Simple trick to help stop snoring

So I learned a great trick today at a dental seminar on obstructive sleep apnea. (Yes, dentists do offer services for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea patients. Just not all dentists.)

Are you tired of snoring? Maybe your bed partner is.

But first, I want to emphasize that snoring and obstructive sleep apnea patients should have a sleep study done and medically diagnosed. Sleep study which can be done either at home or at a sleep center will provide lots of information regarding sleep quality or the lack of. Depends on the severity of the sleep apnea, doctors will recommend the appropriate treatments.

The two main ones are CPAP (a device that provides continuous positive air pressure through a mask) or oral appliances. Dentists make oral appliances. For the right candidate patients. For example, those with mild to moderate sleep apnea and prefer wearing a simple mouth piece than being hooked up to a CPAP machine. There are many designs for oral appliances for sleep apnea patients. Based on the individual bite, the best fit is chosen.

But I am not going to discuss about the oral appliances. (The selection process is complicated). I am here to share a simple trick to help stop snoring.

The tip was shared by the speaker dentist who also has sleep apnea himself: Put a tennis ball in the pocket of a Tshirt, then wear it backward going to bed.

Every one can try this! It is so simple and super low cost -maybe a dollar to buy the tennis ball. :)

Image is just for showing off this smart pumpkin. Please use a new and clean tennis ball. (Duh!)

Studies show that people breath better sleeping on the sides than sleeping on the back. Having a tennis ball on your back will gently force yourself to turn to the sides. Your breathing and sleeping will improve significantly. Snoring will stop or decrease its loudness in this position.

Sleep apnea can lead to many other health issues, such as stroke, heart attack, weight gain, depression... If you (or your love) have snoring and sleep apnea problem, please seek medical help. In mild to moderate cases, the issue can be easily fixed with a simple dental device.

While waiting for the doctors to address your sleep issues, try the simple trick above to decrease snoring and improve your sleep. :)