Many people who are dealing with the problems associated with sleep apnea have been looking remedy this situation and find an effective solution. There’s no better way to start the process of treating this condition than to educate yourself on the subject. Take the time to really understand the information below to give yourself a better chance of locating the best treatment that can work for you.
Lose a few pounds if you happen to be overweight and suffer from sleep apnea. Multiple research projects demonstrate the connection between sleep apnea and being overweight. If you are obese, lose at least 20 pounds to see if it makes a change for the better with your sleep apnea. It will also help ward off other medical conditions, too.
Drop some vices to combat sleep apnea. If you drink and smoke, you need to quit now. You can have severe breathing problems if you are a heavy drinker as it depresses your respiratory system. Smoking, of course, causes both long and short term damage to your lungs and airways, as well as putting you at risk for cancer. Losing these terrible habits will help a great deal when it comes to alleviating your sleep apnea symptoms.
Sleep apnea generally is diagnosed by studying your medical and family history and having a thorough physical exam. 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.
Sleep Apnea
Your physician may suggest that you start recording your sleeping habits in order to zero in on your sleep apnea symptoms. Sleep logs are records where patients write down the length and quality of their sleep. Your spouse can inform you of any excessive snoring, jerking, or momentary lapses in your breathing. Your doctor will then be able to tell if you suffer from sleep apnea.
If you are dealing with sleep apnea and you’re a smoker and drinker, you should quit now to help improve the symptoms of this condition. These habits can cause airways to relax too much, which can worsen sleep apnea and snoring. Some people resort to invasive surgeries to correct their sleep apnea without realizing that discontinuing these bad habits could have been a more simple and much cheaper route!
Use a chin strap if your mouth falls open as you sleep. It is only a small fabric strap that keeps your chin in place so you can sleep with a closed mouth. Your mouth must remain closed in order to get the best results from your CPAP therapy.
If you are overweight, lose some weight. Sleep apnea is directly associated with excess weight. For this reason, losing as little as 25 pounds could resolve your sleep apnea problems even if you would actually need to lose quite a bit more to attain your ideal weight.
Never travel without your CPAP machine. You ought not to go a single night without the CPAP if you have sleep apnea. This machine should have a travel bag with it. You should be able to use this to carry your CPAP machine with you no matter where you go.
Regular practice on a wind instrument can minimize some of your sleep apnea symptoms. Research in Germany has shown that playing an instrument called the didgeridoo can train the muscles in your upper airways and strengthen them. You can stiffen your throat muscles which will help them get more air to flow through them. Because of this, playing it regularly can help you breathe better when you sleep.
If you’re not finding that anything is helping with your sleep apnea condition, talking to a doctor about various treatment options is recommended. If less invasive treatments do not work, it is sometimes necessary to perform surgical procedures such as adenoid and tonsil removal and/or airway enlargement.
Make yourself wear your CPAP for four hours while you sleep, at the least. Some people find the machine difficult to get accustomed to. Four hours of use daily is recommended with a CPAP machine to see the medical benefits. As you become more accustomed to the sleep mask, you should be able to wear it longer.
You should use only one normal-sized pillow each night to sleep on. Over-sized pillows may lead to you sleeping in an unhealthy position. This actually causes you to have more breathing difficulty based on your position. So, you should stick to one pillow to help lessen any sleep apnea symptoms.
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. Your air passages are more likely to suffer obstruction when you sleep on your back. Do your best to fall asleep while on your side in an effort to reduce the symptoms of your apnea.
Try using a device made to eliminate snoring. Snoring is caused by your airways being blocked with minor airflow, and apnea involves them being shut completely with no airflow. It actually makes sense that your device can assist with the latter if it can help you with the former. These tools may be able to lessen the symptoms of sleep apnea.
Sleeping Pills
It’s important to take responsibility to lessen the things that can cause sleep apnea. Some of the risk factors associated with sleep apnea cannot be changed such as being born a male or having it run it the family. If you lose weight or quit smoking it may help you deal with sleep apnea.
Try to avoid sleeping pills. Sleeping pills can cause just as many problems with your throat as alcohol consumption. Pills also can affect sleep apnea sufferers in several different ways. Consult with your doctor about what you should take besides sleeping pills.
Whatever you do, don’t sleep on your back. Sewing a pair of balled up socks or a tennis ball onto the back of your PJs will help prevent rolling over. This will cause discomfort if you roll over onto your back.
