How I Manage Sleep Apnea With Diet and Lifestyle Changes

Sleep apnea can cause your life to change in different ways. Over the past few years since my diagnosis, I’ve changed my life around by making some changes. Here’s what I’ve done to manage my apnea more effectively with diet and lifestyle changes.

My diet and lifestyle changes

Diet

I try to eat a balanced diet to improve my nutrition. I avoid fast food, for the most part, limit sugar, and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables when I can.

Getting better nutrition will improve your overall mood and sleep which impacts sleep apnea for a positive mood. When I eat well, I get better quality sleep and feel better the next morning.

Stress reduction

I try to keep my stress under control. Getting upset about your day-to-day activities makes it harder to get quality sleep. I don’t allow the day-to-day hassles of life to put me in a bad mood.

To reduce stress I play guitar, take baths, and garden which helps me sleep at night. Stress can have a big impact on your quality of life so it’s a good idea to reduce your stress levels if you have sleep apnea.

Exercise

Recently, I’ve added walking into my daily routine. This not only helps me sleep, but it has reduced my sleep apnea by a small degree.
Recently I had a sleep evaluation and the number of times I woke up at night due to my sleep apnea decreased slightly. I believe this can be attributed to my exercise routine and some weight that I’ve lost over the past few months.

Rest

I make sure that I keep a regular sleep schedule and go to bed at a set time. My body needs more rest than normal as I find that there are some nights, I feel quite tired even with my sleep apnea mask on.

A solid sleep schedule ensures that I’m getting the rest I need to function my best during the day. I avoid the late nights as my body can’t handle it.

Positive mindset

I try to keep a positive mindset even though I have a condition that can be extremely aggravating at times. I make sure that I don’t allow a bad day to get the better of me. By approaching each day in a positive way I’m better able to manage my sleep apnea and cope when I do have a setback.

I follow my therapy

One thing I do to ensure that I get the best result with my continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine is to follow my therapy. You need to actually use your mask each night for CPAP therapy to work for you.

A lot of the time we end up being our worst enemy, so I decided early on that I was going to change my attitude and give the mask a chance to work, and it has.

Managing sleep apnea with diet and lifestyle changes

You do need to make some lifestyle adjustments when you use a CPAP mask, but the results are well worth the hassle of having to wear the thing each night. I sleep better and have more energy during the day. My life has improved since I started using my CPAP machine. All it really takes is a positive mindset and a few adjustments in your daily life to see good results.

What diet and lifestyle changes work for you? Please share a comment.