Yes, sleep apnea cures DO exist. There are many remedies and cures available for sleep apnea sufferers - from something as simple as a change in diet to the more extreme surgical procedures.

1. Do Sleep Apnea Cures Exist?
If you suffer from sleep apnea,
you can at least take comfort in
the fact that there are sleep apnea
cures and sleep apnea treatments
available. First, make sure you
know what is sleep apnea and
make sure that it is indeed sleep
apnea that you are suffering from
before going out and finding a
cure for sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder characterized by shallow breathing or
pauses in breathing during sleep. These breathing pauses (called apneas)
are caused by a blockage in the airways. This blockage may come in the
form of excess tissue or it may be caused by the tongue or soft palate. Sleep
apnea is a very serious condition and should be taken as such. If you feel
that you suffer from sleep apnea, make sure that you consult your doctor or
take a sleep test (polysomnography).
Of all the sleeping disorders, sleep apnea is one of the most difficult to
detect. This is due to the fact that it occurs momentarily and a patient will
then resume normal breathing. In addition, even if the patient gasps or
chokes, this is often not enough to wake him / her up. Therefore, it is
oftentimes their sleeping partner who initially notices the problem.

2. Once it has been established that it is indeed sleep apnea that you are
suffering from, then the good news is that there are many sleep apnea
cures available to you. Some of these sleep apnea cures may seem a little
extreme and others require little more than a change in diet or sleeping
position.
Sleep Apnea Cures
Weight Loss - about 70% of people suffering from sleep apnea are obese.
Obesity causes excess fatty tissue to form in the airways, thus restricting
breathing. In addition, cholesterol tends to line airways making them
narrower, hindering airflow. If you are overweight, this should be one of
the first things that you remedy before considering other sleep apnea cures.
Quitting Smoking -
smoking causes a build-up of
phlegm and mucous in the
airways as well as irritating
the throat. If you smoke, no
one has to tell you how bad it
is for you. But be aware that
it can also be the culprit for
your snoring and apneas.
Avoiding Alcohol & Drugs - alcohol and some drugs work to relax the
throat muscles. This relaxed state causes the airway to get smaller, leading
to an increase in snoring and apneas. It has also been shown that any
amount of alcohol consumed at any time during the day, specifically in
men, will lead to increased apneas throughout the night.

3. Exercise - everyone knows that daily exercise is important to overall
health and well-being. More important to sleep apnea sufferers though, is
its ability to tighten muscles and strengthen the respiratory system, which
can work wonders in alleviating both snoring and sleep apnea. Of course,
daily exercise also works towards decreasing body weight - one of the
contributing factors to sleep apnea and snoring.
Nasal Decongestant - nasal decongestants or nasal sprays are used to
break up mucous in the nasal cavities, thereby clearing the passageways
and leading to improved breathing. This type of sleep apnea cure only
works with people with mild sleep apnea and is more commonly used for
people who snore.
Nasal Strips - nasal strips, like Breathe Right strips, are like stiff,
miniature band-aids that are placed on the bridge of a user's nose. These
strips pull the outer walls of the nose open, allowing for more freedom in
breathing. These strips have been shown to be very effective in both
snorers as well as people suffering from mild to moderate sleep apnea.
Sleep Apnea Pillows - Pillows for sleep apnea are designed to elevate the
head and neck of the patient thereby reducing the blockages that occur in
the airway. Users experience mixed results with this sleep apnea cure -
some people are able to sleep well with their head in the elevated position
and some people simply cannot.
Positional Therapy - some people only snore and / or experience apneas
when sleeping on their backs. For those people, positional therapy can be
very effective. It basically involves using some type of device that prevents
the patient from sleeping on their back. A home remedy would be to place a
tennis ball in a sock and sew the sock to the back of a pair of pajamas. This
way, every time the person tried to roll over on their backs, the tennis ball

4. would make staying there very uncomfortable and naturally the person will
roll back over to their side or stomach. There are especial pillows designed
to help train a person to sleep on their side.
Oral Devices - there are several oral devices on
the market that perform different functions. Some
are designed as a type of mouth guard which
prevents the tongue from falling back into the
throat and blocking the airway. Others, called
mandibular advancement devices (MADs) are
designed to move the lower jaw forward, thereby
moving the tongue forward and freeing the airway.
In addition, there is a device which uses the acronym OPAP (oral positive
airway pressure) and is a combination of an oral device and a Positive
Airway Pressure device. Although these devices have been approved by the
FDA (food and drug administration) back in 1999, there has not been much
study done on their effectiveness and they seem to be hard to find.
Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) devices - the most common being
CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), these devices are essentially a
motor with a fan attached to a hose attached to a mask of some sort. These
masks are placed over the patient's nose and mouth (or just the nose) and
are fed a continuous flow of air. This air pressure clears the airways of any
blockages and allows users to breathe more regularly. There are also other
types of sleep apnea machines available including the VPAP (variable
positive airway pressure) and APAP (automatic positive airway pressure)
machines. In addition, sleep apnea masks come in 3 different styles - full
face mask, nasal mask and nasal pillow.

5. Not being able to get to sleep at night can be
a horrible experience - at night as well as
throughout the following day. But it doesn't
have to be that way - sometimes all it takes is
a few lifestyle adjustments. Learn what you
need to know to instantly fall asleep each
night in the sleep ebook,
Get to Sleep Now! 39 Ways to Guarantee Your ZZZs.
Surgery - there are various types of sleep apnea surgeries available
depending on the level of severity of the patient's sleep apnea, where the
blockages occur and what the patient is comfortable with. Here are the two
main sleep apnea surgery types:
UvuloPalatoPharyngoPlasty (UPPP)
This big word is a combination of words referring to the uvula (the
little punching bag thing at the back of your throat), the palate and
the pharynx (where your throat meets your windpipe), with the
plasty part referring to surgery. This sleep apnea surgery involves
removing the uvula along with any excess tissue that may be
impeding breathing. This type of procedure runs at about a 50%
efficacy rate - and, in some cases, can cause other problems.
This same procedure can be done with lasers and is called Laser
Assisted UvuloPlasty (LAUP).

6. Somnoplasty
This type of sleep apnea cure uses low-temperature, low-power
Radio Frequency energy. These radio waves are used to reduce and
tighten excess tissue beneath the lining of the soft palate and uvula.
This procedure causes a stiffening and strengthening of the palate
and reduces the amount of tissue volume in the airway. This
procedure is less invasive and painful than UPPP and patients can
typically resume normal activities the following day. This has been
shown to have a similar efficacy rate to that of CPAP.
Other Sleep Apnea Cures
Although they may not have sufficient medical studies to back them up,
there are people who report relief from sleep apnea from a couple of other
methods.
Playing Wind Instruments - there
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muscles, which works towards alleviating Why We Sleep
snoring and sleep apnea.

7. Acupuncture - acupuncture has been used for centuries to cure many
different ailments. Although it is used more widely in the East than the
West, it has been shown to be very effective in treating snoring and mild to
moderate sleep apnea in some patients.
If you have taken a sleep test (called a polysomnography) and it was
determined that you have sleep apnea, consult your doctor about the
options you have at your disposal. Bear in mind that sleep apnea surgery
should be one of your last options as it is not always effective and it can
bring on further health complications. Now that you're educated about all
the sleep apnea cures available, discuss them with your physician to find
out which solution fits your specific situation.