If you've recently been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, you've probably been told to prevent sleeping on your back, reduce weight, eat healthy, and exercise. Everyone is aware of this. Another big no-no is drinking alcohol before bedtime since it weakens your throat muscles.
Avoid resting on your back is one option discussed only informally. This is due to the fact that lying on your back causes your tongue and soft tissues in your throat to fall back more severely. There are Products for Sleeping on Your Side, When you combine muscle relaxation with deeper degrees of sleep, you will either snort or cease breathing entirely (called an apnea).
Sleep studies consistently show that sleeping on your back can result in double, or even triple, the amount of apneas when compared to sleeping on your side or tummy.
According to one study, sleep posture is nearly as effective as CPAP.
Alternative Techniques
Many people are aware that they should not sleep on their backs. The issue is that in most circumstances, you cannot control your sleep position during the night. If you are one of these folks, you have an opportunity to take use of new technology.
Sewing a tennis ball inside a sock to the back of your pajamas is an old advice. This may work occasionally, but more often than not, you'll just sleep on top of it, or it will irritate you and cause you to wake up. Some patients misinterpreted their physician and stuffed a whole rucksack with tennis balls while sleeping, which worked perfectly for him. There are now a variety of solutions for keeping you off your back when sleeping. The Rematee Anti-snore shirt is a popular option. It's a vest that you wear at night that has inflatable bumper pockets on the back.
Another option is the side sleep mattress, which is an inclined wedge with a cutout at the top that allows you to cradle your head on a cushion that lies above the cutout.
If you suffer shoulder or back pain and are unable to sleep on your side, lying on your back on an incline is an option. There are a variety of choices available, including this wedge pillow. This can also help with acid reflux. It is also the reason why some people can only sleep in recliners.
If you must sleep on your back, use a pillow that tilts your head back slightly, which will open up your airway. This is comparable to the first step of CPR, but not as far back. There are numerous "contour memory foam" pillows on the market that claim to minimize snoring. It will not cure your sleep apnea, but when combined with other techniques, it can aid to varying degrees.
If none of these methods work for you, it's time to consult a sleep specialist. If you already use CPAP or an oral appliance, you can add positional treatment to your routine. For better results, you may need to mix numerous alternatives.
Many people have tried other unconventional methods to stop snoring, such as positioning devices or contractions.If so, please share your experience in the comments section below.
Conclusion
The impact of sleeping posture on snoring and sleep apnea is enormous. Understanding how you sleep and how it affects your snoring is critical for identifying snoring triggers and remedies.
Sleeping position is a deeply formed habit that can be difficult to break. Keep track of the position you wake up in and the tactics that appear to be effective. Positional therapy will take some time and trial and error, but stick with it!
These basic positioning approaches are non-invasive, unlike many other snoring remedies. Importantly, they don't need a lot of money or work to implement and can be incredibly beneficial if followed.
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