You may feel that your sleep apnea diagnosis is the end of your world. Perhaps you have never felt so alone as when your doctor gave you the news. Take heart though, because you are definitely not alone. Thousands are diagnosed with sleep apnea every year, and you can learn from their experiences.

Skip sleeping pills if you are prone to bouts of sleep apnea. You may feel you need them to get to sleep, but they have a similar effect as alcohol on the body. They also have additional side effects besides the obvious ones. Stay away if you want to lessen your sleep apnea symptoms.

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.

If you have been prescribed a CPAP for sleep apnea, make an honest effort to use it at least four hours a night. Although it can be difficult to become accustomed to wearing a CPAP, it is an important tool in improving sleep apnea. Four hours of use every night is the minimum necessary time you need to realize the benefits of CPAP therapy. If you are having difficulty adjusting to it at first, try to make sure you at least use your CPAP four hours each time you sleep.

Try some throat and mouth exercises. One reason people suffer from sleep apnea is because their throats close when they sleep. Strengthening these muscles can decrease the chance that they will go slack while you are sleeping. Try some tongue, jaw and neck exercises to increase your throat strength.

Sleep apnea is not to be taken lightly. If you notice some of the warning signs, you need to talk to your doctor as soon as possible. If you are diagnosed with the condition, your doctor may send you to a sleep specialist, as well as recommend a sleep test to monitor your condition.

Try yourself to sleep on your side. If you fall asleep on your back, gravity can make it easier for your tongue and/or tonsils to fall back into your throat and obstruct your windpipe, causing apnea episodes. While it may be hard a first, as time passes, however, it will start to become second nature to sleep on your side.

To decrease your risk of sleep apnea symptoms, lose some weight. People usually find that sleep apnea can be remedied by shedding those extra pounds. In fact, you don’t have to lose a lot of weight to open up the airways and the throat.

Drink one cup of caffeinated coffee a few hours before you go to sleep. It may seem silly to drink a caffeine drink at night, but this can actually help keep your throat open while you sleep. You may have to play around with what time you drink the coffee to avoid restlessness.

If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, it is essential that you stop smoking immediately. People who smoke are 3 times more likely to suffer from sleep apnea than non smokers or those who have quit smoking. There are many wonderful programs that can help you kick the habit.

A sleep apnea diagnosis is definitely not the end of your happy little world. In fact, it might just be the start of a whole new healthier chapter in your life. Take the tips you learned in this article, and start to make positive changes in your life that can help you to rest easier.