A round 2001 in Key West, USA, I noticed that my sleep apnea got really bad. One morning I probably had stopped breathing for several minutes because it took me 2 hours to see straight. Before that I’d only thought “Oh well, that’s how it is, I’ll just have to accept it”. When I got back to Sweden in 2003 it was so bad that I went to the Sofia Clinic, a private health clinic. They did different tests on me during 2004 to 2006, which showed that I had medium to severe sleep apnea.

I bought a Tempur mattress, a thick mattress that forms after your body. It worked really well. I still use the same mattress and wouldn’t dream of changing it. I put a duvet, blankets etc. underneath to get a better angle upwards and slept almost half sitting.

Considered piercing my tongue to get rid of my sleep apnea

When I were in Algarve (Portugal) together with a group of people and I in 2008 to look at golf courses for a future golf club, there was a guy in our group who had one of those breathing masks (CPAP mask) and I thought “never in hell,” because the people at the Sofia Clinic had said I should probably get one.

That’s when I came up with the idea to pierce my tongue so it wouldn’t fall down in the throat, but I was advised not to.

Around this time I was also poisoned by formaldehyde, when we rebuilt a cruise ship in Uddevalla (Sweden), which made my breathing even worse (something I realized later).

The breakthrough came when I started taping my mouth at night

I tried all sorts of natural remedies – hair analysis, herb detoxes to get rid of toxins in my body, and I also bought one of those small jugs to rinse the nose with. But it wasn’t enough. Around 2009 I realized that when my mouth is closed the tongue can’t fall back. So I tried taping my mouth – and what a success! Nowadays I do it every night.

I sleep as ever before and I know it works because my mouth is not dry in the morning when I wake up. If I ever forget to tape, I’d normally wake up around 3-4 am, but with my mouth taped I sleep soundly all night.

I thought I was alone in taping my mouth so it was particularly fun to discover your website and read about others who have had the same positive effect as me. The sleep apnea that troubled me for many years is completely gone!

I’ve also noticed that sleep apnea is associated with obesity. When I lived in Key West I was overweight, although you couldn’t really tell as it was well proportioned. I now weigh 15kg (33lbs) less.

I’ve had an issue with a blocked nose ever since 1965, when I was an apprentice at Broströms navy and got an infection in India. But nowadays my nose is clear and better than ever. It has actually become less blocked the more I’ve been breathing through it! Now I even have my mouth closed during daytime when I’m sitting at my desk working.

I get less tired when exercising

I’ve always done sports like squash/tennis/golf and this weekend I will participate in the Swedish National Championship in Racketlon – and at 9.30 am today it’s the final rehearsal! And to brag a bit – in March of this year I won a silver medal in the Swedish National Championship in squash + last year as well… which is pretty OK i think, as I’ve turned 68! I can run up the Hammarbybacken (a hill in Stockholm that is 800 meters/half a mile long) 5-6 times and I’m actually less tired the 5th time than the 1st – very strange.

Of course I also use your little device, the Relaxator, probably around 15 minutes 2-3 times a week. I should probably also add that since 1997 I’m doing The 5 Tibetans everyday which has probably contributed to my now low pulse and low blood pressure. My blood pressure now is 105 over 60 and a resting pulse of 45 (generally a bit low, but better than the opposite).

I’m also apparently the Swedish blood donor champion – have donated blood 316 times by now. People say it’s not good but I don’t believe that for a second – you train your body to make new, fresh red blood cells. I tell all of my friends to tape their mouth, use a nose jug to clear out your nose and to breathe with the Relaxator, and they realize that they’re probably good things to do.