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Sleep

Sleep Apnea Treatment: 5 Options Beyond CPAP, and How the Home Test Works

A CPAP machine is the best known treatment for sleep apnea, and it is one of six. Here are the other five, and how the home test works.

Ageless Coach Editorial Team · September 26, 2026

In 30 Seconds
Most people with it do not know. Johns Hopkins Medicine says 9 in 10 people who have obstructive sleep apnea do not know that they have it. Johns Hopkins Medicine
CPAP is one option of six. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute lists six treatment groups, including oral devices, muscle exercises, medicine and surgery. NHLBI
The home test measures less. Mayo Clinic says a home test monitors a limited number of variables, while a lab study records brain, heart and lung activity. Mayo Clinic

Sleep apnea is treated in more than one way. A CPAP machine is the best known option. It is not the only one, and five other treatments sit beside it.

The airway narrows or closes during sleep and breathing stops for a moment. Each pause pulls you out of deep sleep and drops your oxygen. Every treatment works by holding that airway open.

Below are the five treatments that are not a CPAP machine. You will also see what the home test measures, what it leaves out, and which option suits which kind of apnea. None of this replaces a diagnosis.

1
The list · Beyond the machine

Five sleep apnea treatments that are not a CPAP

Treatment is a menu, not one device.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute sorts sleep apnea treatment into six groups (NHLBI, 2025). One group is positive airway pressure. The other five are below.

  1. A different pressure machine. CPAP holds one constant pressure all night. APAP adjusts itself as your airway changes. BPAP gives one pressure when you breathe in and a different one when you breathe out. Same idea, different feel.
  2. A fitted oral device. One kind holds the lower jaw forward. Another holds the tongue forward. Mayo Clinic puts these with mild to moderate apnea, or with severe apnea when a pressure machine cannot be tolerated.
  3. Mouth and facial muscle exercises. The NHLBI lists orofacial therapy. These are exercises for the muscles of the mouth and face. It names them as an effective treatment for some adults and children.
  4. A weight loss medicine. The FDA has approved an injected weight loss medicine for moderate to severe sleep apnea in people with obesity. It is used alongside activity and healthy eating, not instead of them.
  5. Surgery, including a nerve stimulator. Options include removing tissue at the back of the mouth, moving the jaw forward, tonsil removal and weight loss surgery. One more is an implant that stimulates the nerve controlling the tongue.
9 in 10
People with obstructive sleep apnea who do not know they have it, which is why the rest of the symptom list matters as much as the snoring.
Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine

All five sit on the same base. The NHLBI puts healthy lifestyle changes first. That means regular activity, a healthy weight, less alcohol and caffeine, and quitting smoking. It also means sleeping on your side rather than flat on your back.

2
The test · What it sees

What the home test measures and what it leaves out

Two tests are in use and they are not the same test.

Mayo Clinic says a lab sleep study records a great deal (Mayo Clinic, 2025). It follows heart, lung and brain activity, breathing patterns, limb movements and oxygen levels. A home test monitors a limited number of variables instead.

A man asleep on his back while the woman beside him covers both ears with her hands
The person next to you usually notices first. Johns Hopkins Medicine lists snoring broken by quiet pauses, then a loud sound as breathing starts again.

There is a middle option. Mayo Clinic describes a split night study, where the first half of the night measures and the second half starts CPAP if apnea is confirmed.

Ask which test you are booked for and why that one. A home test that reads clear while your symptoms carry on is a conversation, not an answer.

A home sleep apnea test monitors a limited number of variables to detect breathing pauses during sleep.

Mayo Clinic

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3
The fit · Which one suits you

Which option fits which kind of sleep apnea

Severity and anatomy decide most of it.

Johns Hopkins Medicine lists the risk factors that shape the airway (Johns Hopkins Medicine). One is neck size, over 16 inches in women and over 17 inches in men. The rest are nasal congestion, extra weight, a thyroid condition, being past menopause, smoking and family history.

