The Indian Journal of Sleep Medicine

Human beings spend approximately one third of their lives sleeping. Sleep disruption caused by breathing disorders is recognized as an important global health issue because of its prevalence and association with disease development and death.

Sleep apneas are classified into three types; obstructive, central, and mixed. Obstructive apneas are the most common type, and result from the collapse or obstruction of the oropharyngeal region of the upper airway. The most common symptoms associated with obstructive sleep apnea are loud snoring, disrupted sleep, and excessive daytime sleepiness. The treatment modalities consist of both surgical and nonsurgical methods. The nonsurgical approaches to treatment include weight loss,, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and oral appliances which include tongue retainer appliance and mandibular advancement appliance.. Oral appliances have become increasingly popular for treatment of the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, because of being a valuable alternative for treatment of patients who are not able to tolerate CPAP, due to its side effects.