Many people suffer from sleep apnea and struggle to find the treatment that is right for them. You can find relief if you research the condition and find the treatment that is right for you. The article below has the information you need to glean an understanding of the condition that afflicts you.
Do you sometimes drink or smoke? Quit these terrible habits. The reason is because these harmful substances impact your airways, and as a result, your sleep. Alcohol relaxes your airways, and tobacco causes it to swell. If you must continue with these habits, avoid doing them before bed.
One way to fight against sleep apnea is to give up vices. If you drink and smoke, you need to quit now. The muscle-relaxing effects of alcohol are very hard on the whole respiratory system and lead to significant breathing problems. Smoking, of course, causes both long and short term damage to your lungs and airways, as well as putting you at risk for cancer. These are both habits which can make sleep apnea worse.
If your doctor prescribes a mouth guard, make sure it is properly fitted. These guards are designed for patients with sleep apnea. A mouth guard will help keep your airway open and may eliminate the need for a CPAP machine. A mouth guard works by keeping airways open and giving the soft tissues stability.
Some people’s sleep apnea can be traced to morbid obesity. If this applies, it is is important to shed some excess weight. The best way to lose weight is to become physically active with exercise at least four times per week and eat less food calories than are burned off each day by activity. Restricting carbohydrates has shown to be a big help in losing weight.
You should know that aside from helping you to lose weight, healthy food can also help to lessen sleep apnea symptoms, too. One of the main factors contributing to sleep apnea is being overweight, caused by poor eating habits. In past studies,it has been shown that those that eat improper foods have worse sleep apnea than those that eat healthy, but are overweight.
Do you occasionally drink or smoke? Quit these terrible habits. These substances influence your airways. Smoking causes swelling in the airway. On the other hand, alcohol causes the airway to relax, much like sleeping pills. If you find that you just can’t give these bad habits up, do what you can to not do either of them within four hours of your bedtime.
Avoid alcohol if you have sleep apnea. Alcohol naturally relaxes your muscles. Although many users find this to be one of the benefits of drinking, it tends to make the effects of sleep apnea much more serious. If you must drink, keep it to just a few, and stop drinking well before bedtime. This will keep your throat muscles from relaxing excessively. If you absolutely have to have a drink, don’t do as much as you used to. And avoid having one close to bedtime.
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. Alcohol relaxes the tongue and throat muscles, which can cause them to block your airway; smoking inflames the airway, causing it to narrow. Both of these habits can cause snoring and apnea. Quitting these addictions may be the easiest way to address your sleep apnea.
A good physical exam, and a look at your family history, can quite often easily determine sleep apnea’s presence. Your PCP may ask for a sleep study to be done by a sleep specialist.
Sleep Apnea
To actually diagnose your disorder, a doctor may require you to take notes in a sleep log. In it, you’ll be expected to log the hours you sleep nightly, any symptoms you may feel and the overall quality of your sleep. Your partner can tell you if you snore loudly, quit breathing or jerk your limbs. Your doctor will then be able to tell if you suffer from sleep apnea.
If you are carrying a few extra pounds, it may be time to lose them. Studies have found a correlation between sleep apnea and obesity. 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.
When dealing with sleep apnea it is best to keep a regular sleeping schedule. Your condition is already disrupting your nightly sleep cycle. A natural pattern of sleep will help you gain your health back and also avoid daytime sleepiness. You should go to bed at the same hour every single day.
Get a custom mouth guard. These guards are designed for patients with sleep apnea. Many people find they can adjust to wearing a mouth guard every night while they sleep much more easily than they can get used to wearing a CPAP mask. The mouth guard keeps your jaw in the proper position and keeps your airway more open.
If you have tried everything to no avail, be sure to see your doctor about professional treatment. The removal of loose tissue at the back of the throat is one surgical technique that is a last resort treatment for severe sleep apnea that can’t be controlled with other less invasive treatments.
Sleep apnea patients are searching for the best ways to treat their condition. In order to combat the disruptive, discomforting and dangerous nature of this condition, knowledge is essential. By following the advice presented here, you can find just the right method of treatment for your sleep apnea.
If you have sleep apnea, consider dropping some weight. A lot of people find that if they shed weight they will help the apnea. Even a loss of a few pounds has been beneficial in opening the airway.