Can’t Wear a CPAP for Your Sleep Apnea? Try This.

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is the gold standard treatment for moderate to severe sleep apnea. But if you’re like many people prescribed CPAP, you may struggle using it consistently, or even at all.

Whether it’s the mask, the machine, or the tubing, CPAP therapy can sometimes make it harder to sleep. At Respacare,’s CPAP clinic, our experienced sleep medicine physicians, Dr. Nehal Mehta and Dr. Prashant Patel, work closely with you to personalize treatment and improve comfort. Still, we know CPAP isn’t right for everyone.  

Let’s take a closer look at why it’s so vital to properly treat sleep apnea and the alternatives you can consider if you can’t wear CPAP.

Why treating sleep apnea matters 

Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that affects breathing while you sleep. You may stop and restart breathing several times while sleeping. Each time you stop breathing, your brain briefly wakes you up to get you breathing again, even though you’re not usually aware of the interruptions. 

The repeated disruptions prevent you from getting the deep, restorative sleep your body needs. Over time, sleep apnea leaves you feeling constantly tired and mentally foggy. It also makes you more prone to health issues like high blood pressure, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

The primary goal of sleep apnea treatment is to keep the airway open so you breathe easily, sleep soundly, and protect your health.

CPAP: Effective but not for everyone

CPAP therapy works by gently blowing air through a mask to keep your airway open while you sleep. 

Outside of lifestyle changes and weight loss, CPAP therapy is the most effective treatment for sleep apnea. However, studies show that 17-71% of people who need CPAP don’t use it consistently. 

Common complaints of CPAP therapy include:

• Feeling claustrophobic with the mask
• Trouble falling or staying asleep due to noise
• Waking up with a dry mouth
• Getting tangled in the tubing
• Difficulty keeping the equipment clean

At Respacare, we offer different types of CPAP equipment and mask styles to improve comfort. But if you still can’t tolerate CPAP, you’re not out of options.  

Alternative sleep apnea treatments

As experts in sleep medicine, we tailor treatment to your needs. This includes offering alternatives to CPAP. Three effective options include:

Oral appliance

If you have obstructive sleep apnea where the soft tissue in the back of your mouth collapses and blocks the airway while you sleep, then an oral appliance may work. This sleep apnea treatment repositions the lower jaw slightly forward to keep the airway open.

At Respacare, we use SomnoGuard®, an oral appliance custom-fit to your mouth to improve comfort and effectiveness. 

Weight loss support

If you’re overweight, losing weight can improve your breathing while you sleep. Weight loss is challenging for many and the FDA recently approved the use of Zepbound® for sleep apnea.

Zepbound is a weight loss injection that curbs your appetite and helps you feel full faster. By supporting weight loss, Zepbound can help reduce the severity of your sleep apnea.  

Inspire® therapy

Inspire therapy is another alternative treatment for sleep apnea. It’s an implantable device that uses gentle electrical pulses to stimulate your airway while you sleep, keeping your airway open without a mask or machine.

You don’t have to force yourself to use a CPAP machine if it’s not working for you. If you’re struggling with CPAP or looking for a different approach, we can help. 

Call us today at our office in Bridgewater, New Jersey, or request an appointment online to learn more about alternative treatments for sleep apnea.