Combined Sleep Apnea Treatment – Glendale, AZ
Multiple Methods, One Effective Sleep Apnea Treatment Plan
With sleep apnea, as with many other conditions, there isn’t a single treatment that always works for every
patient. That’s why there are multiple methods of addressing sleep-disordered breathing. At Go To Sleep Center
for CPAP Alternatives, we believe in truly customizing therapy to your needs, and in some situations, this includes
taking advantage of multiple treatments at once. Learn more about combined sleep apnea treatment and how it could
help you finally sleep peacefully and get started by contacting our office for an appointment.
What Is Combined Sleep Apnea Treatment?
As effective as CPAP and oral appliance therapies can be individually, for some patients to achieve better rest and
relief from sleep apnea symptoms, we need to combine these two treatments. While the oral appliance pulls the lower
jaw and the neck tissues forward, the constant airflow from the CPAP ensures that the patient can breathe easily
throughout the night. In other words, the patient wears a custom oral appliance and wears a CPAP nasal mask while
sleeping. These therapies work together to reinforce deep, restful sleep.
Who Is Eligible Combined Sleep Apnea Treatment?
There are several scenarios in which a patient may be a good candidate for combined therapy, including the following:
- A patient who has undergone corrective surgery still experiences sleep apnea symptoms.
- A patient has moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea and doesn’t qualify for oral appliance treatment
alone.
- A patient finds CPAP therapy too uncomfortable.
- A patient shows symptoms of both sleep apnea and bruxism (teeth grinding).
To know for sure whether combined treatment would be beneficial in your situation, you should schedule a consultation with our team.
Benefits of Combined Sleep Apnea Treatment
- More Comfort: Complaints about CPAP therapy mostly revolve around how uncomfortable wearing the
mask is, but with combined therapy, the mask only covers the nose, which is much easier to handle. In addition,
the machine settings can usually be turned down when the patient also wears the oral appliance, reducing the
noise. As you might imagine, this helps not only the sleep apnea patient but also their partner sleep more
soundly.
- Better Compliance: Because of how bulky and loud CPAP machines are, many patients choose not to
follow instructions and wear the masks as directed. However, when they are prescribed combined therapy, the oral
appliance and nasal mask make it easier for patients to comply and actually benefit from treatment.
- More Effective: Research from the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine suggests that taking
advantage of both oral appliance and CPAP therapy leads to significantly fewer events every hour for sleep apnea
sufferers.