A gloved hand holding a clear moulded dental appliance
An oral device is fitted, not ordered. Mayo Clinic describes types that bring the lower jaw forward and types that reposition the tongue.
16 and 17 in
The neck sizes Johns Hopkins Medicine names as a risk factor, over 16 inches in women and over 17 inches in men.
Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine

Mayo Clinic places oral devices with mild to moderate apnea, or with severe apnea when a pressure machine is not tolerated. Surgery usually follows pressure and devices rather than leading.

One device is easy to misread. Mayo Clinic says an awake tongue muscle stimulator is not meant to be used in place of CPAP in moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea.

✗
What is not true

Three things people get wrong about sleep apnea

Three beliefs about sleep apnea travel further than the evidence behind them.

It is only a snoring problem. Johns Hopkins Medicine lists far more than snoring. Untreated apnea sits beside raised blood pressure, altered insulin and glucose, heart failure, stroke and arrhythmia. It also names accidents caused by falling asleep while driving.

CPAP is the only real treatment. The NHLBI names six treatment groups. Mayo Clinic offers oral appliances for mild to moderate apnea and for people with severe apnea who cannot tolerate a pressure machine.

A home test is the same as a sleep lab. Mayo Clinic says the home test monitors a limited number of variables. The lab study records brain, heart and lung activity, breathing, limb movement and oxygen across the whole night.

📋Your Coach's Recommendations
1
Write down what your bed partner hears
Note the pauses in breathing, the loud sound when breathing restarts, and how often it happens. Johns Hopkins Medicine lists those beside morning headache, daytime sleepiness and waking to urinate several times.
2
Ask which sleep test you are being offered
A lab study and a home test measure different amounts. Ask which one you are booked for, what it records, and what the next step is if it reads clear while your symptoms carry on.
3
Bring the five alternatives to the follow up
If a pressure machine is not working, ask about the other groups by name: a different pressure mode, a fitted oral device, mouth and face exercises, a weight loss medicine, and surgery.

To your health,

Ageless Coach

Age Strong. Live Long.

Trusted Sources Behind This Article
National Heart, Lung, and Blood InstituteMayo ClinicJohns Hopkins Medicine

This article is education, not medical advice. Sleep apnea is diagnosed and treated by a healthcare professional (Mayo Clinic). Johns Hopkins Medicine names accidents caused by falling asleep while driving or operating machinery among the consequences of untreated obstructive sleep apnea, so if that is happening to you, stop driving and call your provider today.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if I should be tested?
Johns Hopkins Medicine lists snoring broken by quiet pauses, snoring that restarts with a loud sound, morning headache, falling asleep during the day, waking several times to urinate, irritability and trouble remembering things. If several of those fit you, ask your provider about a sleep test.
Can I just buy a mouthguard online?
Mayo Clinic describes oral appliances as devices that hold the lower jaw forward or reposition the tongue, fitted for your mouth. Jaw position is the working part, so this is a provider and dental job rather than a shelf purchase.
Is a home sleep test good enough?
It depends what your provider is looking for. Mayo Clinic says a home test monitors a limited number of variables, while the lab study records brain, heart and lung activity, breathing, limb movement and oxygen. Ask which one you are getting and why.
What happens if I leave it alone?
Johns Hopkins Medicine lists raised blood pressure, unstable oxygen levels, changes in mood and thinking, heart failure, stroke and arrhythmia among the consequences of untreated obstructive sleep apnea, along with accident risk from falling asleep.
Does losing weight actually help?
The NHLBI lists a healthy weight among the lifestyle changes it names as treatment, and Mayo Clinic lists weight loss surgery and a weight loss medicine among the options. Mayo also names about 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week in its self care advice.
I am past menopause. Does that matter?
Johns Hopkins Medicine lists being postmenopause among the risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea, alongside a large neck, extra weight, nasal congestion, thyroid conditions, smoking and family history.
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