Sleep apnea is potentially life threatening as well as disruptive and inconvenient. For these reasons, those suffering from this condition must learn as much as possible about its root causes and treatments so they may be able to find relief. In this article, we will help you get a head start on your sleep apnea education.
Ask your doctor for advice about what CPAP machine you should get. Size and noise are both things to factor into your decision. Don’t worry too much about the sound as there are many types of very quiet machines that will not disrupt sleep. Your doctor will likely have a preferred brand or type of CPAP to recommend to you.
A corrective mouth guard for sleeping hours can do wonders if your condition is due to airways that are naturally narrow. This will help you breathe better at night. Talk to your physician about a mouth guard you can wear during sleep to help you control your condition.
You can really cut back on your sleep apnea by giving up alcohol and smoking. Both of these habits are bad for the muscles in your air passage and can worsen apnea. Avoiding these temptations can put more money back in your pocket, and is a lot more cost effective than expensive surgeries that may no longer be necessary.
Do you drink and smoke? Eliminate these unhealthy habits. These substances influence your airways. Smoking will cause your throat to swell, and alcohol will relax it too much. If you cannot get rid of these habits for good, make an effort to avoid smoking or drinking before you go to bed.
Get a personally made mouth guard just for you. For those who have sleep apnea, this guard is a wonderful thing to have. It’s a good way to get around having to use a CPAP machine, and feels better to wear throughout the night. The mouth guard keeps your jaw in the proper position and keeps your airway more open.
Sleep Apnea
Eating healthier foods can help you deal with sleep apnea. Many people may be surprised how much a poor diet plays in the symptoms of sleep apnea. People who don’t eat healthy food have the worst sleep apnea conditions.
Consult with your physician about corrective devices to address your sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can be magnified in effects by small jaws and recessed chins, as well as breathing passageways that are naturally narrow. By aligning the position of your jaw and throat, you will find that you can sleep with fewer symptoms of sleep apnea.
It is possible for children to suffer from 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. A lot of times these symptoms look like the symptoms of someone suffering with ADHD, but you should consult with your doctor who can evaluate all the symptoms.
Lose a few pounds if you happen to be overweight and suffer from sleep apnea. There are many studies linking overweight people to sleep apnea. As a result, the loss of just twenty or twenty five pounds can make a significant difference in reducing your symptoms of sleep apnea.
Attempt sleeping on the side. Many people with sleep apnea sleep while on their backs. When you sleep, your throat muscles relax, and back sleeping causes gravity to pull the relaxed muscles downward, restricting airflow. It’s easier to breathe when looking to the side. Put a pillow on your side if you always find yourself moving around during sleep.
Do not consume as much alcohol as you used to. Alcohol causes all the muscles in your body to lose their tension. This might be something you want to do but it can also exacerbate your sleep apnea. Your muscles will relax and collapse, which will make you snore and possibly cough through the night. If you feel you must drink, try not to do it as often or before you go to sleep.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, make sure to get sinus and allergy problems treated. This condition makes sleeping troublesome. Additional swelling in the airways and extra mucus will make sleep apnea worse. You need to keep your airways open, and remedying the slightest nasal condition will help you sleep better throughout the night.
Sleeping pills and other drugs are not good solutions if you are having trouble falling asleep. Sleeping pills carry the risk of throat relaxation, much the same as alcohol does. They also lead to other issues that can cause many problems, especially for someone suffering with sleep apnea. Ask your physician about sleeping aids that are free of harmful effects or risks to your night-time breathing.
You should get a machine to stop snoring. Both snoring and sleep apnea are caused by narrowed airways. As you can guess, devices that help one will help with the other. Using a device that reduces your snoring will help you sleep better.
Without a partner in your bed to tell you how you sleep, you may not know that you experience sleep apnea. You can always set up a camcorder to make a video of a typical night’s sleep. Your video needs to have audio as well because the doctors will want to hear any noises you make.
Avoid alcohol if you have sleep apnea. Alcohol makes the throat muscles over-relax, resulting in blocked airways and snoring. It’s best to put down the bottle entirely, but if you don’t want to do that, you should drink only minimal amounts, and do so early in the day. This way, the alcohol will not disturb your sleep.
Sleeping Pills
Sleeping on your back can make your sleep apnea worse. This is why it’s crucial to sleep properly. Lift your body up by using a foam wedge at the top of the bed. Or, if you can, raise the top of your bed by at least four inches.
Avoid sleeping pills when you suffer from sleep apnea. Sleeping pills relax throat muscles to the degree that they no longer properly function. Having a bad sleep apnea case could make these pills a dangerous option. It may be tempting to use these pills to sleep better, but it’s not worth the risk.
Anxiety is a common result of sleep apnea, so think about relaxing baths prior to bed. Soaking in a warm or hot bath relaxes your muscle tension. After your bath, you are likely to fall asleep faster and have less apnea flare-ups.
Think about using nasal spray if your nasal passages are stopped up. You will get relief from this for a little while. Nasal sprays with medications should not be used for many days in a row, however, because they can damage the nose. Try other ways of opening this passage.
If you suffer from sleep apnea this is a good way to get better sleep. Give yourself a regular bedtime, and sleep about the same time every night. Make sure your environment is conducive to sleep as well, free of noise and distractions. Without the right conditions, you may induce insomnia.
Weight loss can make a huge difference in sleep apnea symptoms. Sleep apnea is correlated with being fat and having a large neck. Getting thinner will lower the amount of pressure on your trachea, which means more air will get to your lungs while you sleep.
You may not even notice that you have apnea. You may experience daytime drowsiness, exhaustion, a lack of daytime focus that may signal problems with sleep apnea. A doctor may diagnose you with this condition, even if you believe you don’t have it.
Tongue exercising may help resolve certain sleep apnea symptoms. For example, try this: press your tongue up against your upper palate, and hold it for about three minutes. This strengthens the muscles throughout the airway passage and minimizes the likelihood of them interfering with breathing and sleep.
Take hold of your sleep apnea and seek out a cure for it. Sleep apnea is one condition that tends to steadily worsen the longer it’s left untreated. Speak with your doctor sooner rather than later if you suspect you’ve got a sleep apnea problem; don’t wait for the disruptions in your sleep patterns to become intolerable.
If you are using a CPAP when dealing with sleep apnea, get your doctor to prescribe you a heated humidifier. When your sleeping in conditions of warm and moist air, you will most likely adhere to the CPAP therapy. A lot of CPAP machines come with built-in humidifiers, so ask your doctor to prescribe that type for you.
Throat exercises have been shown to help with the symptoms of sleep apnea. Just as exercises help to strengthen muscles in other parts of your body, these oral exercises will help strengthen your tongue and throat muscles for a better night’s sleep. One example is pressing your tongue onto the roof of the mouth and holding onto it for about three minutes before releasing. Perform this exercise once per day.
Sleep apnea is without question an extremely frustrating condition. Fatigue, interrupted sleep, irritability and the dangers of sleep apnea are cause for sufferers to worry. Apply the things you’ve just learned, and start managing your sleep apnea tonight.
Continue to talk to your doctor, even after your initial diagnosis. Your doctor can give you proper tips and information on this condition. When you try a new treatment, plan on meeting with your doctor after a month or so to talk about how efficient the treatment is.