Sleep apnea is a disorder that causes the sufferer to stop breathing for periods while they sleep. There are three kinds of sleep apnea currently: obstructive, central and mixed. The common is obstructive where the throat muscles become over relaxed which leads to the collapse of the windpipe that blocks the airway. Sleep apnea can be treated by lifestyle changes or with surgery for the more extreme cases. A common, non-surgical option is sleep apnea pillow.
Sleep apnea pillows are specially designed to help snoring, the most noticeable sign of the apnea. The pillows work by giving the neck support and keeping sufferers from being able to completely roll to their backs, the position that apnea is worse in. They lengthen the neck and cradle the head which stops the tongue from being able to block the airway. Sleep apnea pillows also help by easing the pressure place on the arms and shoulders while the sufferer sleeps.
There are many different companies that make this special pillows. There is only one that has FDA approval, the SONA sleep apnea pillow. This pillow consist of two triangular shaped layers that make it look like a boomerang with padding. It angular design is what makes it unique. It forces the user to stay on their side. The two surfaces that are inclined make the main sleeping area while the center is a lower flat surface.
The lower parts of the triangle have arm slings for training. The user lies on his side with their arm extended under the pillow. The arm needs to be kept extended during sleeping with the head staying on the same side as the arm. The training slings can be used at first to ensure that you stay in this position by putting your arm in the space in the middle of the pillow and sling. For more comfort you may want to add to the apnea pillow you may want to use a body pillow to keep you in the correct position.
When used like this it will keep the jaw pulled forward and keep the tongue from falling back and blocking the air way. Some people can not use these types of pillows. When people have severe sleep apnea simply using the pillow of any kind will not work. Especially people who are extremely obese will not get as much relief as thinner people. Apnea pillows do need fluffed on occasion and should be replaced every year for maximum benefit.
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