about whatsleep apnea treatmentis right for you. And in the meantime, consider these four cheaper options:

Mouthpieces

For people with mild or moderate sleep apnea (and those who sleep on their backs), mouthpieces can be a cheap, effective breathing aid. Popular versions look a lot like athletic mouth guards and are available with or without a prescription. Lower-cost ones can start at just $20, while expensive ones can be around $200 and require fittings with adentistor orthodontist.

When we sleep, our muscles relax, which may cause the lower jaw or tongue to fall backward and restrict our air passages. “Dental appliances open the throat by jutting the lower jaw forward, taking the tongue with it,” says Dr. Fotinakes.

Nasal Patches

If you breathe through your nose at night, there’s a good chance that you’re a candidate for a nasal patch. Here’s how it works: The device has two patches that fit over each nostril and a valve that fits just inside the nose. That valve creates pressure when you exhale and helps keep the nostrils open while you sleep.

The device requires aprescription, and although some policies will cover it, others may not. In that case, the cost can run about $60 to $80 a month. Still nasal patches can be worth it, especially because studies indicate that they work well.

Positional Therapy

If you have mild sleep apnea, there’s a chance that you stop breathing only when you lie on your back, according to theAmerican Sleep Apnea Association. In that case, you may be able to teach yourself to sleep on your side.

One option: Before you go to bed, place a tennis ball in a sock and pin it to the back of your pajama top. That should keep you from unconsciously rolling over onto in the middle of the night.

Another option is to buy a specialty pillow, which is designed to keep you from sleeping on your back. While they’re more comfortable than a tennis ball, these pillows can run anywhere from $40 to $400.

Weight Loss

Since obesity can make a person’ssleep apnea symptomsworse and more difficult to manage, weight reduction is the most natural sleep apnea treatment available, says Fotinakes. Depending on how much you currently weigh though, it may not be the cheap. (Nor is it always easy.) But consider this: Obesity is a leading cause of many preventable illnesses, and the treatments for those diseases can end up being more expensive than losing weight. That makes it worth the effort.