An apnea patient tends to encounter breathing difficulties at night and snores when they reach Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep stage. While allergies, a deviated septum, or a malformed soft tissue in the throat may also disrupt sleep, excess weight and obesity is another known factor to affect the nighttime breathing process. Many of us know that obesity affects human metabolism and may create snoring. However, the overweight condition may also trigger a sleep disorder like sleep apnea.

The excessive tissue around the neck and loss of muscle tone in the upper airway of the throat are what induces snoring in obese people. That is why apnea researchers suggest weight reduction and improving better muscle tone by exercising regularly as a means to reduce obesity and chances of recurring apnea episodes at night.

An eight-hour nighttime sleep is ideal normally, but an apnea patient may encounter overnight fatigue and may sleep during the day as well. However, if you couple the positional therapy with daily exercises and diet, you can sleep better and on the right time. An individual, who finds it tough to reduce weight and encounters difficulties in changing the diet, tends to choose alternative remedies for sleep apnea like changing the sleep position or using an anti snoring device. Yet again, the quality of nighttime sleep will determine the eating habits and diet in an obese person.

Some apnea patients tend to snore when they sleep on the back also known as the supine position. The position may cause sleep apnea episodes especially in the REM state. An ideal positional therapy deals with changing the supine position to sleeping on left or right side. This will open up the upper airway in the throat, will stop snoring and improves the sleep in obese people. However, if you have mild to moderate obtrusive sleep apnea, then sleeping on the stomach (prone position) may reduce snoring and may improve the sleep patterns to left side sleeping.

One of the drawbacks of sleeping in the prone position is that people tend to encounter a sour neck and even back pain in the morning. In such cases, raising the head by six inches or so with a stop snoring pillow can be tried to address the condition and improve sleep with no pain. A mouthpiece for sleep apnea will also cure snoring just like the positional therapy. If you are obese, needless to say, exercising is a must alongside trying alternate remedies.