Remember that it is important to follow through rather than just contemplate addressing your sleep apnea. If you have this condition, you must do something about it. The first step is to know some effective ways to handle it. This article will show you some options that may help your condition.
If you have inherently narrow airway that are causing sleep apnea, a mouth guard can help. A mouth guard opens your airway and facilitate nighttime breathing. Speak with your doctor to see if you should get a specially fitted mouth guard.
Avoid unhealthy activities to control your sleep apnea. Drinking and smoking are a couple of the biggest concerns. You can have severe breathing problems if you are a heavy drinker as it depresses your respiratory system. Smoking can create carcinogens inside of your lungs, which can damage them later on. Doing away with both of these bad habits will help do away with your sleep apnea symptoms.
Ask your doctor for advice about what CPAP machine you should get. You should consider the size and volume of the device before you decide to get one. Some machines are very quiet and no bigger than a simple bread box. You can consult with your doctor to see who you should talk to in order to get a good machine.
If your airway is naturally narrow, a mouth guard for sleep may help with your sleep apnea. Mouth guards help you breathe more throughout the night, which will reduce sleep apnea symptoms from arising. Speak with a doctor about using a properly fitted mouth guard.
Do not drink alcohol often. Your muscles will over-relax when you use alcohol, especially before bed. You might like the feeling, but it can contribute to or cause sleep apnea. Alcohol will relax the throat muscles, which ends up making it harder for the body to control the airways. If you do drink alcohol, avoid drinking it 3 hours before bedtime.
Cpap Machine
Children can have sleep apnea. If you child seems to be distracted in class, cannot focus, and is breathing through his mouth, then he may have sleep apnea. Often these symptoms are similar to ADHD, but you need to talk to a physician and consider sleep apnea as a cause as well.
Ask your doctor for advice about what CPAP machine you should get. The noise level of a CPAP machine and its overall size are both points to take into consideration. Some CPAP machines are small and are quiet. You can consult with your doctor to see who you should talk to in order to get a good machine.
Sleep apnea is no joke. If you experience symptoms of sleep apnea, don’t delay the conversation with your doctor. When you are officially diagnosed, you are going to be referred to a sleep specialist. You may even have to take a sleep test at home with a monitor to fully discover the depth of your symptoms.
Use a fitted sleep apnea mouth guard. For those who have sleep apnea, this guard is a wonderful thing to have. It is a great alternative to CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) and is much more comfortable to wear at night. It really helps keep the airways clear and keeps the soft tissues of the throat stable.
Sleeping pills and other drugs are not good solutions if you are having trouble falling asleep. Just like alcohol, these medications relax your throat when you sleep. There can also cause other problems if you are dealing with sleep apnea. Ask your physician about sleeping aids that are free of harmful effects or risks to your night-time breathing.
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. Such symptoms may mimic ADHD, so discuss the matter with your family physician and consider the possibility that your child has sleep apnea.
Try sleeping in a different position (such as on the side) rather than on your back. Many people who have sleep apnea also sleep looking straight up. If you sleep flat on your back you are only exasperating your breathing problem by allowing your throat muscles to relax and move down. Avoid sleeping on your back and go on your side to make breathing easier. If you have trouble staying off of your back, sew a tennis ball into the back of your sleeping clothes. This will help you stay on your side while you’re sleeping.
Sleep Apnea
Be sure to take your CPAP with you if you have sleep apnea and have to visit the hospital. Whether you have a planned hospitalization or you need to go to the emergency room, you should have your CPAP and mask available for use while you are there. You will your mask you’re used to, and the pressure will be set right. Even if you are hospitalized, you can seamlessly continue using your CPAP in this manner.
It’s best to lay on your side to sleep when you have sleep apnea. A lot of people that suffer from sleep apnea lay down in bed at night on their backs. When you lay on your back during sleep, the tongue and soft palate shift to the back, which obstructs your airway. Sleeping on one’s side is a better option. Use pillows to force yourself to sleep sideways if you have a problem with rolling over once you are asleep.
Are you not having any success at improving your symptoms of sleep apnea? If so, then visit your doctor and ask him or her about other options you can utilize. Some people have poor luck with typical sleep apnea treatments, and resort to a surgical treatment that entails the removal of the adenoids and tonsils, or the enlargement of the airway.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, have a regular bedtime. An irregular sleep pattern only aggravates the sleep apnea condition. Whatever you are able to do to keep a regular sleep pattern will help you to be in better health and less exhausted during the day. Setting regular times for both going to sleep and waking up is the most important thing to do.
