There are actually many ways of dealing with sleep apnea. Factors that determine choices include severity, cost, responsiveness to different treatments, convenience, and personal preferences. Some methods are more drastic than others. Usually, simpler potential solutions will be tried first. Each will be described in detail.
 
 

    This method works mainly for people that are very obese (over 300 pounds). The amount of benefit for people under 300 pounds is more marginal. If you are under 300 pounds, but have severe obstructive sleep apnea, chances are, you have a physical abnormality that weight loss will not correct.
 
 

    With nocturnal supplemental oxygen, you would connect a nasal cannula around your head and connect this to an oxygen concentrator. A nasal cannula has two short prongs that stick into the nostrils of your nose a short ways. It is totally painless and pretty easy to adjust to. An oxygen concentrator is an electrical machine that weighs about 50 pounds. Even an average person can carry his or her own concentrator when going on vacation or moving. This machine extracts oxygen from room air and concentrates it into a near pure form. Usually a setting of 1 or 2 liters per minute is used. The biggest problems that these machines tend to cause is a humming noise and some vibration. However, many people can sleep through this, even if the unit is next to the bed. Also these machines tend to heat the room a few degrees.

    This is a relatively simple and quick means of counteracting obstructive sleep apnea. However, it is too painful for some patients to tolerate, and other patients may not be able to tolerate it under certain circumstances, such as when having a cold or sinus trouble. It consists of lubricating a nasal tube and sticking it up one’s own nose for the night. The tube is designed to be threaded through the nasal passage and down through the throat and help prevent obstructions to airflow.

    This is another non-surgical means of counteracting obstructive sleep apnea. Here a person connects himself or herself up to a machine. This can either be a CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) or BiPAP (Bi-level Positive Air Pressure) machine. A CPAP machine uses one set pressure for inhalation and exhalation. A BiPAP machine uses different set pressures for inhalation and exhalation (hence the name BiPAP). Some users that have difficulty exhaling against the pressure from a CPAP machine do better with the BiPAP machine. Major problems that can occur with either machine include stomach bloating, claustrophobia, conjunctivitis, dry eye(s), red facial marks, pesky and noisy air leaks, and soreness due to pressure of the headgear. Usually, a sleep study will be performed to see what pressure(s) the machine needs to be set at. Most patients use pressure settings around 5-10 cmH20. In some stubborn cases, 15-20 cmH20 needs to be use. Usually patients that require more than about 15 cmH20 tend to later get a tracheostomy done, for problems are abundant at these settings

    This is a new way of dealing with snoring and possibly mild cases of obstructive sleep apnea. Here, a user simply sprays a substance, such as D-Snore toward his or her throat shortly before going to bed. Supposedly the substance slightly shrinks throat tissues and possibly more. The effectiveness of this treatment is questionable.
 
 

    Another non-surgical method of dealing with mild obstructive sleep apnea is by the use of nasal strips. These look somewhat like a band-aid, but have a spring-like action to help pull the nostrils open. Another device that supposedly offers a similar benefit is a set of nose prongs. Here, a small device is placed into the nostrils and helps to open things up. However, both of these devices are good only if the obstruction is toward the front of the nose.

    A relatively new approach to treating obstructive sleep apnea, especially when accompanied by loud snoring is the use of a dental appliance.  These work in different ways, depending on the particular dental appliance.  Some are designed to keep the tongue from going too far back.  Others deal with the position of the lower jaw (mandible).  Still others may work in different ways.  Most of these require fitting by a dentist, preferably by one that has special training in these appliances.  The big downside of these is the feeling of something foreign in your mouth.  If the device is the wrong type and/or is not fitted properly, it can make sleeping even more difficult.  Even under "optimal" conditions, I anticipate that it may take several nights or longer to adjust to such a device.  Some people may never be able to adjust to these.  Some of these may also increase the likelihood of slobbering during sleep.  The outcome may vary greatly depending on the individual.  However, one source claims that 90% of users are able to adapt to them and that they are very effective in many patients.  Unlike surgical options, this method is completely reversible.  Since they are not used in the daytime, there are no effects on speech or eating.  Unlike CPAP and BiPAP equipment, cleaning is most likely a breeze; Many of these devices could probably be easily cleaned by soaking them in a denture bath.
 
 

    There are a number of surgical options available for moderate to severe sleep apnea. Some are much more drastic than others. In some cases the tonsils, adenoids, and/or uvula are the culprits. These are removed (except for the uvula, which is just cut back). While these surgeries are minor, some of them, ESPECIALLY removing the tonsils, are hard on adult patients (much more so than on children).  While some of these surgeries are minor in themselves, recovery can be the devil.

    Another group of surgeries include tongue advancement and mandibular (lower jaw) advancement. While a tongue advancement is not considered a major surgery, its recovery can be the devil. Mandibular advancement is a major surgery and has about a 6-10 week recovery period and is horrible to go through.

    Another class of surgeries affect the airway more directly. One of these is an outright airway enlargement. This is a major surgery and may have a lengthy and nasty recovery period. A severe sore throat may accompany this type of surgery.

    A last resort, but relatively minor, surgery is a tracheostomy. Here, a hole (stoma) is created in the neck as a secondary airway. During the surgery, a tracheal cannula will be inserted or even implanted. This is the one that ALWAYS works when there is obstructive sleep apnea. However, it is probably the least attractive cosmetically. Below are a few pictures of what you would look like with a tracheal cannula.

Below are some views with a couple different shirts.  I am using the Montgomery cannula in the pictures below.