Defensive tackle Nick Fairley from Auburn was expected to be one of the top picks in the NFL draft this week. The heart and soul of the defense of last year's national champs, Fairley was expected to be picked up no later than number 8 by the Tennessee Titans, who were desperately in need of some defensive juice after last season's poor showing. However, some insiders expressed concern about his sleep apnea. Although he issued a press release showing that he was getting treatment for his sleep apnea using CPAP, he was passed over.
Perhaps officials with the Tennessee Titans were not convinced that Fairley's CPAP treatment would work. Perhaps they know that more than half of all sleep apnea sufferers give up CPAP treatment within the first year. Perhaps they might have been better persuaded by treatment using oral appliance therapy, which treats mild to moderate sleep apnea and has a much higher compliance rate than CPAP.
We will see how well Fairley's CPAP treatment works, and we wish him good luck in his career with the Detroit Lions.
If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and want to learn about treatment options that are more comfortable and therefore more likely to be complied with, please contact a local sleep dentist today.