As you’re certainly aware if you’re dealing with the difficulties caused by sleep apnea, it’s not easy to lead a healthy life without proper, natural sleep. Luckily, there exists a great many options that you can use to manage your affliction and get the rest you both crave and need. You can start this process by finishing this article and reading its helpful advice and ideas.
A major reason why a lot of people deal with the sleep apnea condition is because of the excess weight they’re carrying. Losing weight may help to greatly reduce sleep apnea symptoms in many patients. There should be a weight loss plan in place that restricts calories. Exercising should be a part of this plan as well. Restricting carbohydrates has shown to be a big help in losing weight.
Sleep mouth guards can benefit you if you suffer from sleep apnea. This opens up your airways, letting you breathe fully while you sleep. Speak with your doctor concerning mouth guards, and have yourself fitted for one, provided your doctor agrees.
If your sleep apnea is a result of narrow airways, look at options for a mouth guard. These guards look similar to what athletes use, but are specifically made to change the position of the tongue, jaw and palate while you sleep and keep your airway open. Mouth guards and sleep masks must be properly fitted in order to help improve apnea.
Sleep Apnea
Have a mouth guard made for you. Sleep apnea patients can have mouth guards that are custom made specifically to treat their condition. While they won’t work for everyone, they do work for many people who find them to be easy to use and successful in treating their sleep apnea. The soft tissues are given the support that they need to keep the airways open.
Playing with some wind instruments can help get rid of your sleep apnea. A German study has shown that playing wind instruments such as the digeridoo will help your sleep apnea. It helps to strengthen the muscles in the throat, which collapse during sleep apnea episodes. These are great reasons to take up playing this instrument and easing the symptoms of sleep disorders.
In an effort to get a restful night of sleep, sleep on your side if possible. When sleeping on the back, throat and tongue muscles are more likely to block your airway. Try very hard to rest on your side, and you may find your symptoms alleviated.
Try not to drink alcohol as much. Alcohol causes your muscles to relax. You might want this consequence of consuming alcohol, but it also instigates sleep apnea. If you are sleeping and have been drinking too close to bedtime, this can be a dangerous combination while you are asleep. If you feel like you have to drink, try to not do it prior to going to bed.
Look for other sleeping aids besides sleeping pills. Sleeping pills can make your throat muscles relax in an undesirable way. There are a variety of other problems that they can cause as well, so be cautious of using them. Consult your physician to find out about possible ways to get to sleep to faster that won’t react poorly with your sleep apnea.
Don’t take sleeping pills if you can avoid it. Sleeping pills will just make you snore more by relaxing the muscles in the throat. They also lead to other issues that can cause many problems, especially for someone suffering with sleep apnea. Consult with your practitioner to see what you can do to get to sleep without putting your breathing patterns at risk.
Give sleeping on your sides a try. Sleep apnea sufferers tend to sleep on their back. When you lay on your back during sleep, the tongue and soft palate shift to the back, which obstructs your airway. Sleeping sideways facilitates breathing. Put a pillow on your side if you always find yourself moving around during sleep.
Sleep apnea is generally determined by looking at your family and medical history, along with a physical exam. Sleep studies may also be done, and depending on what your primary doctor finds after all these measures, he may refer you to a sleep specialist, which is a type of doctor that diagnoses and treats people exhibiting sleep problems.
You may have to maintain a sleep log for your doctor to diagnose your condition. Keep track of how long you are able to sleep at night, as well as anything else related to your sleeping process. Your partner can let you know if you snore too loudly, jerk your limbs, or stop breathing. This can help your doctor figure out if you’ve got sleep apnea or if you don’t.
One of the best ways to lessen the symptoms of sleep apnea is by losing weight. There are a number of people who only need to lose a few pounds to entirely stop their sleep apnea episodes. You can have relief from sleep apnea symptoms by losing as little as 10 pounds.
If you suffer from sleep apnea and are planning a trip, it is important to plan on taking your CPAP machine with you. You should never sleep without using your CPAP machine. You were probably provided a padded traveling bag when you got your CPAP machine. Use this to easily transport your CPAP with you whenever you are away from home.
Consider a snoring device. Excessive snoring occurs whenever your airways are only partially opened where a minimum amount of air can pass through. On the other hand, sleep apnea occurs whenever your airways are closed up completely with no passing through. Therefore, it is only sensible that a stop snoring device might also help with sleep apnea. Devices that reduce or eliminate snoring can lessen sleep apnea symptoms.
If nothing is working to better your sleep apnea, try talking to a doctor about more aggressive treatments. For people who did not benefit from traditional treatment alternatives, they can resort to surgery to take out the tonsils or to make the airway wider.
Risk Factors
Think about using nasal spray if your nasal passages are stopped up. Nasal spray can temporarily reduce swelling in your nasal passages. If you use nasal spray alot you may damage it. Talk to a pharmacist to see which spray they recommend.
Find ways to decrease the risk factors of our sleep apnea. Certain risk factors are ones you can do nothing about it, like inheriting genetic traits or having been born a man. If you lose weight or quit smoking it may help you deal with sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea will not magically disappear; you need to treat it. Some treatments may work for certain people, but not all of them. Although losing weight is known to reduce sleep apnea symptoms, people who are thin suffer also. Although surgery may be required to relieve your sleep apnea, many non-surgical options are available. Some prefer surgery to avoid daily contraptions. It doesn’t matter which treatment you get, as long as it is effective for you and helps you find the quality of life you are missing.
Your doctor should make a certain diagnosis of your sleep apnea, but there are ways you can help yourself too. Stopping the habits of drinking and smoking can help. Anyone who is overweight may find that they benefit quite well from losing 20 pounds or more. You will also want to avoid alcohol, caffeine or heavy meals within a couple hours of going to bed.
Exercises done with the tongue reduce sleep apnea symptoms. One exercise includes pressing your tongue on the roof of the mouth and keeping it for several minutes. This makes your tongue and throat muscles even stronger than before, so you minimize your odds of them blocking your air flow during sleep.
Stop smoking cigarettes if you have sleep apnea. Your air passages swell when you smoke, which is no good for sleep apnea sufferers. To give up smoking, try any cessation program. Nicotine replacements are also good choices. The first month is the hardest part. Once you are past the first few weeks, the nicotine craving begin to lessen significantly.
How you sleep can affect your condition. Because of this, your sleeping position should be the best possible one. Attempt to use pillows or foam wedges to help you stay in a good position to sleep in. Or, if possible, elevate the top part of the bed around four inches.
The way you sleep can play a big role in the amount of sleep apnea episodes you suffer from. You need to find the right position. Sew a tennis ball into the back of your sleeping attire so that it will remind you during your sleep to stay on your side or stomach. Talk to your doctor about other ways of sleeping that will be beneficial to you.
If you sleep on your back you will worsen your sleep apnea. To prevent yourself from rolling onto your back while asleep, try sewing a lumpy object like a ball on your pajamas. This makes it very uncomfortable to sleep while lying on your back.
Life is hard enough without having to deal with sleep deprivation. Apply what you’ve just learned, and soon you’ll be enjoying a perfect night’s sleep.
Your sleep apnea might be easily solved with a simple solution. Be sure to keep regular bedtime habits and get the same amount of sleep nightly. Also try to create an environment that is conducive to getting restful sleep. Insomnia can occur if the conditions are poor.