From the Guidelines
To manage sleep apnea secondary to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) at home while waiting for your sleep medicine appointment, focus on lifestyle modifications and sleep positioning, as these measures can significantly improve OSA symptoms and reduce morbidity, mortality, and improve quality of life. Lose weight if you're overweight, as even a 10% weight reduction can significantly improve OSA symptoms, as supported by the American College of Physicians guideline 1. Sleep on your side rather than your back, which can be achieved by using a body pillow or sewing a tennis ball into the back of your pajamas to prevent rolling onto your back, as recommended by the Portuguese Society of Pulmonology 1. Elevate the head of your bed by 4-6 inches or use a wedge pillow to reduce airway collapse. Avoid alcohol, sedatives, and sleeping pills, especially within 4-6 hours of bedtime, as these relax throat muscles and worsen apnea. Stop smoking, as it increases inflammation and fluid retention in the upper airway. Establish regular sleep schedules with 7-8 hours of sleep opportunity. Keep nasal passages open using saline sprays, nasal strips, or a neti pot if nasal congestion contributes to your breathing difficulties. These measures work by reducing factors that contribute to airway collapse during sleep, though they're not substitutes for proper medical treatment like CPAP therapy that may be prescribed after your sleep medicine evaluation, as recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine 1.
Some key points to consider:
- Weight loss is a crucial aspect of OSA management, as it can lead to significant improvements in symptoms and quality of life 1.
- Sleep positioning and elevation of the head of the bed can help reduce airway collapse and improve breathing during sleep 1.
- Avoiding alcohol, sedatives, and sleeping pills, as well as quitting smoking, can help reduce the severity of OSA symptoms 1.
- Establishing regular sleep schedules and keeping nasal passages open can also contribute to improved sleep quality and reduced OSA symptoms 1.
- While these lifestyle modifications and sleep positioning measures can help manage OSA symptoms, they should not replace proper medical treatment, such as CPAP therapy, which may be prescribed after a sleep medicine evaluation 1.
From the Research
Measures to Manage Sleep Apnea Secondary to OSA at Home
While waiting for a sleep medicine appointment, there are several measures that can be taken to manage sleep apnea secondary to Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) at home. These include:
- Lifestyle changes, such as correcting poor lifestyle habits and improving sleep hygiene, to improve nocturnal sleep quality and daytime alertness 2
- Weight loss, as obesity is a main predisposing factor for OSA 3, 4
- Positional therapy, which involves sleeping on your side instead of your back to reduce airway obstruction 4
- Avoiding alcohol, smoking, and sedatives, which can worsen OSA symptoms 3
Home Sleep Apnea Tests
For patients who are waiting for a sleep medicine appointment, a home sleep apnea test (HSAT) may be an option for diagnosing OSA. However, it is essential to note that an HSAT must be ordered by a medical provider and the raw data from the HSAT device must be reviewed and interpreted by a physician who is either board-certified in sleep medicine or overseen by a board-certified sleep medicine physician 5.
Treatment Options
While waiting for a sleep medicine appointment, patients can also consider other treatment options, such as:
- Oral appliances, which can be customized to advance the position of the jaw and keep the airway open 3, 4
- Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, which is the gold standard for treating OSA, although it may not be well-tolerated by all patients 4, 6
- Combining two or more treatments, such as CPAP and oral appliances, to achieve better outcomes 4