What increases the chances of having Sleep Apnea?

• Sleep apnea runs in families.
• Alcohol at night may make sleep apnea twice as severe. If you take alcohol, take one drink at least three hours before bedtime.
• Sedatives may worsen sleep apnea.
• Some analgesics (pain killers) worsen breathing at night: examples include: codeine (Oxycontin), meperidine (Demerol), morphine (MS Contin), Dilaudid, Talwin.

What is the treatment for Sleep Apnea?

• If overweight, lose weight.
• Avoid alcohol and sedatives at night
• Try to reduce opiod analgesics (pain killers) as far as possible.
• Don’t drive when sleepy. It can be as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol.
• If sleep apnea is worse when sleeping on the back, sleep on the side using a ‘snore ball’. Sew a sock into the back of your pyjamas, and put a tennis ball in the sock.
• Oral surgery, dental appliances, and CPAP are therapies for sleep apnea. CPAP is the most reliably effective.

Take this sleep quiz

Where can I get more information?
Sleep-Wake Disorders Canada
phone 1-800-387-9253
www.swdca.org