You need sleep, but sleep apnea can make quality sleep almost impossible to achieve. You may be able to pick up some highly effective suggestions for treating your sleep apnea by checking out the advice presented below. A few simple changes could be all that stand between you and the healthy, natural sleep you deserve.
Get a mouth guard to help you sleep at night. These gadgets correct your alignment, letting you breathe easily and normally throughout your sleeping hours. Speak with a doctor about using a properly fitted mouth guard.
Sleep Apnea
Go to the doctor to get a mouth guard that is custom made. Guards such as these were designed for someone who suffers with sleep apnea. It provides a more comfortable option to using a CPAP machine. It really helps keep the airways clear and keeps the soft tissues of the throat stable.
Be sure to eat well and maintain a proper weight to help control your sleep apnea. It’s surprising how much an unhealthy diet can affect sleep apnea. People who do not eat well, or are overweight, may suffer from sleep apnea.
It is possible for children to suffer from sleep apnea. If a child in your home shows symptoms like low grades in school, hostility, irritability, hyperactivity, inattention or mouth breathing, you should consider sleep apnea as a possibility to investigate. These symptoms are much like ADHD so you should make sure you get the right diagnosis.
Sleep apnea is diagnosed through a medical exam and consideration of your and your family’s medical history. In addition, a sleep study may be required. Some doctors may send you to a doctor that specializes in sleep disorders. This is a specialist that concentrates on treating people who are having trouble sleeping.
Dealing with sleep apnea is normally something that is very serious. If you find you have some of the symptoms, talk to a physician as soon as you can. An official diagnosis might mean consultation with a sleep specialist, a sleep test and monitoring to get a whole grasp on your situation.
If you sleep alone, you may have sleep apnea and not know it. You might consider video recording yourself asleep. Your video needs to have audio as well because the doctors will want to hear any noises you make.
Family history is one thing that doctors use to diagnosis sleep apnea. After taking all this information, your family doctor may send you to see a sleep specialist. This doctor specializes in diagnosing and treating sleep disorders, and he will quite likely order a sleep study.
Your physician may want you to write in a log or journal about your sleep, in order to check to see if you have sleep apnea. Keep track of how many hours you’re sleeping the entire night and any symptoms you have. The person you sleep next to can alert you to your snoring, if you stop breathing or you move your limbs suddenly. This helps the doctor discern whether you have sleep apnea or not.
Use a chin strap if you find your mouth continuing to fall open while you sleep with a CPAP machine. This inconspicuous piece of cloth will keep your chin up when you are asleep and your mouth from gaping open. Try this out to keep your mouth closed.
If you have been trying for months to get rid of your sleep apnea, but have always come up short, then you are going to want to have a serious talk with your doctor. There are many treatment options available, some which do not work well with some everyone. But there are other methods of treatment, such as surgical techniques which include airway enlargement, as well as the removal of adenoids and tonsils
Losing weight is an excellent way to alleviate the symptoms of sleep apnea. Symptoms of sleep apnea are completely resolved by many once they drop a few pounds. Even a little weight loss can improve the symptoms of sleep apnea and cause the airways and throat to open up more.
If you have a stuffy nose, use a saline spray or neti pot. You will get relief from this for a little while. Nasal sprays with medications should not be used for many days in a row, however, because they can damage the nose. Always speak with your pharmacist to make sure you choose the product that is right for you.
Stop putting yourself at risk for sleep apnea. Some sleep apnea risk factors (like genetic predisposition or being a man) are impossible to escape. But, there are other things you can do to cut out risks such as not smoking or drinking heavily, and also managing your weight.
Sleep apnea will not magically disappear; patients will need to get it treated. Depending on what causes your sleep apnea, you may respond to different treatments. If you lose weight you will help your sleep apnea, but this is not always the cause. There are many options available to help treat this condition, one of which is a CPAP machine. Other people may be inclined to opt for surgery where changes may be made to the airway passages. Whatever you and your doctor thinks is the best for you, treatment is important in improving your sleep quality.
Strengthening your throat muscles can be very effective in reducing sleep apnea symptoms as well. The labored breathing common in sleep apnea is usually caused when the soft tissues of the throat collapse and obstruct the airway. When your muscles strengthen, their chances of collapse and airway blockage go down.
If you have sleep apnea, you shouldn’t smoke. Upper airways have a tendency to swell in smokers and increases the likelihood of sleep apnea. Try to use some nicotine patches or other stop smoking programs or medications. Many people have the most difficulty during the initial month. Once you are over that, you shouldn’t have as much trouble with cravings, as the nicotine has started leaving your body.
There are several exercises that can strengthen you throat and improve sleep apnea’s symptoms. If you perform these exercises each day, your throat muscles will grow stronger over time, which means they will collapse less often while you are sleeping. One way is by pressing your tongue firmly to the top of your mouth, and hold it for several minutes. Make sure you do this once during your day.
If you use a CPAP device for your sleep apnea, you should look into getting a heated humidifier also. Sticking with a course of CPAP therapy is a lot easier (and your overall sleep quality will be better) if you’re getting a supply of air that’s properly heated and moisturized. A lot of CPAP machines come with built-in humidifiers, so ask your doctor to prescribe that type for you.
Avoid back sleeping if you suffer from sleep apnea. Sleeping on the back leaves you more prone to having your airways become blocked. Try sleeping on your side instead.
There are a number of solutions available, many of them relatively simple. Sleep at a regular time every night. Ensure that your room is set up for comfortable resting, also. Without the right conditions, you may induce insomnia.
If you have a sleep apnea diagnosis, it is important to keep in contact with your doctor. A doctor will be able to give you all the latest information on treatments and how you can best remedy this situation. When you try something new, meet with your doctor after a few weeks to talk about how well the treatment is working.
Take the initiative and figure out how to live with sleep apnea. Avoiding a visit to the doctor will only prolong finding treatment, and your symptoms can get worse over time. Don’t wait around for your lack of good sleep and snoring to get even worse. If you suspect sleep apnea, schedule a doctor visit now.
Sleep apnea is technically defined as a lack of oxygen while sleeping. It would be wise for anyone suffering with this condition to not sleep at a higher elevation. This is because oxygen levels drop the higher the elevation is, which can impact your sleeping. If you can possibly avoid sleeping at elevations, it would behoove you to do so.
Sometimes sleep apnea is treated successfully with mouth guards or other oral devices. Sometimes, a person’s jaw is genetically shaped to encourage sleep apnea. Corrective mouth guards can improve night-time air flow by holding your jaw and throat in the ideal alignment for unimpeded breathing.
Start playing a wind instrument. Try the clarinet or saxiphone to help with sleep apnea. By practicing the breath control necessary to play a wind instrument, you tone and strengthen your throat muscles and thus improve your sleep apnea symptoms. It won’t happen immediately, but over time, learning to play one of these things will benefit your muscles and your sleep apnea.
If you don’t get enough sleep then you might hurt your long-term health. You need and deserve to get healthy, restful sleep every night, so you should start doing everything you can to treat your sleep apnea. You don’t have to live the rest of your life with your eyes half shut.
If you have sleep apnea, you might try using a mouth guard. Your dentist can make a personally fitted mouth guard to compensate for overbite or another jaw abnormality. Devices such as these will properly align your jaw, making it easier to breathe properly each night.