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CPAP is still the best treatment for sleep apnea, says doctor

Written by: David Castillo on June 4th, 2010

CPAP is still the best treatment for sleep apnea, says doctor | read this item

Typically, sleep apnea is treated with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask. However, a new study is suggesting that people are trying new treatments to reduce their reliance on CPAP masks.

Dr. David Baratz, a Phoenix-based sleep specialist, says that paused intervals of breathing during sleep is caused by the tongue—it flops and becomes an obstruction for the airway.

In a recent study, published in The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, experts say tongue exercise can reduce the effects of sleep apnea by as much as 40 percent.

Other experts even recommend playing the didgeridoo, an Australian flute-like instrument.

“It is an instrument that actually produces a very long bass-like tone that increases the strength of the tongue and actually changes the airway shape and allows the airway to remain open during sleep,” explained Dr. Baratz.

However, he still believes that the CPAP is the best treatment for sleep apnea.

He further explained: “The problem with doing these exercises is that you have to do them frequently — at last three to four times a week in the correct manner — and as soon as you stop doing them, the tongue obviously will lose its muscle tone and will revert back to the old way that it was and the old severity of your apnea.”

Source: KTAR.com