A few simple lifestyle changes for treating sleep apnea

Nights are tough if you have sleep apnea -- a chronic condition in which your breathing literally stops during sleep. A few lifestyle changes and a simple machine may be all you need to control it:

Once you've answered a few questions, your doctor will have a pretty good idea of whether or not you have sleep apnea. You'll still need a specialized test to determine what kind of apnea it is.

• The main test for sleep apnea, polysomnography, takes place in a sleep laboratory. For one or two nights, a technician monitors such things as your pattern of breathing, oxygen levels, face and leg movements, and brain waves.
• These readings are then studied to determine, scientifically, how well you're sleeping.If you're like the vast majority of people with apnea, you'll probably have the obstructive form.
• While it’s possible that you might need surgery to remove air-blocking tissue from your airways, most likely you'll be advised to make a few lifestyle changes and try a home device called a CPAP machine that makes it easier for air to get into your lungs.

Nearly everyone with sleep apnea needs to lose weight. Studies have shown that the frequency of breathing interruptions increases 32 percent for every 10 percent you're over your ideal weight.

• You'll also want to avoid alcoholic beverages and sedating medications (such as antihistamines or sleeping pills) in the evening.
• Another key suggestion for mild sleep apnea is to sleep on your side or stomach. The reason is gravity: when you sleep on your back, it pulls on the upper part of your airway, encouraging the soft palate tissue to droop down and block air flow.
• Perhaps the most effective and widely used home treatment for obstructive apnea, however, is a CPAP, an artificial breathing device (the letters stand for "continuous positive airway pressure"). Consisting of a bedside fan, connecting tube and nasal mask, the device blows a steady stream of pressurized air into your nostrils, which helps keep your throat open during sleep. One key drawback is that you'll have to use the device for life, because your apnea will return as soon you stop. Regular CPAP users, however, report feeling much better.
• Recently more and more patients have turned to herbs and other alternative treatments for relieving dozens of medical conditions — but apnea isn't one of them. The potential health risks from apnea are so serious, in fact, that doctors advise everyone to use only mainstream treatments.

Most of the treatments for apnea — weight loss or CPAP, for example — also work for snoring. Here are some other ways to turn down the volume:

• Stay off your back:  it’s estimated that 60 percent of snorers snore only — or most often — when they sleep on their backs.
• Slim down:  obes­ity is a common cause of snoring because excess fat accumulates (and then vi­brates) in the neck and throat.
• Add an extra pillow:  raising your head slightly opens up your airways.
• Use nasal strips:  sold in pharmacies, the strips (such as Breathe Right) hold your nostrils open and help prevent snoring.
• Ask about splints:  doctors sometimes advise snorers to wear a device called a mandibular advancement splint that looks like a mouth guard. It keeps the lower jaw from falling backwards during sleep, which in turn stops your tongue from blocking the flow of air.

Sleep apnea can be a dangerous condition, and it severely impacts your daily quality of life. Don't accept that you have to live with it forever:  commit to changing your lifestyle and treating sleep apnea. That first good night's sleep will be worth it!