Look. CPAP machines are the gold standard for sleep apnea, but they aren't for everyone. When you have obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, addressing it is key. Left untreated, OSA is linked to daytime sleepiness and an increased risk of anxiety, diabetes, hypertension, and stroke.
With OSA, your breathing pauses during sleep because something blocks your airway, like your tongue or relaxed throat muscles. So what do you do when CPAP feels impossible? You look at hybrid sleep apnea treatment. Combining CPAP with alternatives can be a game-changer.
Dental Devices and CPAP
A dental device designed to move the jaw so that the tongue shifts toward the front of the mouth can help keep the airway open. It’s one of the primary alternatives to CPAP, and can also be used with CPAP to help make severe obstructive sleep apnea milder. The good news is that CPAP machines have become smaller and quieter, with more comfortable options available. And for some people with mild or even moderate OSA, less invasive alternatives to CPAP may be worth considering.
Surgery as a Hybrid Approach
Some people who can’t tolerate CPAP have upper airway surgery to reduce the size of their soft palate or other tissue in their throat. If you check out our septoplasty pricing, turbinate reduction costs, or UPPP surgery costs, you'll see these are common paths. But such options don’t always work, have serious potential complications, and cannot be reversed. So in general, they should not be first-line treatments on their own. However, as part of a hybrid approach, clearing the nasal passage can mean you only need a low-pressure CPAP setting.
Visual overview: Key facts about sleep apnea weight loss surgery connection
Position Therapy
Position therapy is another angle. For some, sleeping on the back can make obstructive sleep apnea dramatically worse. In these cases, switching to side sleeping—perhaps using pillows or a tennis ball attached to a shirt back—can sometimes get AHI into the mild range. Combine that with a dental device, and suddenly you don't even need the CPAP.
Weight Loss and Future Treatments
Because sleep apnea is an anatomic disorder, drugs typically have not been effective. But GLP-1 weight loss medications such as Wegovy may be used in the future, perhaps in concert with an oral appliance or airway surgery. Talk to your doctor or consult our sleep apnea surgery guides to see what combinations might finally help you sleep through the night.