Don’t use more than one standard pillow. Using multiple or oversized pillows makes it more likely that you will end up in a position that encourages sleep apnea. These mean you sleep in positions where it is hard to breathe. This is why one pillow is best to manage your symptoms.
You might want to look into anti-snoring devices. Both snoring and sleep apnea are caused by narrowed airways. It is understandable that something can help this. You could find yourself reducing your apnea with anti-snoring devices.
Patients who suffer from sleep apnea might want to consider losing weight as a means to relieve the symptoms. For people who are overweight, sleep apnea is much more prevalent especially people with a larger neck circumference. Losing some weight can help improve the amount of air you can take in.
You need to have patience when you realize you have sleep apnea. Each patient is different and what works for one person may not work for another. Obesity, asthma and allergies can all contribute to sleeping problems. Some other options include CPAP machines or other devices. For others, surgical techniques to remove airway obstructions may provide the most effective relief. Whichever route you choose, getting proper treatment can improve your sleep and your life.
Although professional medical advice is always warranted in treating sleep apnea, you can try out a few treatments on your own, too. Everyone can benefit from getting thinner or quitting smoking, but this goes double for those suffering from sleep apnea. It’s also a good idea to refrain from eating heavy meals and drinking alcoholic or caffeinated beverages close to bed-time.
Do not smoke. Smoking cause the airways to swell, making sleep apnea worse. Second-hand smoke is just as damaging to the respiratory system as first-hand smoke. For most people, the toughest part is the first 30 days or so. Once you are past the first few weeks, the nicotine craving begin to lessen significantly.
Sleep apnea will not magically disappear; you need to treat it. A variety of underlying medical conditions can contribute to sleep apnea. Dropping some pounds might help your sleep apnea, but that might not be the cause. One of the most common treatments for sleep apnea are CPAP machines, which force air into the lungs while you sleep. Some decide to go under the knife to get the airway relief they require. The key is to find the treatment that fits your individual solution and then sticking with it so that you can gain control of your life again.
Some useful tongue exercises can help alleviate many sleep apnea symptoms. Try pressing your tongue to the top of your mouth and holding it there for a minimum of three minutes. This will strengthen your throat and tongue muscles and reduce the chances of them relaxing while you sleep and blocking your airways.
Stop smoking as soon as you find out you have sleep apnea. Smoking swells up your upper airways, which can worsen your sleep apnea symptoms. You can use nicotine patches or replacement therapy to quit. It is the initial 30 days after you quit that are usually the hardest. The strength of the cravings will then decrease as the nicotine begins to leave your system.
You should take lessons on a wind instrument. You can pick up a new skill, but more than that you are able to exercise and learn to control the very muscles that have to do with breathing. Exercising these muscles will make them stronger, thus, making them less likely to collapse while you sleep, which will improve airflow to your lungs.
A CPAP machine is a common treatment tool for sleep apnea; if you use one, you should also ask your physician about getting a heated humidifier. This will make sleeping with CPAP much more comfortable and less frustrating. A lot of the CPAP machines now have a humidifier built in, so find out if you can be prescribed one of those.
A CPAP machine is a common treatment tool for sleep apnea; if you use one, you should also ask your physician about getting a heated humidifier. 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. There are various CPAP machines that have humidifiers built in, so ask your doctor about prescribing one for your apnea.
Try sleeping on your side to reduce sleep apnea as back sleeping only worsens the symptoms. One method to prevent yourself from changing positions during sleep is to sew a spherical object like a tennis ball into your nightclothes. This forces you to lay on your side since it makes it tough to lay on your back.
With everything you learned you should feel a bit more optimistic about your future. Figure out what works well for yourself, and you’ll have a better quality of sleep. Once you have a better night’s sleep, you’ll have a better quality of life.
Some people become anxious due to their sleep apnea and make the mistake of taking sedatives before bed, which can be dangerous for apnea sufferers. Take a warm bath instead. A hot bath can help sooth your muscles to help you sleep better. It is likely that you will fall asleep more easily and rest more soundly, offering the potential for minimizing apnea symptoms as a result.