Sleep apnea is something that people do not know they have a lot of the time. This problem happens when you have a blockage in the airways while asleep and this causes a person to breathe improperly. See the advice in the article below for basic information on dealing with this frightening and possibly life threatening condition.
Stopping bad habits may help with your sleep apnea. Smoking and drinking are some of the biggest offenders. Drinking helps depress your respiratory system, causing breathing issues. Smoking damages all parts of your airways. Drop as many bad habits as you can as early as possible.
Being overweight can be a cause of sleep apnea. If this is a problem for a person, then weight loss is recommended. Diet and exercise can do wonders to treat this condition. Research has proven that reducing the number of carbohydrates one consumes throughout the day helps people in losing weight.
One of the reasons many people suffer from sleep apnea is because they are carrying excessive weight. If this is true for you, try getting a little thinner. These people should set themselves up with a weight-loss plan that involves exercise and calorie reduction. Restriction of carbohydrates is shown to help those wanting to shed pounds.
Talk to your doctor about a CPAP device if your sleep apnea is severe. Take into consideration both the noise and size of the CPAP machine. There are some very small and quiet machines available. The physician should know which companies have the best machines.
Try your best to use your CPAP machine as much as possible if you get one. Some people have a really hard time sleeping with the device. A minimum of four hours per night is needed, if your CPAP machine is going to help you. Just use it as much as possible and you’ll get used to using it after a couple of weeks.
Do you smoke or drink alcoholic beverages? Lose all your bad habits. Smoking irritates your air passages, making them narrow. Alcohol relaxes your airways, and tobacco causes it to swell. If you must continue with these habits, avoid doing them before bed.
To fight sleep apnea, try to eat a healthy diet. Changing from a poor diet to a healthy one can transform your sleep apnea symptoms. Good nutrition can help many medical conditions, including sleep apnea.
Try using a mouth guard to help you sleep. These oral devices are specially made for sleep apnea sufferers. They make a good substitute for CPAP machine use, and provide better nighttime comfort. It keeps your air passageways wide open and clear by stabilizing your throat and holding it in the proper position.
Avoid drinking much alcohol. Alcohol will relax all of your muscles. Although some people do enjoy this, it can contribute to sleep apnea. Alcohol will relax the throat muscles, which ends up making it harder for the body to control the airways. Try your best to limit your drinking if you do decide to have alcohol, and try to not have any right before bed.
Do not consume as much alcohol as you used to. Alcohol relaxes your muscles in a way that harms your breathing. People who are addicted to alcohol may learn that this is the cause of their apnea, and others who drink sporadically should know it affects them, too. Your throat muscles become relaxed, making it harder for your airway to stay open. While it’s not vital that alcohol be avoided 100%, do what you can to make sure you do not drink it before a nap or nighttime sleep.
To help alleviate this condition, you should sleep on your side. Sleep apnea sufferers tend to sleep on their back. When you sleep, your throat muscles relax, and back sleeping causes gravity to pull the relaxed muscles downward, restricting airflow. It is best to sleep on one of your sides or your stomach. If you roll on your back when you sleep, try using pillows to stay on your side.
If you have no one with you while you sleep, it would be hard to tell if sleep apnea is your problem. Try taping yourself at night to see if you do. Your video needs to have audio as well because the doctors will want to hear any noises you make.
Always have your CPAP machine with you while you sleep, even if it happens to be during a hospital stay. It is critical to have your CPAP available to you, along with your mask at all times. It will already be at your personal settings and pressure, and be the mask you know you can sleep in. You’ll be able to resume your CPAP therapy much easier by having these things in the hospital with you.
Try to avoid sleeping pills when you’re suffering from sleep apnea. You will relax your throat muscles this way and you will not get as much from your sleep. These can cause more harm than good, even if you just want to get to bed sooner.
Devices intended to prevent snoring may be of some use. Snoring is caused by mostly-closed airways, and apnea is fully-closed airways. It is understandable that something can help this. These devices might be just what you need for a better night’s rest.
If you have sleep apnea and your mouth keeps falling open while you sleep with your CPAP every night, try wearing a chin strap. Invest a little money into a CPAP machine to assist you during sleep. CPAP therapy will not work if your mouth is open, so try this simple device to see if it fixes the problem.
Do not sleep on your back if you have sleep apnea. A common sleeping position for most people suffering from sleep apnea is on their backs. As a result, it’s easy for airways to get blocked. Wedge a pillow in place to keep your body resting on your side while sleeping.
It is clear from the information shared in this article that sleep apnea is a serious condition that impacts all areas of a person’s life. Contacting your doctor may be necessary in order to find out more about minimizing symptoms and the threat posed by sleep apnea.
Tongue exercises are useful in reducing sleep apnea. Place your tongue on your mouth’s roof and keep it there for at least three minutes. Your tongue and throat muscles will become stronger by doing this, making it less likely that your airways are blocked as you sleep.