Snoring and sleep apnea are commonly triggered by weight gain. However plenty of people have a near normal weight and snore. Sometime losing a little as 10 pounds can reverse or reduce snoring. Some people only snore when their allergies bother them. So antihistamines, nasal steroids or saline rinses help. Pets can trigger these problems as well. Your doctor may ask you to try removing the pet from the bedroom. If these simple things don't work, the next step may be to visit with an ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) specialist or a dentist. Most people that have sleep apnea will really need a sleep study. But until they get their sleep study, the same things that makes snoring less may make sleep apnea a bit less.

Medicare has covered testing for many years, but the criteria have been fairly strict. Most insurance companies pay for testing. Many testing centers are willing to negotiate for cash payments. Many vendors of sleep apnea machines (CPAP) will do a screening test at NO charge. If a person has sleep apnea, diabetes and high blood pressure and is then treated, the improvement in their diabetes and blood pressure is similar to one medicine for each of these. The long term health improvement and dollar savings from treating sleep apnea are significant.