It’s hard to stay alert and focused if you’re not getting the proper amount of sleep, which can be caused by many things. If you aren’t sleeping right due to sleep apnea, there are some things you can do about it. The article below has tips and ideas to help you manage this affliction.

Regular practice on a wind instrument can minimize some of your sleep apnea symptoms. A German study has shown that playing wind instruments such as the digeridoo will help your sleep apnea. The muscles have a large impact on how well you breathe. This is why playing this instrument regularly will help strengthen these muscles, and reduce snoring and sleep apnea symptoms.

You must be careful not to use sedating medications if you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. Anything that sedates you will slow down your breathing, especially when you go to sleep. When you are sedated by medication, your throat muscles will relax and collapse more quickly as you sleep.

Try your best to lay off tobacco and nicotine products. Cigarette smoke can irritate your upper airway causing it to swell up, subsequently hindering your ability to breath during the night. Quitting smoking could therefore, significantly improve your sleep apnea symptoms and will also improve your body’s overall health and your feelings of well-being.

Make sure to provide relief for your allergies. Congestion can make it harder to breathe through your nose and force you to take in air through your mouth. Allergies can cause soft tissues to swell and make apnea much more severe. Research the medicines you use to treat your symptoms and be wary of adding side effects to the mix.

Keep your bedroom in prime shape for sleeping. Insomnia and sleep apnea are often connected. This makes keeping an environment in which you sleep at the right temperature, lightness level and sound level important for helping you get a good night of rest. The right environment also means leaving your stresses outside the bedroom to ensure you are relaxed enough to fall asleep.

Do you always sleep on your back? Try sleeping on your side instead. When you sleep on your back with a head propped on a pillow, your airways get narrower. Go to sleep on your side and use cushions to prevent yourself from rolling in your sleep. Your airways should remain open as long as you are on your side.

If you are a smoker and suffer from sleep apnea, quit, or at the very least, cut back dramatically. Smoking is dangerous for those who suffer from sleep apnea because it causes swelling to the airways, not to mention all the tar it leaves behind in your lungs and airways.

Being overweight is a common cause of sleep apnea. If you suffer from this condition, losing weight can help you find relief. Talk to your doctor to find some safe and effective ways of dropping a few pounds. Doing so will also benefit you in many other ways as well.

Patients who suffer from sleep apnea might want to consider losing weight as a means to relieve the symptoms. Being overweight and large around the neck are often indications of sleep apnea. Shedding some unnecessary weight can really cut down on the pressure airways receive, which means you get easier air flow and breathing during your sleeping hours.

Now that you’ve finished reading this article, you can see that there are ways to control this problem. Don’t go through live deprived of the sleep you need. Practice what you’ve just learned, and be on your way to life that includes the rest you deserve. Soon, you will feel much better.