What are the top 5 things i can do to reduce or eliminate my sleep apnea?

The most useful steps depend on the cause and severity of your apnea. Sleep apnea can be serious, so prioritize testing and clinician-guided treatment over trying to manage it with breathing tricks alone. 1

1. Get evaluated and tested. If you snore, wake unrefreshed, or feel sleepy during the day, talk with your doctor; diagnosis can involve an in-lab sleep study or an at-home test. 2
2. Use prescribed treatment when indicated. CPAP can be effective, especially for more severe apnea; its pressure and settings should be determined for you rather than guessed. 3 4
3. If you have excess weight, discuss weight loss. The sleep researcher describes weight loss as a typical first-line measure when excess weight may be contributing to apnea. 5
4. Avoid sleeping on your back. Back-sleeping can make airway collapse and breathing pauses more likely; side-sleeping or strategies to keep off your back may help. 6 7
5. Practice nasal breathing while awake and during exercise. The episodes describe this as a behavioral approach that may reduce snoring and mild apnea, but they also advise medical evaluation for suspected or severe apnea. Don’t assume mouth taping is a substitute for diagnosis or prescribed treatment. 8 9

These steps may reduce apnea, but they cannot establish that it is gone; follow up with a clinician to assess treatment and symptoms.