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Alternatives to CPAP

Sleep Apnea CPAP Alternatives

Alternatives to CPAP are for people who have difficulty exhaling against the pressure of CPAP. Fortunately, there are many solutions on the market.

In this page you will learn about the most common alternatives to CPAP treatment, considering that some people do not like CPAP or have trouble using them.

Over the last 15 to 20 years, the CPAP equipment and masks have become increasingly user friendly.

The machines are smaller, portable, and quieter, and also allow data capture of patient adherence and CPAP efficiency.

However, if you can't tolerate your CPAP, even after you applied the advice from CPAP side effects, you may want to try the following alternatives to CPAP:

Sleep Apnea Dental Device

An oral appliance or sleep apnea dental device is used to relieve upper airway obstruction and snoring by modifying the position of the mandible, tongue, and other oral-pharyngeal structures. An oral appliance also prevents the tongue from blocking the airway passages.

There are two types of sleep apnea dental device:

Mandibular Advancement Device (MAD)

These are oral appliances that are fitted to the maxillary and mandibular dentition, and works by altering the position of the lower jaw, or mandible. The dental device pushes the lower jaw forward. This also repositions the tongue, which is attached to the lower jaw.

For more info about MAD, see Mandibular Advancement Device.

Tongue Retaining Devices (TRD)

This device reposition the tongue in an anterior position by securing it with negative pressure in a soft plastic bulb that directly contacts the base of the tongue.

Other type of TRD uses a suction cup that attaches to the front of the tongue, pulling the tongue forward to prevent the back of the tongue from collapsing.

For more info about TRD for sleep apnea, see Tongue Retaining Devices.

Benefits and Side Effects of Dental Devices for OSA
Benefits of oral appliances - improvement of snoring, substantial improvements in daytime sleepiness, blood pressure, work performance, and sleep quality.
Disadvantages - discomfort, salivation, more successful in patients with nonsevere obstructive sleep apnea.

This video explains how dental devices can improve sleep apnea:

Bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP)

Bi-level PAP (often referred to by the trademarked name BiPAP) are another alternatives to CPAP machines, and they are more efficient than CPAP.

BiPAP machines provides two pressure levels, one during inhalation and a lower one during exhalation.

The pressure drop during exhalation is designed to increase comfort for patients who have trouble exhaling against an continuous incoming pressure, such as CPAP.

Here is a video explaining why BIPAP will become a standard in the treatment of sleep apnea.

For more info on bi-level therapy, see BiPAP Machines.

Sleep Apnea Rematee

Sleep Apnea Rematee has a range of products useful for patients with mild and moderate sleep apnea and those with snoring.

The treatment is based on positional therapy, which can be an effective cure for snorers and for obstructive sleep apnea. You will sleep on your side rather than on your back, comfortably enough to have a sleep without apnea episodes and snoring.

There are two products from Rematee: anti-snore shirt and bumper belt. There products are used in over 500 sleep centers in US and Canada with great success.

However, patients with central sleep apnea and with severe obstructive apnea will not benefit from positional therapy.

This video will explain more about the benefit of sleeping on the side for patients with snoring and sleep apnea:

For more info about Rematee, see Rematee products.

CPAP Pillow for CPAP users

The CPAP pillow is designed to aid CPAP users in a better sleep. So, these pillows are not really alternatives to CPAP treatment, but it can help you sleep better with your CPAP mask.

The CPAP pillow is specially designed to allow the mask and hose to stay in place, while avoiding pressure points on the face and leaks in the mask while sleeping. Many pillows have soft polyester fill with a special cotton cover (removable for washing).

Benefits of CPAP pillow:

enhance your sleep experience
provides unsurpassed comfort
provides increased freedom of the patient's movement during the night
supports the neck and keeps the spine aligned
reduces leaks from the mask
decreases pressure of the CPAP mask against the face

Disadvantages of CPAP pillow (it depends of the type of the pillow):

the pillow can be bulbous and hard
discomfort
it can leave little real pillow to rest a head on
According to some company's return policy, hygiene law prohibit them accepting returns or giving refunds on pillows.

Didgeridoo Sleep Apnea

Didgeridoo instruments are the newest alternatives to CPAP treatment on the market! And they are quite interesting, too.

Have you ever heard about didgeridoo ? If not, it's time to learn more about it, because is a new snoring remedy that can improve your sleep apnea, too.

Watch this video to learn more...

I wonder...where I should play didgeridoo? What would my neighbors say if they will hear a sound like that? :)

Anyway, there is a new didgeridoo therapy with modern didgeridoo instruments specifically designed for sleep apnea patients!

Please remember: didgeridoo therapy helps only the patients with obstructive sleep apnea, and not central apnea patients.

This didgeridoo therapy for sleep apnea was also included in "The Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies" published in Nov. 2010.

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