Lots of people believe that being tired all the time is just a normal part of life. This is so untrue. Sleep apnea might be the cause of sleeping problems and everyone should be aware of it.
Get a mouth guard if your airways are the cause of your sleep apnea. These gadgets correct your alignment, letting you breathe easily and normally throughout your sleeping hours. Speak with your doctor concerning mouth guards, and have yourself fitted for one, provided your doctor agrees.
In order to improve sleep apnea, eliminate some bad habits from your life. Two of the most common offenders are drinking and smoking. Drinking can overly relax your respiratory system and may cause breathing problems. Smoking inserts carcinogens into the lungs, which eventually damages them. Your sleep apnea symptoms will improve if you give up both of these unhealthy habits completely.
Do you light up or knock some back every day? Eliminate these unhealthy habits. Your airways are significantly affected by smoking and drinking. Alcohol use will lead to over-relaxation of your airways, making sleep apnea symptoms worse, while smoking can have a similar effect by constricting them. Avoid second-hand smoke and do not drink immediately before going to bed.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep on your side in order to get some better sleep. When we sleep on our backs, the nasal and throat passages are more prone to obstructing the air-ways. If you can get to sleep lying on your side (and stay that way through the night), you may well experience a much less trouble night.
A common reason for sleep apnea to occur is increased weight. Losing weight may help to greatly reduce sleep apnea symptoms in many patients. Try changing your diet and ramp up your activity level. Many people have success following a low carb diet.
Attempt sleeping on the side. Many people with sleep apnea sleep while on their backs. Your airway can get blocked if you sleep on your back. However, breathing is much easier if you sleep on your side instead. If you roll on your back when you sleep, try using pillows to stay on your side.
Quit smoking and drinking. Both habits cause the muscles of the airway to relax, which increases both snoring and sleep apnea. Instead of costly surgery or some other medical procedure, losing these bad habits is the best way to save yourself money and address this condition.
To actually diagnose your disorder, a doctor may require you to take notes in a sleep log. Write out how many times you wake up in the middle of the night, or how ofter you get tired throughout the day. Ask others in your home to let you know if you snored, woke up without realizing it due to your snoring or if you moved a lot in your sleep. This type of data can help your doctor diagnose the issue.
Aside from the obvious reasons that losing weight is important, if you have sleep apnea, it’s vital that you lose weight. Studies have found a correlation between sleep apnea and obesity. Therefore, just losing twenty pounds or so could help provide significant relief from your sleep apnea.
If you are going to be hospitalized for any reason, bring your CPAP with you to ensure you get restful sleep. It is critical to have your CPAP available to you, along with your mask at all times. Since the settings are already set to what you’re used to, and the mask that you use each night is there, it makes it much easier to use at the hospital. This will facilitate your CPAP therapy during your hospital stay.
Sleep apnea is not a condition to take likely. If you feel some of the symptoms, then you need to consult a physician as quickly as you can. An official diagnosis will help you figure out if you really do have sleep apnea or not.
If you have sinus or allergy issues, this may be causing your sleep apnea. You might have trouble breathing during the night because of sleep apnea. You really don’t want anything else impacting your air flow during sleep. You can get a much better night’s sleep if your treat your allergies or sinus problems and keep your breathing clearer.
Instead of sleeping on your back, sleep on your side, which can help to avoid the symptoms of sleep apnea getting in the way of a peaceful night’s sleep. Sleeping on the back can cause air passages to constrict. Try very hard to rest on your side, and you may find your symptoms alleviated.
If you are not experiencing success at overcoming your sleep apnea, you may want to take more serious measures. Standard treatment vectors of sleep apnea do not work for certain individuals, and they wind up going in for surgical options. These can include tonsil removal and airway enlargements.
You may not even realize you have sleep apnea. If you have no wife or husband to tell you, you be unaware you stop breathing at night. You can always set up a camcorder to make a video of a typical night’s sleep. The video should also have audio to listen for any noises.
Stop smoking as soon as you find out you have sleep apnea. Smoking causes swelling in the upper airway, which makes sleep apnea worse. To quit smoking, try a smoking cessation program or use nicotine replacement therapy. Usually the first 30 or so days is the hardest part. Once you are past that point, your nicotine cravings lessen drastically.
