If you wake up after a full night’s sleep not feeling refreshed, or suffer morning headaches, then pay heed. Is your loud snoring keeping your sleep partner awake at night? If you answered “yes” to these questions, get evaluated for sleep apnea. This condition may be very serious, so you must seek out immediate treatment.
If sleep apnea is an issue for you, and you are a smoker or drinker of alcohol, consider quitting to help with your symptoms. Both of these habits are bad for the muscles in your air passage and can worsen apnea. Dropping bad habits can help you live your life comfortably again.
Stop your destructive ways. If you drink and smoke, you need to quit now. Drinking potentially causes extreme breathing issues because it reduces the ability of your respiratory system to function. Cigarettes inject carcinogens into your respiratory system. Quit both these habits, and you’ll soon notice an improvement in your sleeping patterns.
Make yourself wear your CPAP for four hours while you sleep, at the least. Going to bed with a CPAP machine humming away is certainly an adjustment that can be a challenge for some. However, it won’t be effective if you don’t use it every day. Using it for the minimum of four hours a day will allow yourself to slowly transition to full time use.
If you are suffering with sleep apnea due to having narrow airways, you should get yourself a mouth guard to use when sleeping. This will help you breathe better at night. Ask your doctor about sleep mouth guards, and get fitted for one if you believe this could be the right solution for you.
Children can also suffer from sleep apnea. When you notice that your child wakes up tired each day, is hard to wake up in the morning, is angry or rude or their grades are suffering at school, poor sleep due to sleep apnea could be the culprit. Such symptoms may mimic ADHD, so discuss the matter with your family physician and consider the possibility that your child has sleep apnea.
Talk to a physician about the right CPAP machine for you. Factors such as the machine’s noise level and its size are important to consider. Some machines can be quite small and be very quiet. Your doctor can recommend which machines his patients have had the most success with.
Sleep apnea is a serious health condition. If you think you may have it, it is important to make an appointment with your doctor to discuss it. After the diagnosis, you may be asked to take a sleep test, either at home or at a facility that specializes in sleep disorder testing.
Do you smoke and/or drink? Take steps to eliminate these unhealthy habits. The reason is because these harmful substances impact your airways, and as a result, your sleep. Alcohol use will lead to over-relaxation of your airways, making sleep apnea symptoms worse, while smoking can have a similar effect by constricting them. If you must continue with these habits, avoid doing them before bed.
Give sleeping on your sides a try. Often, sleep apnea sufferers rest while on their backs. Your airways become blocked when you sleep on your back. Sleeping on your side makes breathing significantly easier. If you tend to lay on your back while sleeping, prop yourself on your side using pillows.
Sleeping Pills
To actually diagnose your disorder, a doctor may require you to take notes in a sleep log. 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 to note anything unusual noticed during the night while you were sleeping. This diary will help a medical professional see patterns in your sleep habits.
Consider any alternative you can find to using sleeping pills. Sleeping pills can make your throat muscles relax in an undesirable way. There are a variety of other problems that they can cause as well, so be cautious of using them. Stress relief through meditation or exercise can also help you fall asleep safely.
Lower your risk for sleep apnea. Some risks are inherent, such as family history or being male. But others, such as weight smoking and drinking, can be controlled.
Your doctor might ask you to write down when you sleep and wake. In it, you’ll record the number of hours you sleep, as well as any symptoms you have during the night. If you sleep with another person, they’ll be able to help you keep track of snoring, interruptions in breathing, or jerking of your limbs. This diary will help a medical professional see patterns in your sleep habits.
Sleep apnea never just disappears of its own free will; you have to do something about it. Different people find relief through different forms of treatment. Treatment options vary depending on the cause. One person will find relief by stopping the habit of smoking and drinking. Another person may find that losing weight is their solution. You can use options like CPAP machines to help you sleep at night. Other people might just want to opt for surgery. Working with your doctor to identify the best approach for your apnea issues will increase your opportunity to live a healthy and well-rested life.
If you have sleep apnea and use a CPAP, be sure to carry a medical ID with you. This is particularly important if you have an accident and require overnight hospitalization. This identification card should tell caregivers that you suffer from sleep apnea, and that you make use of a CPAP set to a specified pressure level to sleep.
Stop smoking for relief from sleep apnea. Your air passages swell when you smoke, which is no good for sleep apnea sufferers. Try different things to help you quit smoking. For most individuals, the first month is the worst. The nicotine will be out of your system at this point.
Sleep apnea symptoms can be worse if you also have allergies or other sinus related issues. You already find it hard to breathe during the night because of your symptoms. Additional swelling in the airways and extra mucus will make sleep apnea worse. Keep your throat and airway as clear as you possibly can at all times.
