If you have experienced sleep apnea, you are aware of the deleterious effect it can have on health and well-being. Getting enough sleep is important for daily energy as well as helping to ward off certain life-threatening medical conditions. You have the control to get the proper treatment for sleep apnea. Continue on and learn about some great way to help you control your sleep apnea.
Drop your bad habits to relieve your sleep apnea. Two of the biggest problems are drinking and smoking. Drinking causes respiratory depression, which makes it more difficult to breathe. And when you smoke you inhale a bunch of carcinogens that can seriously damage your lungs. When you stop doing these things, your sleep apnea symptoms should be reduced.
Overweight people are prone to suffering from sleep apnea. If this is the case, a sleep apnea sufferer should try to lose weight. Follow a strict diet and exercise regimen for awhile to see if this makes a difference. According to recent scientific work, many people looking to lose weight can also benefit from reducing their intake of carbohydrates.
Depending on the condition that is causing your sleep apnea, you may be able to find a simple tool to improve your sleep. These devices are designed to correct your airways and allow you to breathe properly during the night. Consult with a doctor or get a mouth guard made if you are suffering.
Lose weight if you need to. Studies have shown sleep apnea and obesity can be related. It also stands to reason that losing just a little weight can dramatically improve your condition and your health.
If you’ve got a prescription for a CPAP for your sleep apnea, try using it for around four hours each night. It is hard for many patients to become accustomed to using the CPAP. For this CPAP therapy to work successfully, you will need four hours each day to use it. If you have trouble adjusting to use it the full night, keep it on for four hours at the least.
Have your dentist fit you for a custom mouth guard. Sleep apnea patients can have mouth guards that are custom made specifically to treat their condition. It is a more comfortable alternative to using a CPAP machine. The device assists you by keeping your airways open while offering stability for soft tissue.
A good diet can help anyone control their weight while also helping to fight sleep apnea. Changing from a poor diet to a healthy one can transform your sleep apnea symptoms. There is scientific data that suggests that eating a poor diet can worsen sleep apnea, independent of a person’s weight.
Sleep Apnea
Children can have sleep apnea. If you find your child is innatentive, always tired or uses their mouth to breath and not their nose, they may suffer from this condition. The symptoms often resemble those of ADHD, but you must consult with your doctor to know for sure.
Eating healthy can help you manage sleep apnea and lose weight. It may surprise you how much eating poorly can affect your sleep apnea symptoms. It has been shown through many studies that people who eat a poor diet usually suffer with worse sleep apnea than someone who is just overweight but manages to still eat somewhat healthier.
Sleep apnea is a severe condition to have. If you feel some of the symptoms, then you need to consult a physician as quickly as you can. 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.
Sleep apnea can occur in adults or children; there is no age limit. If you child seems to be distracted in class, cannot focus, and is breathing through his mouth, then he may have sleep apnea. Since these symptoms mimic ADHD, it’s important to have your child seen by a physician.
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 your back can block your airway. Try to fall asleep on one of your sides to see if your symptoms get better.
Find another way to get to sleep other than sleeping pills. Sleeping pills can make your throat muscles relax in an undesirable way. There are also a myriad of other problems that can arise with the use of sleeping pills. Consult with your doctor about what you should take besides sleeping pills.
Look for alternatives to sleeping pills. Sleeping pills are similar to alcohol in that they cause the muscles in your throat to be less tense. There are also a myriad of other problems that can arise with the use of sleeping pills. Consult with your doctor about what you should take besides sleeping pills.
Sleep with your body perpendicular to the bed. Many people with sleep apnea sleep while on their backs. If you sleep on your back, you can cause your throat and mouth tissues to block the airways. It’s easier to breathe when looking to the side. Prop pillows on one side to prevent you from rolling on your back while sleeping.
Attempt side sleeping. Don’t sleep on your back. If you sleep on your back, you can cause your throat and mouth tissues to block the airways. Sleeping on your side makes breathing significantly easier. If you have a hard time sleeping on your back all night, you can try to prop pillows around yourself to prevent you from sleeping on your back.
If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, avoid sleeping pills. They can cause muscles in your throat more than usual due to the relaxation it causes. These pills can become very dangerous if you have a bad case of sleep apnea; even though you might be tempted to use them to stay asleep, this is definitely not a good solution.
The two main pieces of information used to diagnose sleep apnea are personal medical histories and a physical work-up. You might also undergo a sleep study. Dependent upon what your personal physician discovers, they might give you a referral to see a sleep specialist.
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. Your spouse can inform you of any excessive snoring, jerking, or momentary lapses in your breathing. This can help your doctor figure out if you’ve got sleep apnea or if you don’t.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, make sure to get sinus and allergy problems treated. You already find it hard to breathe during the night because of your symptoms. You don’t want any other complications. Eliminating your nasal problems maintains a clear airway, which will increase the chances that you will sleep better.
By now, it should be apparent that sleep apnea can be handled. Use the tips that work for you and seek medical help as well. Do not try to address your sleep apnea by yourself. After you start sleeping normally again you will see your whole life change.
A good nasal spray can be helpful if you are having trouble breathing. This should clear your airways, at least temporarily. Avoid using this product for more than a few days because it may irritate the delicate tissues in your nose. Try other ways of opening this passage.