Article: Treatment options often begin with adjusting factors that may be within your control. Seek medical attention to confirm your diagnosis and get support for the important lifestyle adjustments you can alter to help treat your apnea. Alcohol significantly slows your rate of breathing. This causes the amount of oxygen that is available in your blood to be lower than normal. When you experience symptoms associated with sleep apnea, you want as much oxygen as possible to reach your brain. Do not consume alcohol within four hours of your bedtime. People that smoke will have more trouble with their air flow and airway passages. Talk to your doctor if you need help to stop smoking. Products are available both over-the-counter and by prescription that can help you successfully quit smoking. If you are overweight or obese, this may be the primary cause of your sleep apnea.  Take steps to manage your weight in order to control your symptoms. Talk to your doctor if you need help with weight loss. Prescription products may help, plus your doctor can connect you with a nutritionist and possibly an exercise therapist to help you as you work towards your weight loss goal. Be sure you doctor is aware of the problems you having with your sleep apnea. With your doctor’s help, your routine medications can be adjusted to prevent them from aggravating your condition or causing problems. Try to avoid sleeping on your back.  Use extra bed pillows to provide support against your back and help prevent you from rolling onto your back during your sleep. Special pillows are available to help you rest comfortably while providing support to help you sleep on your side. When you are congested or your nasal passages are blocked, this causes you to breathe through your mouth at night possibly triggering or worsening the apnea.  Talk to your doctor about the safest and most effective way to keep your nasal passages open at night. Over-the-counter products, including some that do not contain any medication such as breathing strips, are available.  Other products like saline nasal sprays or neti pots may work well for you to help your nasal passages stay clear at night. Custom-fitted mouth devices are available specifically for sleep apnea.  The devices are made to fit in your mouth to keep your lower jaw and tongue in a position that keeps your airway passages open so you can breathe at night.  This type of device may or may not correct the type of problem you have that is causing your apnea, so talk to your doctor first to determine if this may be helpful. With the help of your doctor, you may be able to pinpoint the exact cause of your apnea.  For example, if you know that your tonsils are enlarged and are causing your apnea, then talk to your doctor about possible procedures to correct the problem.  In people that are suffering from central sleep apnea caused by cardiovascular issues, working closely with the cardiologist to address and correct those problems can help to reduce the symptoms of their apnea.  The same is true for people with diabetes. Taking good care of your diabetes, including steps to control weight management, can help to manage the sleep apnea symptoms.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Implement lifestyle changes. Avoid alcohol use, especially daily or excessive use. Stop smoking. Lose weight. Review your medications with your doctor. Sleep on your side. Keep your nasal passages open. See your dentist. Take steps to correct the underlying problem.