Ever wonder why you feel tired even when it seems like you should have gotten a reasonable amount of sleep? If you’ve exhausted your options, perhaps you have sleep apnea. If you think that this is the case, do not fret. Just read through the rest of this article for helpful advice.
Quitting smoking and drinking can relieve sleep apnea symptoms. Both of these bad habits make the airways relax too much, making sleep apnea worse. Remember that surgery and medications are expensive. Correcting bad habits is free.
If sleep apnea is an issue for you, and you are a smoker or drinker of alcohol, consider quitting to help with your symptoms. These habits can cause your throat muscles to relax or swell, increasing sleep apnea. Quitting these habits may help you avoid costly and invasive surgery in the future.
Eating healthily can help you shed weight and relieve sleep apnea. One of the main factors contributing to sleep apnea is being overweight, caused by poor eating habits. Research has proven that those who consume low quality food demonstrate more severe sleep apnea than even overweight folks who eat healthy.
Your kids may have sleep apnea. There are a multitude of symptoms that can determine whether your child has sleep apnea. Sleep apnea symptoms can mimic those of ADHD, but only a doctor can give the proper diagnosis.
Don’t underestimate the potential health consequences of sleep apnea. If you suspect you have sleep apnea, see your doctor right away. After diagnosis, you may be referred to a sleep specialist who may order a home study using a portable monitor. In this way, the specialist can assess your condition accurately.
Lie on your side when you sleep. Sleeping on your back is attributed to a lot of people who suffer with sleep apnea. Sleeping on your back can cause the tissues in your mouth and throat to block your airway. Avoid sleeping on your back and go on your side to make breathing easier. If you think you might roll over anyway, try a wedge pillow.
Try out different things besides pills to help you sleep. Sleeping pills will just make you snore more by relaxing the muscles in the throat. They also can cause other harmful issues to make your sleep apnea worse. You may want to ask your physician to prescribe something for you that doesn’t have an effect on sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is diagnosed through a medical exam and consideration of your and your family’s medical history. Your PCP may ask for a sleep study to be done by a sleep specialist.
Sleep with your body perpendicular to the bed. Often, sleep apnea sufferers rest while on their backs. When you lay on your back during sleep, the tongue and soft palate shift to the back, which obstructs your airway. Instead, you should sleep on your side and that can help your breathe much better. 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.
If you sleep alone, it may be hard for you to get a good idea of the exact nature of your sleep apnea symptoms. Record yourself to get a better picture of what is happening while you sleep. Make sure any video you make includes an audio stream, since certain noises are clues that you may suffer from sleep apnea.
A diagnosis of sleep apnea usually involves your personal and family medical histories, as well as a comprehensive physical examination. 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.
Sleep Logs
Your doctor may suggest keeping a sleep journal to help pinpoint if you have sleep apnea or not. This log is where you’ll keep track of how much you sleep during the night, and other symptoms you may experience. Ask your partner for more specific information on how loud your snoring is, the quality of your breathing and even how restful you were. That helps the physician determine whether your symptoms are, in fact, sleep apnea.
Many doctors ask patients to keep sleep logs to help diagnose sleep apnea. Sleep logs are records where patients write down the length and quality of their sleep. Ask others in your home to let you know if you snored, woke up without realizing it due to your snoring or if you moved a lot in your sleep. Your doctor can use this information to determine whether or not you’re suffering from sleep apnea.
Keep a regular sleeping schedule to lessen the symptoms of sleep apnea. Your sleeping pattern is already thrown off by this sleep disorder. Any steps you take towards a regular sleeping schedule will help you get a better night’s sleep. Start with going to bed at a set time each night and waking up at a set time daily.
Do you feel relieved now that you know more about your sleep apnea now? You should now be able to talk to your doctor confidently and get on the right right path to treating your apnea. Keep in mind that this is a long process. Immediate results are not likely. Keep trying new methods and eventually you’ll find the ones that work.
If you have a CPAP machine, carry your medical ID. If you need medical attention, it’s vital that the people treating you know about your condition and that you use a CPAP machine. This ID should say that you have apnea, that you use CPAP, and that your machine has to be set at a certain pressure level.