Recurrent breathing stops often come from the fact that anatomical conditions favor the tongue closing your airway. Wearing a small lower jaw splint at night can help prevent this from happening. It clears the airway by moving both your jaw and tongue a little farther forward.

The splint is made by a dentist or orthodontist and often achieves good results for sleep apnea of mild to moderate severity. If a mandibular splint is recommended for you, your health insurance will cover the cost. For more information, click here.

Using a CPAP breathing mask at night is often not the most popular, but pulmonary specialists cite it as one of the most effective in sleep apnea therapy. In this process, the mask you wear is connected to a special breathing device. This is designed to deliver your normal room air into your airway at a slight positive pressure, in a way that prevents your throat from closing in the process. The fit of the mask can be adjusted, and the latest systems are often very comfortable to wear and make very little noise at night. Our experts will be happy to provide you with more information.

If your doctor considers a tongue pacemaker to be the most effective treatment for sleep apnea in your case, it will be surgically inserted under the chest muscle. You can think of the function as similar to a pacemaker: There are two electrodes. One of them goes to the lingual nerve, keeping your tongue “awake.” The second is located by the diaphragm to monitor breathing. If this stops, the device emits a slight electric shock. Don’t worry, this is not dangerous, nor will it wake you up.

The tongue pacemaker is a noteworthy alternative to apnea treatment without a mask. In addition to keeping your airway open, the pacemaker also reduces the drop in oxygen in your blood. Unfortunately, the tongue pacemaker is not an inexpensive investment. A possible assumption of costs by health insurance has to be checked individually. I.e. it is important for you here to discuss this individually with your service provider. You can find more information here.

Certain forms of sleep apnea are back position dependent. That is, sleeping in the side position can be beneficial for people with this form of sleep apnea because it helps keep the upper airway open. When sleeping in the supine position, the weight of the head and neck can cause the airway to narrow, which in turn can cause sleep apnea. However, when sleeping on your side, the weight is more evenly distributed and can help prevent the airway from collapsing. Using a side-sleeper pillow can provide additional support and alignment for the head and neck, allowing the airway to remain open.

There is some evidence that regular upper airway exercise, can improve the symptoms of sleep apnea. This is because strong muscles in the upper airway can help keep the airway open during sleep, reducing the number of apnea events. There are various workouts and products for this that may be used in your individual situation.