Do you have a headache and feel exhausted every morning when you get up? Do you find yourself receiving complaints about snoring from family members? These can be signs of sleep apnea. It is important to get treatment quickly as this can be a very serious condition.
Losing some harmful vices to fight off sleep apnea. Few things are worse for sleep apnea than drinking and smoking. Alcohol relaxes the muscles in the throat, which restricts the airway while a person sleeps. Smoking can create carcinogens inside of your lungs, which can damage them later on. These are both habits which can make sleep apnea worse.
If you have narrow air passages, consider a mouth guard. This opens up your airways, letting you breathe fully while you sleep. If you think a mouth guard might help you out, consult a physician and ask her to fit you with one.
Excessive weight can be a major contributor to sleep apnea. If this happens to be the problem then anyone dealing with sleep apnea should immediately shed this weight. The best way to lose weight is to become physically active with exercise at least four times per week and eat less food calories than are burned off each day by activity. Taking carbohydrates out of a diet is something that studies show helps people lose weight.
Talk to your doctor about getting a fitted sleep mouth guard. You could have an overbite, small jaw, or narrow breathing passage that worsens your sleep apnea symptoms. Special mouthpieces can help to maintain proper alignment while you sleep, allowing you to rest much better.
If you do not have a partner to let you know how you sleep at night, it can be difficult to assess if you have sleep apnea. Setting up a camera to record your sleeping habits might be the answer. Make sure the video has sound as well, so that your doctor can hear your breathing.
4 Hours
A medical ID is a must for those being assisted by a CPAP machine. Upon need for help and medical attention, your condition must be known. The identification should say that you suffer from apnea and that you need a CPAP set at a particular pressure level.
If you’ve got a prescription for a CPAP for your sleep apnea, try using it for around four hours each night. Using a CPAP while sleeping is a tough adjustment for many patients to make. Nonetheless, it will not be effective unless you wear it for a minimum of 4 hours nightly. If you find it hard to get used to your CPAP, use it for only 4 hours at a go.
When you travel, be sure to bring your CPAP on the trip. If you have a sleep apnea diagnosis, you must use your CPAP every single night. You should have a travel bag to bring your CPAP with you. This will help ease transporting your CPAP machine if you must be away.
Sleep apnea can benefit from a good diet that results in your losing weight. A lot of people are amazed at how a poor diet negatively affects sleep apnea. People who don’t eat healthy food have the worst sleep apnea conditions.
You need only one regular pillow to sleep with at night. Using multiple or oversized pillows makes it more likely that you will end up in a position that encourages sleep apnea. Your body is in an unnatural position and breathing becomes difficult. One standard pillow is all you need to avoid having this happen.
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 is a simple cloth strap that can easily hold up your chin as you sleep. CPAP therapy is not successful with an open mouth, so use the chin strap to help alleviate the problem.
Try to prevent snoring with an over-the-counter device. Snoring is precursor to sleep apnea. Snoring indicates the airway is blocked. Sleep apnea indicates the airway is fully blocked for a period of time. It makes sense to have a device that will help both. These tools may be able to lessen the symptoms of sleep apnea.
Sleep with just one pillow at night. Using more than one pillow, or one that is too large, can make you sleep in an odd position. Your breathing will become more difficult for you to complete during sleep. Try out different pillows until you find just one pillow that allows you to lay your head flatter against the bed each night so you can breathe more freely.
Your doctor should make a certain diagnosis of your sleep apnea, but there are ways you can help yourself too. Giving up tobacco use and losing excess weight are good health choices in general, and they’re particularly effective in reducing the symptoms of sleep apnea. You should also refrain from consuming alcohol, heavy meals, and caffeine for a few hours before bed.
Nasal sprays can help you sleep when your nose is being a nuisance to you. Nasal spray can temporarily reduce swelling in your nasal passages. However, never use this spray over a long period of time, since it can cause your nose to irritated and damaged. Your pharmacy can offer a variety of solutions or options to clear your air passages as you sleep.
Sleep apnea does not go away on its own; patients need treatment. Some treatments may work for certain people, but not all of them. Some sleep apnea sufferers can deal with their symptoms by getting rid of excess weight, but there are also people with the condition who aren’t overweight. Although surgery may be required to relieve your sleep apnea, many non-surgical options are available. Some individuals prefer a surgical procedure which relieves airways restrictions. Which ever way you go, the key is to get it treated so you can live a peaceful life.