Sleeping Pills
You can reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea by making the muscles in your throat stronger. Sleep apnea is a direct result of a collapse of tissue that occurs towards the far throat’s back. The stronger your muscles are the less chance they will block your airways.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, avoid sleeping pills. Sleeping pills can make your throat relax which prevents your airways from functioning properly. Avoid them at all costs to prevent yourself from hurting your body any more.
Play a woodwind instrument. You are going to have a good time with the music, and you get to give your mind a workout. However, you are also working out your throat muscles that regulate breathing. Making these muscles stronger reduces sleep apnea symptoms.
If your sleep apnea requires the use of a CPAP machine, make certain that a medical ID is always with you. This is particularly important if you have an accident and require overnight hospitalization. The ID must say that you have apnea, use a CPAP machine, and specify what pressure the machine is set at.
If you have a CPAP machine, ask your physician to prescribe you a heated humidifier as well. Moist, warm air can be an effective way to make sure that you use your CPAP machine by making it more comfortable. Lots of CPAP machines have humidifiers built in. Check with your doctor to see if he or she can prescribe a humidifier for you.
A good way to help your sleep apnea might be to shed some extra weight. A lot of people find that if they shed weight they will help the apnea. Even a loss of a few pounds has been beneficial in opening the airway.
Your sleep habits directly affect you and your sleep apnea. Sleeping on one’s side or stomach will go a long way toward making for easier breathing with sleep apnea. You can keep yourself propped up with a large foam wedge. You can also lift up your bed by several inches at the head end.
Losing weight will often make a big difference for patients suffering from sleep apnea. If a person has a neck circumference of 17 inches or more, they are more likely to develop sleep apnea. When you lose weight it takes a lot of the pressure off of your airways and allows you to breathe more easily when you sleep.
Sleep apnea may make you feel anxious. Take a warm bath before bed to calm down and induce good sleep. Soaking in a hot tub will alleviate tension and relax your muscles. It is likely that you will fall asleep more easily and rest more soundly, offering the potential for minimizing apnea symptoms as a result.
If you are experiencing sleep apnea, stop smoking. Smoking causes swelling in the upper airway, which makes sleep apnea worse. In order to stop smoking you should think about a cessation program or one of those nicotine replacement therapies. It is the initial 30 days after you quit that are usually the hardest. Beyond that, it becomes easier as your body detoxes from the nicotine.
Because sleep apnea is a problem of the throat and not the nose, making the throat muscles stronger can resolve many apnea symptoms. You can learn any number of simple exercises to help you tone and strengthen the muscles in your throat.
If you ever have the occasion to fly for travel and you have sleep apnea, be sure to inform the airline that you will be bringing along your CPAP machine. The airline company is very accommodating and will designate an area for you and your machine. Don’t forget your power adapter!
Sleep apnea is technically defined as a lack of oxygen while sleeping. Therefore, it is good for anyone with sleep apnea to stay away from higher altitudes. Oxygen levels are lower at higher elevations. Avoid higher elevations at all costs.
If you suspect that you are afflicted with sleep apnea, then you need to schedule a visit to your physician to know for sure. This test can determine if you’ve got sleep apnea and how severe it is. After you are diagnosed you have to figure out how to treat your sleep apnea.
It’s helpful to become a member of a support group. People suffering from sleep apnea can feel like they are alone in their suffering. While your family and friends may offer support, they might not truly understand what you are expriencing. There are apnea groups out there that can help. If you get shy in person, look for online forums that offer tips from others.
Throat Muscles
It is vital that sleep apnea treatments be used consistently. You may be under the impression that skipping a night here and there will be fine, but unfortunately this will result in you feeling tired the next day. Follow your doctor’s treatment plan so you can sleep better and function better in the daytime.
Sleep apnea can be a problem for your throat and not your nose, so if you work on strengthening throat muscles then it is a good idea for fixing your apnea. If you would like to know how to strengthen the throat muscles, then continue on and learn about some helpful exercises.
A mouth guard might be worth a try. If you have a small jaw, or an overbite, you should let your doctor design a mouth guard for you that will be custom made to fit any jaw issue you have. If you do this, your jaw will sit better and you will breathe more easily.
Now that are more educated about the subject, you know what to be mindful of in your life in terms of symptoms and potential treatments. Don’t let anyone sway you from speaking to your doctor concerning sleep apnea.
Take a little time to talk with your partner to see what they have to say about your sleep apnea. They may have had issues with your snoring keeping them awake. Consult a doctor together because they can often provide information that you may not be aware of.