Alcohol, sedatives, and sleeping pills only make the condition worse and should be avoided. CPAP requires wearing snug nasal masks attached to a portable air pump at the bedside. It works in all cases, but some individuals do not tolerate wearing it to bed every night. Dental appliances to advance the lower jaw help some patients. Advancing the lower jaw pulls the base of the tongue forward, opening the throat.
Weight loss is also helpful, since fat is stored around the throat.
It is paradoxical that as we get bigger the throat gets smaller. But only a small percentage of patients can keep the weight off for a lifetime As the weight returns, so does the sleep apnea. Often an effective medical treatment can be individualized for the patient. For those patients in whom medical treatment fails, and for others who simply refuse to wear a device nightly for a lifetime, there are several surgical options. A wide variety of surgical procedures are designed to enlarge the throat, since most patients with sleep apnea have unusually small air passages.