If you’re having trouble sleeping through the night, you may be unaware that you have sleep apnea. The disorder renders an individual’s airway useless during sleep and causes breathing to become abnormal or stalled. Sleep apnea is scary and can even be fatal. To learn more, read on.
Ask your doctor about a corrective mouth piece for your sleep apnea symptoms. It may be that your airways are narrower than average, and this is fine. You can get better grade rest at night using special devices that make alterations to your sleep positions so you wind up with better jaw alignment and posture.
Losing some harmful vices to fight off sleep apnea. If you drink and smoke, you need to quit now. Drinking relaxes your airway to prevent proper breathing. Cigarettes inject carcinogens into your respiratory system. Dropping both these habits entirely will help ease the symptoms of sleep apnea.
Shedding some excess pounds is a good idea if you’re overweight. Sleep apnea is directly associated with excess weight. Losing twenty five pounds is enough for even the most obese of sleep apnea sufferers to experience some relief of their symptoms, and you may well experience positive results with more modest losses.
Sleep Apnea
Do not drink alcohol often. Drinking alcohol relaxes the muscles of your throat and airway. That may be something people like when they drink, but it also can cause sleep apnea. Alcohol can relax the muscles in your throat, making it more difficult for your body to control your airway. If you feel like you have to drink, try to not do it prior to going to bed.
Speak with your doctor about treating your sleep apnea with a dental mouth piece. You might have a narrow breathing passage, recessed chin, or small jaw naturally that can worsen sleep apnea. A device made to assist you during sleep can provide you with enough air to flow through your body.
A diagnosis of sleep apnea usually involves your personal and family medical histories, as well as a comprehensive physical examination. Your doctor may recommend a sleep study as well. When your doctor has this information, he passes it on to a specialist who can help you even more.
Lose weight if you need to. There is evidence that sleep apnea is correlated with obesity. If you are obese, even shedding 25 pounds can provide a drastic improvement in your symptoms.
People who have sleep apnea should establish a sleeping schedule. Sleep apnea already disrupts your rest more than it should. If you can get on a better scheducle you will help your symptoms. The key is to have a set time for going to bed, and rising as well.
If you’re using a CPAP, use it a minimum of four hours nightly. Some find that it can be uncomfortable to use at first, but the point is to use it and ward off trouble. Four hours of use daily is recommended with a CPAP machine to see the medical benefits. If you have a tough time with it, be sure you have the right size mask, and that the pressure is working right.
If you wear a CPAP for your sleep apnea symptoms, but are still bothered by your mouth opening when you try to sleep, get a chin strap. It’s simply fabric that keeps your chin up and mouth closed. CPAP therapy will not work if your mouth is open, so try this simple device to see if it fixes the problem.
Try and get someone you know to tell you how you sleep through the night. Therefore, record yourself sleeping at night by putting a video camcorder in your room. Remember that recording audio is equally important; medical professionals can tell a great deal from the sounds you make while you sleep.
You should use only one normal-sized pillow each night to sleep on. Your head position can be altered from the optimal sleeping position when you use oversized or multiple pillows. Sleeping in this way may prevent easy breathing. Because of this, you should really just have one good pillow to help with symptoms of sleep apnea.
Use a chin strap with your CPAP each night to prevent your mouth from opening as you sleep. It’s simply fabric that keeps your chin up and mouth closed. The CPAP only works if the mouth is closed, so try using the strap.
If your nose seems stuffy, apply a nasal spray. Nasal spray can temporarily reduce swelling in your nasal passages. Nasal sprays with medications should not be used for many days in a row, however, because they can damage the nose. Visit your pharmacy to see what your options are for keeping your nasal passages open as you sleep.
People with sleep apnea who need a CPAP should have a medical ID that identifies the problem. If you are ever in need of emergency treatments, this ID will let the medical team know that you suffer from sleep apnea and are following CPAP therapy. The ID must say that you have apnea, use a CPAP machine, and specify what pressure the machine is set at.
If you are still smoking then you must stop – now. Smoking causes your air ways to enlarge, and it makes sleep apnea much worse. Try different things to help you quit smoking. The first month is hard, but after that it becomes easier. After that, the nicotine starts to leave your body and the cravings lessen.
You should always consult a physician when you have sleep apnea, but there are things you can do for yourself too. Shedding pounds and quitting smoking are too big things you can do. You should stay away from alcohol, anything caffeinated and even heavier meals within the hours leading up to bed time.
If you have sleep apnea, do not drink a lot of alcohol. When you drink alcohol, your throat becomes excessively relaxed. This can cause snoring, airway blockage and sleep apnea. It’s best to put down the bottle entirely, but if you don’t want to do that, you should drink only minimal amounts, and do so early in the day. In this way, the alcohol will not disturb your sleep.
Some useful tongue exercises can help alleviate many sleep apnea symptoms. Try to press your tongue up against the roof of your mouth. Then, hold it there for about three minutes. This will make your throat stronger and prevent the muscles from relaxing too much during sleep and causing apnea.
Some research studies have pointed to throat excercises reducing the severity of sleep apnea. You will have stronger muscles in your air passages that can help sleep apnea. Try to move your tongue up and down and flex your throat muscles as one type of exercise. Make sure you do this once during your day.
One method you can try to improve your condition is to strengthen your throat muscles. Sleep apnea results from breathing obstruction due to your soft tissues in your throat collapsing. As your strengthen your muscles, you will have more control over them.
Falling asleep belly up can be detrimental for sufferers of sleep apnea. Sleeping on your back makes it far more likely for your airway to collapse as you sleep, causing apnea. Try sleeping on your side instead.
Those with sleep apnea may need to find simple solutions to get a good night’s rest. Always sleep at the same time every night. Be sure to set up your bedroom in a way that promotes restful sleep. Insomnia is a real danger if your sleeping arrangements are sub-par.
Keep in contact with your physician if you have sleep apnea. Your doctor should be able to provide you with helpful information and tips on your health condition. Make sure you meet with your doctor after you try a new treatment for a month to touch base on your condition.
Even though you may not be aware of your sleep apnea, anyone who sleeps with you probably is aware of it. However, if you’re suffering from drowsiness and exhaustion during the day, it is definitely time to see a doctor. Although you are not likely to realize that you are fighting for air every night as you sleep, you may very well have developed sleep apnea.
Don’t drink alcoholic drinks if you suffer from sleep apnea. Alcohol makes your throat relax, and that makes it harder to breathe when you are sleeping. You don’t have to stop drinking, you just shouldn’t have any alcohol before bed.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, try sleeping in a position other than on your back. Your apnea will worsen if you sleep on your back because your airways are more likely to collapse in that position. Do what you can to sleep while laying on your stomach or side at all times. You can use pillows behind your back to help keep you from moving onto your back to sleep.
If you are concerned that you may be suffering from sleep apnea, talk with your doctor immediately. This condition is far too complicated, and good sleep far too important, to just make guesses about it. Let your physician know about everything that has transpired, find out what is causing it, and immediately take the necessary action.
With the information in the article above, you now have the advice you need to better deal with sleep apnea and the problems it causes. It is important to contact your physician if you need more information on this subject or if you feel that you may personally be affected by it.
In actuality, sleep apnea is simply a lack of enough oxygen while you sleep. As such, higher elevations can be a disaster for a sleep apnea sufferer. There is less oxygen available at higher elevations and this can aggravate sleep apnea symptoms. If sleeping at elevations can be avoided, do so.