If you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea, you’re in good company: Nearly 30 million adults in the U.S. have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition in which your breathing repeatedly stops and starts while you sleep. And many go undiagnosed. That’s what smart, effective sleep apnea self-care strategies to manage the condition are so important.
“Sleep apnea can have profound impacts on our daytime functioning,” explains Swetha Gogineni, MD, a pulmonology, critical care and sleep physician from UCLA Health’s Santa Monica Pulmonary Sleep Clinic. “It can lead to us feeling tired and affect our concentration, memory development and general wellbeing. Additionally, moderate to severe sleep apnea has been associated with various health conditions including high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, strokes and mood disorders.”
Keep scrolling to see the sleep apnea self-care treatments that not only help you get restful sleep, but also improve your overall quality life and reduce your health risks.
Common treatments for sleep apnea
To manage sleep apnea, talk to your doctor about treatment options. He or she may recommend continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to keep your airways open while you snooze. “CPAP therapy and other PAP therapies are the gold standard for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea,” confirms Audrey Wells, MD, Sleep Medicine Advisor at CPAP.com and board-certified sleep and obesity medicine physician.
If you’ve been carrying around excess weight, losing weight can also help you breathe easier. And in some cases, your doctor may suggest surgical options, such as removing your tonsils or implanting a nerve-stimulating device to open up your airways.
7 sleep apnea self-care tips
In addition to following whatever treatments or therapies your doctor recommends, there are a few sleep apnea self-care steps you can take to breathe easier.
Swap your sleep position
“The most effective thing you can do at home while you’re waiting to be evaluated is trying to sleep on your side,” Dr. Gogineni says. A study in the journal Sleep found that back-sleepers experience up to twice as many apnea incidents as when they sleep on their sides. That’s because back-sleeping lets gravity pull the tongue and throat tissues backward, narrowing the upper airway. But side-sleeping keeps the airways more open, according to research in Chest.
Tip: If you can, lie on your right side. Related research in Sleep & Breathing found that left-side sleepers cut OSA incidents by about 50 percent, while right-side sleepers bumped the reduction up to 61 percent. Not usually a side sleeper? A sleep apnea pillow can help support your head and neck during side sleeping. If you have to sleep on your back, use a wedge pillow to elevate your head.
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Blow up a balloon
Ayurvedic medical practitioners have touted the health benefits of blowing a conch shell for centuries, and a six-month study in ERJ Open Research now finds it may be an especially effective sleep apnea self-care strategy. Participants who blew a conch daily for at least 15 minutes reduced nighttime awakenings by up to five per hour. Plus, their daytime sleepiness fell by 34 percent.
Each deep inhale followed by a long, powerful exhale strengthens the throat and soft palate muscles, helping keep the airway open during sleep. Given that most of us don’t have a conch shell handy, you can easily sub in a balloon to engage the same muscles.
Start a sleep journal
“Document your sleep habits, snoring and any awakenings to help your doctor understand your symptoms,” says Chris Allen, MD, a sleep medicine physician and sleep science advisor at Aeroflow Sleep. While this won’t directly relieve sleep apnea, it can help you spot patterns and communicate your symptoms more effectively when you meet with your doctor to discuss self-care strategies.
Slip on compression socks
Wearing compression socks during the day is a self-care move that may reduce sleep apnea episodes at night. A study in Sleep Medicine found that people diagnosed with the condition who wore ordinary 20 to 30 mmHg below-knee compression stockings during the day for two weeks cut their nightly breathing interruptions by 26 percent.
When you lie down at night, fluid that’s accumulated in your legs and ankles during the day flows toward your neck, where it swells tissues in the throat and triggers snoring and apnea. But compression socks slow daytime pooling, setting you up for easier nighttime breathing.
Talk to your dentist
When you’re having sleep issues, your dentist may not be the first person you think to call. But he or she may be able to create an oral appliance called a mandibular advancement device to reposition your jaw while you’re sleeping and help keep your airway open, Dr. Gogineni says.
Just steer clear of DIY sleep apnea mouth guards. “I don’t recommend the boil-and-bite mouth guards, because the bulk of those tends to push the tongue back and make the situation worse,” Dr. Wells says.
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Sing a song
A study in the International Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery found that 20 minutes of singing exercises each day significantly improved snoring and sleepiness among people with sleep apnea. So turn up the music belt out a few of your favorite songs.
Take a brisk walk
A study in the journal Sleep found that people with sleep apnea who got 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week significantly lowered their apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), a measure of the severity of sleep apnea. That may sound daunting, but you can reap the benefits by breaking it up into a 20-minute stroll each day.
Make it easier by slipping on a SPIbelt to hold your phone and other essentials, then cue up your favorite podcast to listen to while you stroll. It’ll make the walk fly by! (Bonus: Brisk walking may help you live longer too).
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More ways to sleep soundly:
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This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.