Avoid sleeping pills when you find out you realize you are diagnosed with sleep apnea. Sleep medicines often contain relaxants which only make your airway more likely to collapse. For those with severe cases of sleep apnea, using these pills can be quite dangerous. Avoid using them even if you are having trouble sleeping.
Use meditation, warm baths and massages to help you relieve stress and reduce anxiety-induced sleep apnea. When you bathe in hot water, it calms your muscles and melts away tension. As a result, sleep is likely to come easier, and you are more likely to get a solid night of rest instead of one interrupted constantly by apnea flare-ups.
If your mouth opens a lot during the night when you use your CPAP machine, consider adding a chin strap. It is a simple cloth strap that can easily hold up your chin as you sleep. Try out CPAP therapy for your mouth.
Don’t sleep on your back if you have sleep apnea. If you sleep on your back, it frequently leads to airway blockage and can cause sleep apnea. Do what you can to sleep while laying on your stomach or side at all times. You can use pillows behind your back to help keep you from moving onto your back to sleep.
Sleep apnea patients should not sleep on their backs. Sleeping on your back raises the risk of a blocked airway, experienced by many sufferers. Try using a pillow or some cushions to keep yourself propped on your side when you are in bed.
If you have sleep apnea, take the advice of several scientific studies and try doing some throat exercises. When you strengthen the muscles around the airway, you are helping make them much less likely to collapse. For instance, place your tongue on the top of the inside of your mouth and keep it like that for about three minutes. Perform this activity once every 24 hours.
Working out your tongue can help treat your sleep apnea symptoms. If you press your tongue up and hold it there for a short period of time, it will help. This will strengthen your throat and tongue muscles and reduce the chances of them relaxing while you sleep and blocking your airways.
Many people who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea sleep on their backs. You may wish to consider a different sleeping position. Studies have shown that sleeping on your side instead can facilitate the problem of sleep apnea, leading to a more restful night of sleep.
If you have a CPAP machine, ask your physician to prescribe you a heated humidifier as well. Warm, moist air will help keep you asleep comfortably. Many of these machines now include humidifiers, and your doctor can probably prescribe one for you.
Be in constant contact with your physician with regards to a recently diagnosed case of sleep apnea. The physician can keep you abreast with regard to suggestions that may ease the condition’s difficulties. Evaluate the effectiveness of any new sleep apnea treatments before your next doctor’s appointment.
It’s a good idea to contact your airline if you’re planning a long plane trip and will need to make use of a CPAP machine during your flight. Almost all airlines will accommodate your need for extra space in order for you to use your equipment. If you’re flying with a non-domestic carrier, make sure you have the appropriate power adapters for your machine.
It is important to get a diagnosis of sleep apnea from your doctor so that you can get appropriate treatment. Neglecting to do so could carry some major risks. Your doctor can make an accurate diagnosis and develop an effective treatment plan if you share all your symptoms with him.
People that have sleep apnea can benefit from learning to play a wind instrument. It is not only soothing, but in a German trial study, it was proven that playing the Didgeridoo or any wind instrument can drastically calm sleep apnea symptoms. Your new hobby will enable you to finally get control over the air passages that effect breathing.
Do not drink any type of alcohol before you sleep. A wide range of sleep disorders are compounded negatively by the use or consumption of alcohol, and sleep apnea is among them. Worse, it hits your central nervous system, making it harder to rouse if you really stop breathing. This can be a fatal combination.
Sometimes anxiety might arise if you get sleep apnea, so take a shower to get rid of your stress. The warm water will relax and soothe your muscles. This leaves you ready for a restful night’s sleep and decreases the risk of a sleep apnea incident.
If you tend to regularly suffer from sleep apnea, consider taking naps during the day to help make up for lost sleep. Lack of sleep can cause health problems and also harm your body’s functioning. Let yourself sleep each afternoon for about 20 minutes to help refresh yourself. Don’t sleep any longer than that or you may disrupt your sleep at night.
The constant search for the most effective treatment option is a fact of life for those afflicted with sleep apnea. Knowledge is crucial for coping with this harmful condition. Apply what you’ve just learned and you’ll be well on your way to improving your sleep apnea condition.
Exercising your tongue and throat muscle is a smart move. Making your throat stronger can help keep your airways strong while you are sleeping. A few humming exercises and playing with wind instruments can help you increase throat strength. Any of these give your throat muscles exercise.