There is an alternative that is less expensive and less inconvenient. Instead of changing our environment, we change something more limited. We change the angle of our mouth and throat. This is done by having our dentist install an appliance that operates like the braces that many of us wore during our adolescent years. The appliance consists of partial molds of our upper and lower teeth that are connected by two bars that can be adjusted to push our lower jaw forward to different degrees. It typically moves our lower jaw forward, thereby opening up our throat and allowing air to move more freely in and out of our nose. This appliance is placed in our mouth when we are going to bed.
A less expensive option is to purchase one of several simple mouth guard devises at the drug store that purport to open up airways in the throat by straightening the teeth and jaws. They are of limited benefit, but can be a viable option for some people with minor apnea problems. At the other extreme is the option of actually realigning one’s teeth by installing an “adult” teeth aligner. We are back to adolescence – though these aligners are pretty much invisible. Unless we have other reasons to align our teeth, this 24-hour (or at least 18 hour) solution per day might not be worth the hassle and discomfort.
Sleep Position
The way we position ourself among our pillows and blankets during the night might influence our capacity to breath as much as does an appliance (or CPAP). Often sleeping on our side (especially when cuddling up with a long side pillow) reduces sleep apnea and breaking through the mouth when compared to sleeping on our back. Belly sleeping is also something a wonderful anecdote when confronting “breathless” sleep.
Then there is the matter of sheer comfort. For some sleeper there is nothing as wonderful in the world than lying on their favorite side and snuggling up with a cluster of pillows or a big soft side pillow (or a welcoming sleep partner). There is a “sweet spot” where hands, arms and legs are all in the right place, blankets and sheets are properly tucked in, and the room temperature is just right. Sleep soon takes charge.
Conclusions
I have laid out an eight-lane highway for achieving high quality sleep. With multiple bed-related pathways in place, we can readily fall asleep. We can look forward to this comfortable snuggling even if we wake up and get out of bed several times during the night (which as I have often noted is not necessarily a bad thing).
Whatever we have done health-wise to promote sleep and however we have prepared for sleep prior to heading into the bedroom, it is the bedroom setting that has the greatest immediate impact. Furthermore, the most immediate and intimate impact comes from the bed and its accessories, as well as the way we position ourselves in this bed for a night of breath-filled and well-positioned sleep. A high quality of sleep is likely to follow when we embrace these bed-related pathways—some of which are expensive but others of which are remarkably inexpensive or free.
