Sleep apnea is the most common sleep disease, and for those who suffer from it a good night’s sleep can be hard to come by.

The condition causes the tissues in the back of throat to close periodically during the course of the night, resulting in a short stoppage of breathing. Most patients who are diagnosed with the condition are prescribed a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine to counteract the effects of the disease by forcing air through the throat tissues via a facemask.

Although the CPAP machine is quite effective it is also somewhat cumbersome, and many sleep apnea sufferers complain that their sleep is still continually disturbed, as the facemask is discomforting to them. Many remove the mask after just a few hours of use, as they are so annoyed by it.

Now however a newer surgical technique is providing relief on a more permanent basis, and according to research recently conducted by scientists at the Oregon Health & Science University and the Mayo Clinic it has very successful in certain sleep apnea patients.

The procedure, which is called a uvopalatopharyngoplasty , consists of a tonsillectomy followed by minor alterations to the palate and uvula. All of this is designed to reduce tissue constriction during sleep.

However, the researchers found that some people were helped more by undergoing the surgery than others. By observing 63 post surgical patients at the Mayo Clinic for a number of weeks they found that younger patients with a BMI (body mass index) in the normal to mildly obese range were more likely to gain positive benefits from undergoing the procedure.

The number of breathing disturbances that a patient experienced on average prior to surgery also seemed to impact the usefulness of surgery. From their observations they were able to determine that those with a 30-35 episode score on the apnea-hypopnea (AHI) index, which is a measurement made during the course of the typical sleep study, reaped the greatest benefits from the surgery.

Ultimately, this could set a great many patients free from their CPAP machines and finally give them what many crave the most – a peaceful night’s sleep. Says Akram Khan, M.D., an assistant professor of critical care and pulmonary in the OHSU School of Medicine and one of the study’s co authors “We believe that for a certain segment of sleep apnea patients, this research demonstrates that surgery is a viable alternative to CPAP,” added Khan. This is important information for physicians as they discuss possible sleep apnea therapies with their patients.”