ENT Pearls of Wisdom. By Dr. Mary Talley Bowden (12/03/24, podcast 57:48)
Dr. Bowden discusses common sleep, sinus, and allergy problems and offers self-help tips to keep you out of the doctor’s and surgeon's office.
Among the tips:
Be conservative in your approach, and use self-help whenever possible.
Use Nasal Saline Rinse with Bottles (vs. Neti pots). Neilmed offers great products:
If you aren't allergic to iodine, you can add a few drops to the Neilmed rinse to fight nasal/sinus infections.
To reduce snoring, avoid sleeping on your back. (She mentioned a backpack that can help you avoid back sleeping.)
CPAP machines can help with moderate to severe sleep apnea. Surgery should be a last resort. It usually does not alleviate snoring and sleep apnea.
Magnesium can help with sleep. So can gentle eye massage, weighted blankets, and listening to boring books.
Avoid sleeping pills.