Don’t sleep on your back at all if you have sleep apnea. A lot of people suffering from apnea have problems with blocked airways because they sleep not on their side, but on their backs. Use pillows or specially designed cushions that will make sure you go through the entire night on your side only.
Use tongue and throat exercises as a way to combat sleep apnea. Press your tongue on the roof of your mouth, hold it there for at least three minutes. That will make your tongue and throat stronger and cut down the likelihood of those muscles relaxing and blocking the airway while you’re asleep.
Sleep Apnea
There are a number of solutions available, many of them relatively simple. Set up a schedule for each day so that you can go to sleep at a regular time and wake up at the same time. Ensure that your room is set up for comfortable resting, also. Insomnia can occur if the conditions are poor.
Sleep apnea is not something that should be ignored, because it will not go away without treatment. Different people find relief through different forms of treatment. Weight loss can ease sleep apnea for many people, even though apnea can be experienced by thin people too. Millions of sleep apnea sufferers find relief from non-surgical options like CPAP machines. Some decide to go under the knife to get the airway relief they require. Regardless of the method you use, obtaining some type of treatment is essential to living a higher quality of life with this condition.
Prevent falling asleep on your back. When you sleep on your back, it often ends up blocking your airways, which in turn will cause problems with sleeping. Try side-sleeping, but if you can’t do it naturally, try propping a pillow to force your body onto a side every night.
Exercises done with the tongue reduce sleep apnea symptoms. For three minutes, press your tongue up to the roof of your mouth. This increases the strength of the muscles in your tongue and throat, which means they won’t relax as much during the night.
Do not let your sleep apnea go untreated. Without proper medical treatment, your symptoms can only worsen. Don’t wait until you are getting absolutely no sleep every night. See your physician if you have even the slightest suspicion that you have sleep apnea.
How you physically sleep each night can really affect your sleep apnea. Sleeping in the best positions possible are beneficial for you. Elevate your body by placing a foam wedge under it. Alternately, consider raising your bed top by a minimum of four inches.
If you are dealing with effects of sleep apnea, one solution is to perform throat exercises, which can help lessen the symptoms. Doing this can help to make the muscles which surround the airways much stronger, which in turn prevents them from collapsing into your airways. For instance, place your tongue on the top of the inside of your mouth and keep it like that for about three minutes. Do this once a day.
Sleep apnea causes anxiety, so if you feel that way before bed, take a bath. The warm water will relax and soothe your muscles. Therefore, you can sleep better without waking up because of apnea symptoms.
If you believe that you’re suffering from sleep apnea, it would be wise to talk to ask your doctor to give you a sleep test. This type of test can help you figure out if you’re suffering from sleep apnea and the intensity of the condition. There are a variety of options out there to treat your specific situation, and it is vital that you take all levels of sleep apnea seriously.
Corrective oral devices may be used to correct sleep apnea on occasion. This is caused by the shapes of people’s jaws, which can mean they have narrower airways. A sleep mouth guard can change the position of these things while you sleep to help lessen sleep apnea symptoms.
Toning up your throat muscles is in fact an excellent way to deal with your sleep apnea; the condition originates from the throat rather than the nose. There are many quick exercises that you can do to increase the strength of your throat.
Many people with sleep apnea sleep on their backs. If this applies to you, try switching the position you sleep in. Sleeping in a position, such as on your side, can help alleviate the problems caused by constricted airways.
Regularly consult your doctor when you find out you have sleep apnea. He or she will be able to give you solid information on living with your condition. If you try something new, follow-up with your doctor in about a month so you can tell him how the treatment is working.
Do not drink any alcoholic type beverages when living with sleep apnea. Alcohol causes your palate and tongue relax toward the back of the throat, which obstructs the airway. Drinking late in the evening is not advisable, but you can still have a drink earlier in the day.
Do not drink any alcohol immediately prior going to bed. Alcohol relaxes the muscles in your throat making sleep apnea’s symptoms more severe. You don’t need to abstain from alcohol entirely. You only need to refrain from drinking during the few hours before bedtime.
Although sleep apnea is serious and may cause other issues, it is treatable. The advice you have read in this article can help you find immediate relief. If this advice did not relieve your sleep apnea, talk with your doctor about other options.
Talk to your doctor if you are concerned about sleep apnea. Neglecting to do so could carry some major risks. Communicate all your medical issues to your doctor to make sure you get the most appropriate treatment.