Can Sleap Apnoea be Cured Permanently

[ashish]

Hi Team,

After going through the websites, I came to know that sleep apnoea is caused by enlargement of throat muscle while we are sleeping. And one of the influential remedy is to use CPAP machine which forces the air to the passage when it is needed.

My mother uses CPAP machine. I am pretty much worried about a permanent fix without surgical one.

Now As per the cause and remedy, it seems that is indeed a good cure, But can we cure Sleep Apnoea completely. If yes how can we do that.

Thanks and Regards.

[Julie]

Hi - Sleep apnea is not caused by 'enlargement of a throat muscle. It has both neurological and physical causes (not necessarily together), and some of the physical ones are narrowing of throat tissue either due to genetics (anatomy), a more general narrowing of the whole jaw back to the throat (often seen with an overbite or crowded teeth), and/or a large tongue that falls back when you sleep and blocks the throat (one reason back-sleeping is a bad idea). It is now believed that obesity may actually be caused by apnea, rather than otherwise, in men and women, rather than apnea being caused by being overweight. There may be other causes (neurological - not yet completely understood) and/or other physical conditions.

Surgery is very often proposed (by ear/nose/throat and/or other surgeons) as a fix or cure, but in fact it's been shown that not only does it not help in more cases than otherwise, but because of the anatomical changes made, Cpap is then more difficult to use.

Dentists will swear their particular device (there are various types) is 'the' answer, but again, it more often isn't, and can cause serious complications such as temporomandibular joint problems.

There are a few as yet experimental fixes being looked at, but they're not yet for the general public and have not been tested long enough to be sure about.

So far, Cpap (a painless, noninvasive way of dealing with apnea) is the 'gold standard' today. Without the 'right' mask for an individual being properly sized and fitted, after (usually) at least a trial of a few masks, patients may have some discomfort or loss of therapy from air leaking around the mask, or out the mouth if a mouth-breathing-while-sleeping patient is not tried on a 'full face mask' (like a 'nasal' mask that extends downward to cover the mouth), but such things can be almost if not completely eliminated with help.

And machine pressures can be tweaked for more effective therapy, and software (free from this forum) can be used to track various parameters of treatment overnight to see what's working and/or what needs work.

So I guess the answer to your question is no - except in a few circumstances such as a morbidly obese patient having had bariatric (lap band, etc.) surgery that sometimes works after extreme weight loss, though is not usually the reason for that surgery, but in general, not yet.

[chunkyfrog]

Before cpap, the only hope for many patients was a tracheotomy.
This might be a last resort in a few cases, but the additional ramifications of this extreme treatment
need to be carefully weighed.

[Bill44133]

Take 15 minutes and review this youtube video it will help you understand what is going on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gie2dhqP2c

This video put the whole thing in perspective for me.

It should be required viewing for any one who is new.


I wish you well...

[HanzT]

Not to sound like an a**hole, but can anything truly be "cured permanently"?

As an example, I had surgery and was "cured" for over 5 years, but the apnea came back as I got older, gained weight, and had more stress in my life. Now I lost 20+ pounds and my doc says its gone again. However, I sleep better with the CPAP than without, so I still use it.

The body continues to change over time, and you never know what may happen. If there was a simple, permanent cure, I'm sure we all would have had it by now.

[chunkyfrog]

There is a permanent solution, but it usually involves a religious service, tears, and dirt.

[cancun]

Take 15 minutes and review this youtube video it will help you understand what is going on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gie2dhqP2c

This video put the whole thing in perspective for me.

It should be required viewing for any one who is new.


I wish you well...

Bill, I saw a couple of your posts and finally watched this video and it was great at putting it all in perspective for me. Thanks for reposting it often because the first few times I just skipped over it and then finally my bull head thought maybe I should watch it and I am glad I did. I have even shared it with friends who I thought it could help.

[Bill44133]

Take 15 minutes and review this youtube video it will help you understand what is going on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gie2dhqP2c

This video put the whole thing in perspective for me.

It should be required viewing for any one who is new.


I wish you well...

Bill, I saw a couple of your posts and finally watched this video and it was great at putting it all in perspective for me. Thanks for reposting it often because the first few times I just skipped over it and then finally my bull head thought maybe I should watch it and I am glad I did. I have even shared it with friends who I thought it could help.

I am glad that it helped you I had a very hard time understanding what was going on with me.
It really put the thing in perspective.

[BlackSpinner]

Your apnea will be permanently solved when the two guys in badly fitting suits and the unmarked white van pull up for the "dear one".

[postitnote]

Yep, death cures lots of illnesses!

[palerider]

Yep, death cures lots of illnesses!

life is a terminal disease. you're gonna die of it.

[Goofproof]

Fools in De-Nile, pave the way, they die earlier. Jim

The bad news, they usually breed first.

[Enchanter]

I believe that sleep apnea is mostly due to carrying extra weight and that weight loss will significantly improve it. Maybe not for everyone, but I believe it is at the root of most people's problems. Of course there are other factors like allergies, large necks, etc.. But the problem is that if you're not sleeping, your energy levels go down and so losing weight can be challenging. And even if you carry around a large frame and have muscles, weight is weight. So it's unfortunate, especially if you just naturally have a bigger neck and a larger frame. I could be wrong, but I believe even just having a couple extra pounds, even if if it isn't noticeable can really increase the risk of sleep apnea. I think getting treatment is important, but one's goal should always be to lose the extra weight so that they can be better off without relying on the mask. Some people may still need the mask every night, but maybe won't be as dependent on it. IOW, they can reduce the settings.

[palerider]

I could be wrong,

pretty much a certainty, there.

[Enchanter]

I could be wrong,

pretty much a certainty, there.

I was just giving my opinion