If you or someone you know suffers from sleep apnea, read on. While sleep apnea can be risky in terms of your health if it’s not treated, it can be managed if proper treatment is applied. Study the different ways you can get rid of sleep apnea so that you can reclaim your life again.
Try getting rid of bad habits to better your sleep apnea. Alcohol and cigarettes are two of the primary culprits. Drinking potentially causes extreme breathing issues because it reduces the ability of your respiratory system to function. Smoking damages the lungs. You will notice a decrease in sleep apnea symptoms by quitting these habits.
Get a mouth guard to help you sleep at night. These guards look similar to what athletes use, but are specifically made to change the position of the tongue, jaw and palate while you sleep and keep your airway open. Talk to your physician about these, and get a fitting if you two think it might work.
If your airway is naturally narrow, a mouth guard for sleep may help with your sleep apnea. They are designed to help you breathe properly at night by aligning your airways. Speak with your doctor to learn more, and get yourself fitted for a mouth guard if you think it will help.
If you want real assistance with sleep apnea at night, talk to a physician about the optimal CPAP machine for you. Not all machines are alike, and you may need one that has a humidifier or a certain type of pressure. A machine to get you through the night is better than feeling fatigued every day. The doctor would be able to guide you to the right one to use.
Do you partake in a drink or smoke? Quit these terrible habits. Smoking irritates your air passages, making them narrow. Smoking swells up your airways while alcohol relaxes them. Both of these things can result in sleep apnea. If you’re not able to stop smoking and drinking, at least don’t do them before you fall asleep.
Talk to your doctor to find out if a sleep mouth guard will work for your apnea. Sleep apnea can be caused by a genetically small jaw, recessed chin or a breathing passage that is too small. Special mouthpieces can help to maintain proper alignment while you sleep, allowing you to rest much better.
Don’t drink a lot of alcohol. When drinking alcoholic beverages, it will relax your muscles. While this may be something you desire, it tends to create the problem of sleep apnea. Your throat muscles become relaxed and cause your airways to become blocked. If you absolutely have to have a drink, don’t do as much as you used to. And avoid having one close to bedtime.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a severe condition to have. Be aware of the symptoms of sleep apnea and consult your doctor if you are concerned. Then, if you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, you can talk with a specialist and even use a sleep monitor to understand the severity.
If you are overweight, lose some weight. Although it might not be the main cause, being overweight makes sleep apnea worse. If you slim down, you may see a marked difference in how your sleep apnea affects you.
Consider any alternative you can find to using sleeping pills. Sleeping pills are similar in a way to alcohol because they may relax the muscles in your throat. They may also have other negative effects as well. If you have chronic insomnia, consult with your doctor about safe alternatives to sleeping pills.
Eating healthy can help you manage sleep apnea and lose weight. Normally people are quite surprised to learn that unhealthy eating is a major source of their sleep apnea. There is scientific data that suggests that eating a poor diet can worsen sleep apnea, independent of a person’s weight.
Your doctor may suggest keeping a sleep journal to help pinpoint if you have sleep apnea or not. You would record your total hours of sleep each night, as well as symptoms that occur. Ask your partner to keep track of your snoring, movements, and whether you stop breathing at night. With this information, your doctors can make a final determination on whether or not you suffer from sleep apnea.
Children can have sleep apnea. You can usually notice a child with sleep apnea when they are hyperactive, inattentive, hostile, irritable and see them continuously breathing through their mouth. Sometimes parents mistakenly think these symptoms have to do with something like ADHD, and it is best that you talk to your child’s doctor to find the true culprit.
Reduce sleep apnea by shedding excess weight. Weight loss alone can be an effective treatment for those with mild sleep apnea. Even a few pounds can help your sleep apnea symptoms.
Sleeping Pills
If you shed some weight it will likely help with apnea. Sleep apnea is far more frequent in obese individuals with bigger necks. Pressure on the neck is reduced with weight loss, making breathing easier while sleeping.
Try out different things besides pills to help you sleep. Similar to alcohol, sleeping pills will relax your throat and airways to an undesirable extent. Taking sleeping pills can have a negative impact on other health conditions that those with sleep apnea may experience. Consult with your doctor about what you should take besides sleeping pills.
Sleep apnea can be a serious problem and it needs to be treated. Depending on what causes your sleep apnea, you may respond to different treatments. Shedding pounds can help people who are overweight, but not all sufferers have pounds to lose. The CPAP machine has been a very successful option for millions, and it does not involve any invasive procedures. Other people may be inclined to opt for surgery where changes may be made to the airway passages. Whatever route is best for you, getting treatment is key to living a happy, restful life.
Normally sleep apnea is diagnosed after getting a physical exam, but it also helps to study your family’s medical history to see if it’s prevalent among your relatives. Also, there may be a sleep study performed and even a sleep specialist recommended if the doctor treating you feels that your condition is severe enough to get it looked at further.
