You’re in the middle of a desert road and you have no clue how you got there. All you know is that the wind is roaring and you’re having issues standing. The wind continues to blow, and suddenly you see a massive 18-wheeler barreling toward you. The engine gets louder and louder and you can’t run because of the wind. The truck gets closer until you can see the look on the driver’s face.
You abruptly wake up and the first sound you hear is your CPAP machine. You take off the mask and can’t get a drink of water fast enough because your mouth is so dry. The dream suddenly makes sense. CPAP machines help many patients with sleep apnea, but not all. For patients who need the CPAP but aren’t getting the results they need, combined sleep apnea therapy in State College may be their best solution.
What Is Combined Sleep Apnea Therapy?
Sleep apnea patients typically have two main ways they can be treated: a CPAP machine and an oral appliance. Sleep apnea is very different for each person, so simply having two methods does not always present the best solution for every patient. Many find the CPAP to be uncomfortable or ineffective, and an oral appliance may not help either. In this case, Dr. Donald Marks may recommend combined sleep therapy. This utilizes the best attributes of both treatments to give the patient the maximum result. The combination of a CPAP machine and oral appliance is often the ideal solution to give someone a restful night’s sleep.
The Benefits
Combined therapy has been shown to have numerous benefits for patients who haven’t benefited from either alone:
- Increased Comfort: While a person uses an oral appliance, they only need to wear a nose mask with their CPAP machine. This can be much more comfortable than the usual mask that covers the mouth, and enables the patient to put the CPAP on a lower setting.
- Improved Results: Many scientific studies over the years have shown the effectiveness of combined therapy. It leads to less air-blockages and sleep disturbances than either traditional method on its own.
- Ease of Travel: A CPAP machine can be very difficult to travel with, so many people leave it at home. Patients using combined therapy can simply take their oral appliance when they travel.
The overall result is that more people are able get peaceful sleep with combined therapy because it is more comfortable and practical than simply using one method.
Want to Know More?
Want to know more about how combined sleep apnea therapy in State College works and how it could help you? Just give us a call today and we’ll be more than happy to answer your questions. Your sleep is important to your overall health, and we know the team at State College Dental Sleep Medicine can help you get the rest you need.