Sleep apnea is a condition where a person experiences complete obstruction in breathing throughout the night. This sleep disorder could either go unnoticed, leading them to believe that they have a regular sleep cycle or could result in waking up and gasping for air in the middle of the night. Snoring is one of the most common symptoms of sleep apnea and can get ignored on most occasions.

There are several treatment methods available for this condition. The most common and recommended treatment option is wearing a CPAP mask at night. However, this can be uncomfortable for many patients. Here are some alternative treatments for sleep apnea:

1. Use a humidifier
A humidifier is a device that adds moisture to the air, which helps open up congested airways and makes breathing easy during the night. Dryness in the air can often cause irritation and inflammation, which can make it uncomfortable to breathe. Moreover, you can also add certain essential oils such as lavender, peppermint, or eucalyptus oil to your diffuser or humidifier for calming benefits.

2. Change your sleeping position
This treatment approach, also known as positional therapy, is a behavioral strategy that helps treat sleep apnea by altering the spine’s position while sleeping. It is observed that most people suffer from sleep apnea when they sleep on their backs. When they are advised to sleep on their side, it is observed that their breathing returns to normal.

3. Oral surgery
People who are naturally born with extra tissue in their oral cavity or with bigger tonsils are more vulnerable to suffer from sleep apnea since these extra tissues obstruct the flow of air through the throat. Depending on the extent of the obstruction, the surgery needed may be minimally invasive or quite extensive in nature. The most common surgeries that are performed for treating sleep apnea are in the tonsils and adenoids, tongue, jaw, or the soft palate and uvula.

4. Inspire therapy
Inspire therapy is a targeted treatment approach that is often chosen when other alternative treatment methods have failed to manage sleep apnea in patients. In this therapy, three components are implanted in the chest of the patient by making three separate incisions, namely a small generator, a breathing sensor lead, and a stimulation lead. This device is then switched on by the user before sleeping that will help monitor the breathing patterns and stimulate certain respiratory muscles to function and open the patient’s airway.

5. Using oral appliances
There are certain oral or dental appliances that are used to hold the tongue in place or position the jaw forward during the night and prevent obstruction of breathing. These are often given by dental professionals who specialize in dental implants and orthodontics and can be useful for people suffering from mild to moderate sleep apnea.