I have a few patients who are caught in a similar situation like yours where they are either unfit for surgery or just can’t tolerate wearing a CPAP mask.
When you say that your mum can’t tolerate wearing a CPAP mask, I hope she has had the experience of already trying different types of CPAP masks because they come in all shapes and sizes, not just full facial masks which many patients find difficult to tolerate for the whole night. CPAP masks also come in the form of small neat-looking nasal masks and even nasal specs/tiny tubes sitting just at the nostril area.
Other options of treating obstructive sleep apnea also include wearing a specially fitted dental appliance in the mouth, called a Mandibular Advancement Device (MAD), which looks very much like a retainer people wear when they have braces fitted. This device may be customised to the shape and size of your teeth by a specially-trained Dentist. I think you can also purchase a similar device online eg Somnoguard AP which costs approximately $300. The aim of wearing a MAD is to push the tongue and jaw forward to open up the airway space behind the tongue base to prevent the tongue from falling backwards.
Simple strategies like getting your mum to sleep on her side, rather than flat on her back, can also help to relieve the airway collapse suffered during sleep apnea. There are also specially-designed wedge pillows to reduce snoring like from Intevision. Try to choose the foam wedge type instead of something too soft.
There are newer but more controversial devices on the market like Snore stoppers which are bluetooth headset earphones claiming to “cancel” out snoring. I think the jury is still out on these but by all means, feel free to try them and let us know what your feedback is.
Other products I’ve noticed on the market include so-called anti-snoring tapes and chin guards as well as Breathe Easi nasal splints which you are supposed to wear on the bridge of your nose to clear your nasal passages to breathe more easily. If your mum suffers from a blocked or stuffy nose, then I suppose a nasal decongestant spray might help. However, in the vast majority of snorers and sleep apnea sufferers, having a blocked nose is usually not the only reason for having obstructive sleep apnea.
I would just like to add that I am in no way affiliated with nor sponsored by any of the companies mentioned above. I always try my best to give a balanced objective perspective and I hope you find the above info helpful, A.
