Sleep Disorder Treatment

What is the treatment for sleep apnea?

Weight loss can improve – but may not adequately treat – sleep apnea. Avoiding alcohol and sleeping pills can also help. If a patient is diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea during a sleep study at the Sleep Disorder Center at Hunterdon Medical Center, we may prescribe a device called a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.

The most commonly prescribed treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, the CPAP machine delivers air pressure through a specially fitted mask that the patient wears while sleeping. This prevents the patient’s airway from collapsing and allows one to breathe normally all night long. Sleep becomes uninterrupted and restorative. For many patients, CPAP therapy dramatically improves their daytime functioning as well as their general health. CPAP is not a cure, but a noninvasive therapy for managing OSA. Additional treatments, both nonsurgical and surgical, are available to those patients seeking an alternative to CPAP.