Sleep apnea is a common sleeping disorder that affects a large number of people around the world. It is a condition where you stop breathing for a couple of seconds while you sleep. That is caused by lack of oxygen into your lungs. People who suffer from sleep apnea snore loudly and tend to wake up several times during the night. This sleeping disorder shows up when the brain fails to send proper signals to the muscles that control the breathing process or when the throat muscles relax. The main reasons why people experience sleep apnea can be various. It can be either a result of obesity, consuming too much alcohol, smoking, irregular sleep hours, medications or other lifestyle changes. Regardless of the reasons, those who suffer from sleep apnea need to act quickly because it can lead to very serious health problems.
Sleep apnea patients find it hard to concentrate on things, and feel extremely tired and sleepy during the day. This problem is quite serious and should be treated immediately once it is diagnosed. The most efficient treatment for sleep apnea beside CPAP, is the oral appliances therapy. The sleep apnea patients who have trouble getting used to wearing a CPAP mask, find the oral appliances very helpful. You will find a variety of sleep apnea mouthpiece devices that are designed to improve the airflow and to reduce the sleep apnea symptoms. Doctors recommend sleep apnea mouthpiece devices for patients with mild to moderate obstructive apnea. Check some of the most popular oral devices that will keep your jaw in the right position, allowing you to breathe normally during the night.
Mandibular Repositioning Appliances – This sleep apnea mouthpiece lowers your jaw forward and keeps the airway open while sleeping. The mandibular repositioning devices are very popular sleep apnea mouthpieces. A large number of patients choose these oral devices, simply because they are easy to use during the night. Instead of wearing a full face mask, you can simply try this sleep apnea mouthpiece that has the same purpose as the mask but it’s more comfortable. You can turn form side to side, without getting worried that you will pull out the mouthpiece.
Tongue Retaining Appliances – Another popular sleep apnea mouthpiece is the tongue retaining appliance. It’s actually a splint that holds your tongue in place and keeps the airway open. Although not used often as the mandibular, it is quite effective. All you need to do is to heat the sleep apnea mouthpiece first, and then to customize according to your mouth. Studies show that this custom-made device increase the muscle tone of the tongue and relieves the sleep apnea symptoms.