Use tongue and throat exercises as a way to combat sleep apnea. Try pressing your tongue to the top of your mouth and holding it there for a minimum of three minutes. This will help strengthen weak tongue and throat muscles so that they don’t slip back and block your airway while you sleep so easily.
If the solutions you have tried are not improving your ability to sleep soundly, then see your doctor to discuss more aggressive options. There are some people who cannot tolerate traditional methods of alleviating sleep apnea symptoms, leading to the need for surgical intervention to enhance their airway.
Strengthening the muscles of your throat can be an effective way to reduce the risk of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is commonly caused by the throat becoming obstructed because the soft tissues collapse near the back of your throat. When your muscles strengthen, their chances of collapse and airway blockage go down.
Sleep Apnea
If you have a long flight scheduled, tell the airline that you will require your CPAP machine. You’ll find that most airlines are quite accommodating to this kind of medical necessity; they’ll seat you in a place where you have all the room you need. You’ll need a power adapter on any foreign flights you take.
If you have sleep apnea, stop smoking. Swelling of the airways occurs when one smokes; this makes sleep apnea worse. Try out nicotine patches or gum to get rid of your sleep apnea. For most people, the toughest part is the first 30 days or so. Following this, the nicotine dissipates and cravings are reduced.
Try taking a soothing bath before you go to bed to reduce anxiety. When you bathe in hot water, it calms your muscles and melts away tension. This will help you get to sleep and stay asleep rather than having constant sleep apnea interruptions.
Exercise your tongue and minimize sleep apnea symptoms. Try to press your tongue up against the roof of your mouth. Then, hold it there for about three minutes. This can improve the strength of your tongue and throat muscles and decrease the chance that they will relax too much and cause breathing difficulty.
Be conscious of the fact that you may not even be aware of sleep apnea when you are in fact asleep. If you’re having difficulty in staying awake during the day, especially while you are behind the wheel, immediately talk to your doctor. Those symptoms might be part of what you’re experiencing as sleep apnea.
Minimize your alcohol intake. Drinking causes the throat muscles to relax excessively, which causes snoring and a blocked airway. Limit drink consumption to no more than two or quit drinking completely prior to bed. This will help you know that alcohol is not affecting the quality of your sleep.
If you are one of the many who suffers from sleep apnea, avoid sleeping on your back. If you sleep on your back, it frequently leads to airway blockage and can cause sleep apnea. You could try sleeping on your side or in a semi-reclining position propped up with pillows.
Remember that you must bring your CPAP machine with you on long air flights, and the airline must know about this in advance. Most carriers will make sure they seat you with plenty of room to accommodate your machine. Be sure to bring along a power adapter when using a foreign airline.
If you have sleep apnea, be proactive about finding and following treatment options. If you do not go to a doctor and find a treatment, your symptoms will probably worsen over the years. A visit to your doctor is essential to prevent your sleep apnea symptoms from ruining your nightly sleep.
Remember that you might not always catch yourself with sleep apnea every night. However, if you’re suffering from drowsiness and exhaustion during the day, it is definitely time to see a doctor. Even if you do not realize it while sleeping, you could have sleep apnea.
If sleep apnea is something that you are afflicted with, you might want to try the throat exercises known to improve the condition. These exercises strengthen the muscles surrounding the airway, which makes them less prone to collapsing. One of the many examples is to press the whole tongue to the roof of your mouth, hold it for three minutes and then release. Practice this technique at least once daily.
Sleep apnea, as defined, is when your body does not have the required amount of oxygen it needs when you are asleep. As such, it benefits those suffering from sleep apnea to shun sleeping at elevations. High elevations decrease oxygen flow, which is bad for a sleep apnea sufferer. If you can possibly avoid sleeping at elevations, it would behoove you to do so.
Some types of sleep apnea may be treated by using corrective oral devices. This is because some people’s jaws are shaped in a way that makes the airways naturally narrow. These devices realign the jaw much the same way that braces do the teeth.
Make sure you exercise your throat and jaw muscles. Sleep apnea can be exacerbated by weak muscles in your throat, so taking the time to strengthen them can help you manage your apnea. These exercises may truly help you.
Many people with sleep apnea sleep on their backs. You may wish to consider a different sleeping position. Sleeping in a position, such as on your side, can help alleviate the problems caused by constricted airways.
Sleep apnea may be quite a serious condition and can be hazardous to your health in ways, but it is treatable. You will quickly find relief by using this article’s tips. If you still need more help, ask your physician about further treatment options.
If sleep apnea keeps you awake at night, take a nap during the day to compensate for lost sleep. Being sleep deprived makes it hard to function and can cause many health problems. Take an afternoon nap to give yourself more quality hours of sleep for the day.