Sleep apnea is frequently missed, partly because it is not thought of and also because patients cannot imagine sleeping with a machine. Some people do quite well with CPAP, but others do not. Several new oral appliances can be worn at night with an 80% success rate if the baseline apnea-hypoxia index is less than 30 events per hour. If the appliances do not work, surgery can be considered, including the newer procedures that alter the positioning of the jawbone. Finally and probably primarily is effective weight loss. The greater the weight loss, the better the result. We have some good techniques to insure weight loss nowadays. So that might be the best answer for you.
See Family Practice News (click here), July issue, p. 74.
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