Homemade Sleep Apnea Devices

If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, determine which treatment is best. If you have obstructive sleep apnea, treatment will depend on the structure of your air passages and medical history 2. There are homemade sleep apnea devices that will help, once you know what will work for you. These devices are intended to widen the air passages to make breathing while sleeping continuous. If you have central sleep apnea, your brain forgets to tell you to breathe. This requires a different kind of treatment.

Don't Roll

Tie a tennis ball in a sock and tie it across your waist so that when you roll over it will force you not to sleep on your back. You will change positions often during the night. Sleep apnea happens more often when you sleep on your back, so the tennis ball stops you from lying on your back and forces you to go back to your side 2. This can reduce the number of apneas you have in one night.

Keep Your Mouth Shut

Use simple straps that keep your mouth closed. It keeps the lower jaw upright which increases the airway space. Using straps reduces the number of apneas you have in the night and can eliminate snoring. It will lower blood pressure and allow for more oxygen in the bloodstream.

Don’t Lie Flat

If you are elevated from the waist up, the airways may not collapse as often, reducing the apneas. You need to use something hard, like a foam wedge, not soft pillows that may worsen the apnea by allowing the chin to move towards the chest. Also, elevate the head of your bed 4 to 6 inches to help stop snoring. Loud snoring is a sign of sleep apnea or can cause it, and treating the snoring may stop sleep apnea 2.

Didgeridoo

Play the didgeridoo, long hollow pieces of hardwood (eucalyptus, bamboo) which can be purchased online. The British Medical Journal reports that daily practice on the Australian wind instrument reduces sleep apnea, which in turn reduces sleepiness in the daytime as well as snoring at night 2.