CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machines are commonly used to manage the symptoms of sleep apnea. They work by helping to keep your airways open, with the aim of improving sleep quality and reducing the risks of serious secondary conditions.
However, many people do not tolerate using a CPAP for a variety of reasons, and others have challenges even if they do tolerate the machine. The issue for many is that a CPAP can be awkward to use, create a claustrophobic sensation, be difficult to use when traveling, or cause personal issues, where sleeping with a mask is less than ideal, or partners find the ongoing noise disruptive.
For these reasons, many want to learn how to support easier breathing through certain breathing techniques. These exercises can be incorporated into a regular evening routine to help support more restful sleep. Finding the best sleep apnea solution for you is important, whether that includes a combination of a mask or device at night, along with natural methods to encourage deeper and quieter sleep.
Common Reasons for Looking at Alternatives to Promote Healthy Sleep Without a CPAP
CPAP machines are a conventional way to try and reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea, but they can produce unwanted side effects, in addition to being uncomfortable to use. These can include:
- Nosebleeds
- Congestion
- A runny nose
- Dry mouth
- Skin irritation
Adding a heated humidifier is sometimes thought to help. However, with an ever-increasing number of machines and devices creating distracting noises, this could further disrupt your sleep pattern or cause inconvenience to your loved one or spouse.
Some people also find that a CPAP is ineffective, commonly because they have a deviated septum or other irregularity in their nose, which means they breathe through their mouth. Others, find that even with the CPAP their sleep is not rejuvenating at night and they still feel foggy-headed and tired the next day.
What is the newest treatment for sleep apnea, and can you avoid using a CPAP? Innovations in sleep apnea approaches increasingly mean that dependence on a CPAP is not the only option – at least not necessarily forever.
Learning Breathing Techniques as a Sleep Apnea Approach
Part of the complexity of using a CPAP for sleep apnea is that, although the device may help maintain open airways, it is not a resolution, nor does it fix the underlying issue. In the end, patients are still reliant on a machine. Plus, there are many who don’t tolerate the CPAP from the beginning. Clinical trials have shown that a third of people fail an initial CPAP trial. Likewise, surgical procedures intended to help improve the symptoms of sleep apnea have been shown to be fully successful just 43% of the time, leading many people to be reluctant to undergo surgery with a less-than-guaranteed outcome.
This doesn’t mean that the CPAP or surgery can’t be helpful. It just means that they have limitations. So it makes sense to work on supporting easier breathing at night from multiple approaches. Dylan Petkus, MD helps people learn how to train their breathing so it’s slower, more controlled, and is less likely to close off the airway at night. Many people find this helpful because, on the contrary, faster breathing patterns suck the tongue into the airway, creating a blockage. This can be more likely to happen to people with a narrow airway.
Unlike a mouthguard, tape, CPAP, or sleep apnea pillow, following a breathing routine can train the muscles to breathe more slowly without discomfort, noise, or intrusions.
Finding the Best Ways to Address or Reduce the Impacts of Sleep Apnea
Is sleep apnea a disability? The Social Security Administration does not list sleep apnea as a disability, although some more serious breathing disorders linked to or caused by sleep apnea may fall under the criteria. Accessing natural, noninvasive, nonsurgical breathing techniques can help support restful sleep, complement your other therapies, like a CPAP if you are already using one, and allow you to have more relaxing sleep and wake up more energized.
Dylan Petkus, MD shares his and others’ experiences using natural methods to support sleep in his book, Sleep Apnea Solution, which covers the top breathing techniques and how to set yourself up for easier breathing at night!
