Conservative treatments

These nonmedical treatments or approaches can typically improve obstructive sleep apnea or resolve it. They aren’t cures, but they can reduce apnea to the point where it stops happening or isn’t severe enough to cause symptoms. These include:

• Weight loss. A 10% decrease in body weight can significantly improve sleep apnea for people who have excess weight or obesity.
• Position changes while sleeping and sleep aid items. Sleeping on your back makes sleep apnea more likely to happen. Special support pillows and similar items can help change the position in which you sleep, keeping you off your back so soft tissue doesn’t press on your windpipe and block breathing.
• Nasal sprays, adhesive strips, etc. These over-the-counter products improve breathing by making it easier for air to travel through your nose. While they can’t help moderate or severe sleep apnea, they can sometimes help snoring and mild sleep apnea.
• Treating the underlying condition. Treating conditions such as heart failure can often improve central sleep apnea.
• Medication changes. Working with your doctor to decrease or stop opioid pain medications may be able to improve or even resolve central sleep apnea.

Positive airway pressure (PAP) and adaptive ventilation

Positive airway pressure is a method that uses a specialized device to increase the air pressure inside of your airway while you inhale.

Pressurized air down your windpipe by a mask keeps it open so you can breathe. These devices push air through a hose that attaches to a special mask you wear on your face while you sleep. Masks can cover your nose, mouth or both, and there are many different types and styles to choose from.

The best-known PAP device is the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine. Also referred to as APAP or automatic titrating positive airway pressure, this treatment involves a device which also supplies a constant stream of pressurized air. However, with AutoPAP the air pressure setting can be adjusted as you sleep.
Instead of having one fixed pressure setting throughout the night, an APAP device can automatically adjust the pressure setting if conditions change during the night.

Oral devices

Obstructive sleep apnea happens when soft tissue in your head or neck, especially around your mouth and jaw, press downward on your windpipe. Special mouthpiece devices can help hold your jaw and tongue in a position that keeps pressure off your windpipe. Dentists and sleep medicine specialists often work together to make these for people who need them.

• Chest Diseases and Sleep Disorders Specialist
• He was born in Sivas / Turkey in 1969. He spent his education life in Istanbul. He graduated from Istanbul Medical Faculty in 1991. In the same year, he started his residency in the Department of Chest Diseases of the faculty. He took a break in 1993 to study on “Sleep Disorders” at Edinburgh University's National Sleep Laboratory. On his return, he established the "sleep laboratory" in his faculty. He received the title of Consultant Chest Physician in 1995. Then he started as a fellow in Istanbul Medical Faculty. He received the title of Associate Professor in 2004. He worked at the same faculty until 2009. In 2009, he transferred to Acıbadem University Faculty of Medicine to establish the Department of Chest Diseases. He received the title of Professor in 2010. In the same year, he was appointed as the chief physician of the Maslak Acıbadem hospital. In 2017, he was appointed as the founding chief physician to the group's Altunizade hospital. He is still carrying out the head of the Faculty of Medicine Department.
• He is an active member of the Turkish Thoracic Society. He was a member of the executive group in the Intensive Care Working Group, the Sleep Disorders working group, the chairman of the Sleep Disorders group between 2006-2008, and the chair of the Congress Program Committee between 2004-2006.
• In 2006, he became a founding member of UYKUDER (Sleep Society) . In this society, he served as the chairman of the Respiratory working group, course and congress.
• In 2018, he became the founding president of the Common and Chronic Diseases Foundation (YAKAV).
• He took part in more than 100 congresses and courses as a speaker. He gave speeches in Azerbaijan, North Cyprus, Swiss, Bulgaria, Egypt,Georgia, Ukraine, South Korea, Kazakhstan, India, UK, Germany, the United Pictures, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, Uzbekistan, Austria and Greece.
• It has nearly 100 publications and book chapters, 51 of which are international. It has 1442 citations. The H-index is 17. (Google Scholar)