Will changing my lifestyle help with my sleep apnea?

Simple changes in your lifestyle can greatly reduce or even eliminate the symptoms of sleep apnea. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to serious health problems including heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke, and car accidents due to daytime sleepiness.

Unfortunately, many people with sleep apnea don't know they have it - they may feel very tired during the day, but don't link that to getting poor-quality sleep.

Talk to your doctor about the following lifestyle changes that can help you manage your sleep apnea better:

Lose weight

Being overweight is a risk factor for sleep apnea. If you're overweight, ask your doctor for advice on how to lose weight safely. Weight loss of just 10 per cent - that's equal to 20 lbs for a 200 lb man - can greatly reduce the number of sleep apnea episodes that happen each night.

Get moving

Exercise isn't just a great way to maintain a healthy body weight, but also contributes to healthy sleep. (Try not to exercise for at least three hours before bedtime. A hard workout right before bed might actually cause trouble sleeping.)

Stop smoking

Smoking can make sleep apnea symptoms worse because it can irritate your throat and make you cough at night. Stopping smoking will also give you more energy for everyday physical activities.

Stick to a regular sleep schedule

Going to bed and waking up at roughly the same times every day helps you to get the right kind of sleep. You need to experience the full cycle of deep- and lighter-stage sleep to feel well rested. A regular sleeping schedule also prevents you from getting overtired, which can make sleep apnea symptoms worse.

Avoid alcohol and sleeping pills

If you have trouble sleeping, try a cup of decaffeinated herbal tea or juice instead of unwinding with a glass of wine. Alcohol and certain medications (sleeping pills and some pain medications) can make throat muscles relax more than normal. As a result, airways can get blocked. Alcohol and medications can also make it harder for your brain to "wake up" and register a lack of oxygen in the body. This can cause longer and more serious pauses in breathing. If you find it hard to fall asleep, try reading a book or taking a warm bath.

Sleep on your side

Sleeping on one side instead of sleeping on your back can help to improve sleep apnea symptoms. Sleeping on your back lets gravity pull on the tissues at the back of your throat and neck. This can cause the upper airway to become narrow or collapse completely. You can "train" yourself to sleep on you side by:

• putting pillows against your back to prop yourself on your side.
• using the 'tennis ball trick'. Sew a pocket onto the back of your pajama top and put a tennis ball in it. If you start to roll to your back during sleep, the pressure from the ball will make you roll back to your side.

Additional resources

• I snore. Does that mean I have sleep apnea?
• Is there a link between sleep apnea and heart attack?