How Your Facial Expressions Affect Your Sleep

 From Yahoo! Health

When your -- or your partner’s -- mighty snoring habit keeps you up all night, try changing your facial expressions.

For sufferers of sleep apnea, research suggests that certain facial exercises, like smiling, puckering your lips, and wagging your tongue, may help ease the problem.

Sleep, Precious Sleep
First off, sleep apnea is serious business. If you suspect that you or someone you know might have it, seek medical advice. One clue: snoring, coupled with significant tiredness in the morning, even after a full night’s sleep. Untreated, sleep apnea is associated with daytime sleepiness that can increase the risk of accidents, not to mention your risk of day-long grumpiness. Plus, some research suggests the condition may increase the risk of other health ills, like high blood pressure. Here’s another reason why you should take sleep problems to heart.

Move Your Mouth
In addition to following a doctor’s treatment advice, it’s possible that exercising certain mouth muscles helps reduce symptoms. In a small study, just 3 months of special mouth exercises produced a 39 percent drop in symptoms. These exercises seemed to tone up the upper airway, so it collapsed less during sleep -- one of the main culprits in sleep apnea. Find out how well you are sleeping by taking this quick quiz.

And try these other sound-sleep strategies if you find yourself tossing and turning into the wee hours:

• Get on a schedule. Follow this sleep advice from the YOU Docs.
• Make a paper date. Here’s how journaling your worries helps you get your 40 winks.
• Keep your toes toasty. Find out why warming your feet prepares you for sleep.