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Key takeaways from study

Nearly 7% of participants had already been diagnosed with sleep apnea.

Those who were diagnosed were also more likely to lead sedentary lives compared to participants without OSA.

A woman wearing a red coat and white trousers walking along shoreline to help her sleep

How does exercise reduce sleep apnea risk?

Sleep apnea can affect anyone.

However, there are certain lifestyle factors that elevate your risk of developing it.

Woman going for a walking workout in nature wearing activewear

These include obesity, smoking, and drinking alcohol.

Getting regular exercise and eating healthily are key to lowering your chances of developing sleep apnea.

Daily exercise can also help you to manage your symptoms if you have already been diagnosed.

Woman wearing sleep apnea mask

Plus, exercise reduces excess fat around the throat and potentially decreases fluid accumulation in the neck.

These are the three most common ways:

1.

Other expert-recommended products that alleviate sleep apnea include nasal strips or mouth guards.

man laying on white pillow

You should consider limiting your alcohol intake if sleep apnea is seriously disrupting your sleep quality.

All of these help regulate your circadian rhythm, promoting deeper more restful sleep.

This can allow better airway management during sleep, reducing the frequency of sleep apnea episodes.

A woman wearing a pink eye mask tries mouth taping to cure her sleep apnea.

An older woman and man holding a kettlebell in their chest as they squat down in gym class

A man places a sleep apnea CPAP machine mask on his face, a Tom�s Guide Sleep Week 2025 graphic (right)

The image shows a man sleeping on his back with his mouth open and his arm above his head

a photo of a woman in her 60�s working out

The image shows a sleep deprived woman lying in bed and holding her hands over her eyes

A chocolate Easter egg in pink tin foil next to image of blonde woman in purple star patterned pyjamas struggling to sleep in bed with white sheets

Woman lying down on the bed and smiling feeling comfortable

A woman lying on her side sleeping with a handdrawn thought bubble over her head to show she�s thinking

A woman with dark brown hair lies on her side staring at the back of a white alarm clock that shows the time as 2.30am

A woman with short brown hair sitting on bed with white sheets with a glass of green Spirulina smoothie in hand

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