Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is an excellent option for treatment of sleep apnea but it is not for everyone. Approximately 50 percent of people suffering with moderate to severe sleep apnea cannot accept using CPAP. Although CPAP is the best option for treatment, Dr. Michael Friedman tells his patients there are many other options available and the only bad option is no treatment at all. Most patients with mild sleep apnea will not even consider CPAP as an option. They often choose to fore go treatment even though studies have shown that mild sleep apnea increases the risk of serious consequences such as fatigue, weight gain, hypertension and impotence. Women can often suffer from sleep apnea without snoring and still risk the problems of fatigue, weight gain, loss of libido, and depression. They also need options besides CPAP. And what about bed partners who suffer while their sleep is disturbed by the snoring sounds of patients with mild disease? In a study on the impact of snoring, the average sleep loss of the bed partner was 25% of their sleep time. For those patients with mild to moderate disease, office-based minimally invasive nonsurgical procedures have been shown to be highly successful in eliminating snoring and reducing apneic events. Treatments such as palatal stiffening have been used successfully in thousands of patients. Often these techniques are combined with other nonsurgical treatments such as radio-frequency, which allows nonsurgical shrinkage of tonsils, tongue base or obstructing nasal tissue. In some cases simple improvement of the nasal airway alone by an Otolaryngologist can improve or correct the problem. Click HERE and watch a Fox News segment Featuring ChicagoENT and Dr. Michael Friedman on tonsil shrinkage. In patients with severe disease, dental appliances can often offer relief of symptoms. Many of these patients may require surgical correction of the obstructing tissue. Modern day multilevel approaches have improved the success rate and reduced the morbidity. With multilevel treatment, over 60% of the patients achieved cures, and 80% achieved improvement. A recent innovation allows for precise tissue reduction by using the da Vinci robot , which helps conduct a minimally invasive surgery that allows for improved precision. There are more than 20 different treatment protocols available to patients suffering from snoring and sleep apnea. It is important to consult with your physician to determine which course of action. This article was published in the Spring 2011 issue of Chicago Health- Top Doctors and Hospitals