Will Sleep Apnea Ever Go Away?

You’re tired of feeling exhausted every day. You’re constantly irritable and suffer from frequent morning headaches. You snore loudly, and you find yourself waking to catch your breath multiple times each night. Living with sleep apnea in Weyauwega can feel defeating but starting treatment can make life significantly easier. But is this common condition destined to go on forever or will it eventually go away? Hear from a professional who can shed some light on this frequently asked question.

Does Sleep Apnea Ever Go Away?

Unfortunately, for most people, sleep apnea never goes away. As a chronic condition, it typically requires adults to commit to a life-changing solution that is designed to treat, not necessarily cure. Although children with sleep apnea can outgrow the problem because of their facial structure continuing to change and develop, this is not the same for adults.

What You Can Do to Improve Your Symptoms

However, just because sleep apnea doesn’t necessarily go away, there are ways to make your condition easier to live with. Snoring, fatigue, allergies, and other associated symptoms can be mitigated with the right tools and treatments.

Also, inquiring about oral surgery to change the anatomy of your jaw and other facial structures can be helpful; however, it may not completely resolve your sleep apnea. Whether it is jaw advancement surgery, changes to the soft palate, repairing a deviated septum, or expanding your hard palate, these can help to alleviate many of the most common symptoms.

You might also try the following options to reduce the severity and make living with sleep apnea more manageable:

• Losing weight: By decreasing the number on the scale, you will not only lower your risk for other health problems but if you have a larger neck, losing fat will help to open your airway and make it easier to breathe while sleeping.
• Exercising your airway: Although this may sound impossible to do, there are ways you can strengthen the muscles in your airway. Whether it is playing an instrument or finding ways to focus on certain breathing techniques, this can be helpful.
• Treating sinus congestion and allergies: Making sure you are taking the right medications when suffering from allergies or sinus congestion can make living with sleep apnea easier. Nasal steroids can help keep the airway open and reduce the potential for it collapsing throughout the night. It is also beneficial to sleep with your head slightly elevated.

No matter how you choose to alleviate your sleep apnea symptoms, there is no substitute for safe and effective treatment from a specialist. Seeing a trusted professional for oral appliance therapy will allow you to embrace a better quality of life.

About the Author
Caring about the overall well-being of his patients, Dr. William Twohig is dedicated to helping you with your sleep apnea problem. Dedicating the last 20 of his 40 years of practicing dentistry and searching for alternative methods to offer his patients, he has worked with specialists to find a way to help people get the sleep they need without the use of a CPAP machine. To find out how he can help you, visit our website or call (920) 867-3101.