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How to Put Sleep Apnea Treatments on Autopilot

Evelyn Ward was game for anything. Sure many others found relief with the most common of sleep apnea treatments, the CPAP machine, hose and mask - but she just couldn't adjust.

"It sure was frustrating," Evelyn admitted. "Short of gluing it on, I'd be alerted by my CPAP machine that my mask was off - again - more than just two or three times a night. I'm quite sure everyone doesn't have this problem with their CPAP apnea therapy. But I really needed another solution."

Most sleep apnea is caused in part by floppy soft palate tissue at the top of your throat. This can result in a blockage of the airway which leads to interrupted sleep. With other unwanted coming attractions that include an increased risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, or diabetes.

"I didn't want that, but I couldn't do the mask," Evelyn said.

Nor were the more drastic sleep apnea treatments appealing either. Where a surgeon removes the excess tissue, maybe your tonsils and adenoids too as a way of treating apnea. Not only was this painful, it more often than not doesn't help. What kind of sleep apnea treatment is that?

"Then I read about a new a new FDA- approved, medical procedure called the Pillar Procedure. Seems it's for people like me with a milder version of the sleep apnea disorder. I liked it could be done as an out patient using local anesthetic. It seemed to be safe and effective. Best of all it promised minimal pain with a fast recovery. "

How it works. Your doctor inserts three small polyester implants in your soft palate which is found at the back of the roof of your mouth. These implants stiffen that soft palate tissue and add the needed structural support to keep that tissue from vibrating or blocking your air way.

Evelyn concluded, "I'm not sure if it's an apnea cure or not. But from what I understand it's a quick and effective way to tone down snoring while providing an alternative to existing sleep apnea treatments."