If you do tongue exercises you will allieviate sleep apnea symptoms. For three minutes, press your tongue up to the roof of your mouth. This will strengthen your throat and tongue muscles and reduce the chances of them relaxing while you sleep and blocking your airways.
Sleeping by yourself can keep you from knowing if you have the symptoms of sleep apnea. Or you can record yourself as you sleep to look at your sleeping patterns. Make sure the video has sound as well, so that your doctor can hear your breathing.
There are a few simple solutions sleep apnea sufferers can look into. Give yourself a normal bedtime and follow your self imposed rules. Also see to it that your bedroom is ideal for good sleep. If you don’t set up your room correctly, you may not be able to sleep.
Avoid sleeping pills when you find out you realize you are diagnosed with sleep apnea. These pills can cause your throat muscles to relax and keep your airways from properly functioning. Sleeping pills could cause injury or death if your sleep apnea is particularly severe. It can be difficult to stay asleep when you have sleep apnea, but you need to use other methods, such as a CPAP.
Adjusting your sleeping position so that you don’t lie flat on your back can help if you’re dealing with sleep apnea. Falling asleep on your back can create airway restrictions that prevent sound sleep. Pillows may assist you in side sleeping.
Sleep apnea symptoms can be worse if you also have allergies or other sinus related issues. Sleep apnea causes enough difficulty breathing on its own. You must eliminate anything that might obstruct your airway as you sleep. Keep your throat and airway as clear as you possibly can at all times.
A lot of people with sleep apnea sleep on their back. If this is your situation, you should think about different sleeping postures. Sleeping on your sides helps keep your airways straight, which reduces apnea during sleep.
Nasal Spray
You may need to have surgery to remove excess tissue from your throat if that is causing your sleep apnea symptoms. A surgeon can use a surgery known as UPPP to help you get rid of your extra tissue. This will make it easier for your airways to stay open. Also know that during this procedure they will most likely remove your tonsils.
Think about using nasal spray if your nasal passages are stopped up. Using nasal spray a couple of nights in a row should help you sleep. Don’t use the product over a long period of time, though; that could cause damage to your nose. Many pharmacies have different over-the-counter options available to help keep your nasal passages open.
You may benefit from a specially fitted mouth guard. Some people have a jaw or teeth that are not positioned properly and can contribute to sleep apnea, and a mouth guard can help. A mouth guard will help align your jaw and make breathing easier.
Making the muscles in your throat much stronger is an excellent way to help the alleviate the sleep apnea. When the muscles at the back of your throat collapse, your breathing can be reduced. When your muscles are strenghthened they will not block your air passages.
Exercise and tone your throat and neck muscles to help with sleep apnea. Anything you can do to make the muscles in your throat stronger will help to keep your airway from collapsing when you sleep. Try humming, making faces, sticking your tongue out, or playing a wind instrument. Each of these will help you keep your throat muscles firm.
Sleeping in certain positions can also impact your sleep apnea. This is why it’s crucial to sleep properly. Try using foam wedges to prop up your body. This will keep excess tissue and relaxed muscles from blocking your airways.
If you have sleep apnea, take your sleep partner’s feelings into consideration and encourage them to talk to you about it. They can often tell you how sever your problem is because they are kept awake by it. Find out how your sleep affects them, and reassure them that your treatment will let both of you sleep better at night.
If you are someone who is dealing with sleep apnea, you should not sleep on your back. Sleeping on your back can block your airways and cause sleep problems. Instead, sleep on a side. You can use pillows to prop you up if side-sleeping is not something you are used to.
Don’t ignore your doctor’s advice and follow his directions even if it includes stronger treatments. Sleep apnea is not only a condition that makes you feel fatigued, but it also increases the risk of depression, stroke and many other serious health problems.
Be proactive in finding the right sleep apnea treatment. If you don’t seek medical help, your condition is likely to worsen over time. A visit to your doctor is essential to prevent your sleep apnea symptoms from ruining your nightly sleep.
If you are waking up with cotton mouth because of your CPAP device, there are some things you can do. The first thing you can do is increase the humidity level on the machine. This should help keep your nasal and mouth passages more moist. You can try using a mask with a chin strap that prevents air leakage because your mouth stays closed.
As previously stated, sleep apnea can be risky to your health if it’s not treated properly. If you have sleep apnea, you must learn all you can about it. By studying the tips in this article and applying them to your life, you can ensure that you are doing everything you can to protect your health.
Many people with sleep apnea find that a mouth guard helps. When sleeping with a mouth guard that’s been properly fitted to your jaw, it can really help a great deal with breathing at night while you are sleeping. Having an overbite or simply a small jaw can cause narrow breathing passages. Therefore, you need to treat this problem immediately.