Receiving a diagnosis of sleep apnea is something that can seem confusing and worrisome at first. Sleep apnea is fairly common. Although it needs to be taken seriously, it is treatable. The following article contains the best sleep apnea advice, so read on.
Drop some of your vices to fight against sleep apnea. Two of the most common offenders are drinking and smoking. Your respiratory system will not be happy with you if you drink all the time. Smoking can cause swelling in the throat, which also restricts the airway during sleep. Eliminating these habits is going to help alleviate sleep apnea symptoms.
Drop some of your vices to fight against sleep apnea. If you drink and smoke, it can make your sleep apnea worse. Drinking causes respiratory depression, which makes it more difficult to breathe. Cigarettes can hurt your lungs, possibly even causing lung cancer. When you stop doing these things, your sleep apnea symptoms should be reduced.
Do you sometimes drink or smoke? Take steps to eliminate these unhealthy habits. These substances influence your airways. 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 it’s too challenging to give up these habits entirely, you should at least avoid indulging in them as you approach your bedtime.
Do you smoke and drink? Try to rid yourself of these horrible habits. Both of these substances have a negative effect on your ability to breathe while sleeping. Smoking causes swelling in the airway. On the other hand, alcohol causes the airway to relax, much like sleeping pills. If it’s too challenging to give up these habits entirely, you should at least avoid indulging in them as you approach your bedtime.
Try getting fitted for a custom-made mouth guard. Some guards are made to treat sleep apnea. If you don’t have CPAP, then this guard is an excellent alternative. Also, it’s a lot more comfortable wearing this mouth guard while sleeping. The mouth guard keeps your jaw in the proper position and keeps your airway more open.
Alcohol Causes
Sleep apnea is not a condition to take likely. If you think you may have it, it is important to make an appointment with your doctor to discuss it. A specialist in sleep disorders can order the tests necessary to diagnose the condition.
Avoid drinking alcohol to excess. Alcohol causes your muscles to relax. Although many people desire this side-effect of alcohol, it is not beneficial to people with sleep apnea. Alcohol causes the throat and tongue muscles to relax, which can make it easier for them to block your airway. If you feel like you have to drink, try to not do it prior to going to bed.
If you aren’t sleeping with a partner each night who can let you know of any irregularities in your sleeping patterns, it can be hard to know if you have this condition. One way to see for yourself is to train a camcorder on yourself as you sleep. The video should also have audio to listen for any noises.
Attempt to sleep on the side to get a full night of rest in spite of apnea. When people sleep on their back, their tongue and soft palate rest to the back of the throat, which blocks the airway. Try to fall asleep on your side instead and use a pillow if needed. It may relieve some symptoms.
No matter where you travel, you must bring your CPAP if you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. Once you have your CPAP machine, do not skip using it at any time. You were probably provided a padded traveling bag when you got your CPAP machine. You should be able to use this to carry your CPAP machine with you no matter where you go.
Try something else besides sleeping pills. The muscles in your throat relax too much when you use a sedative like sleeping pills, (or alcohol) and your airway is much more likely to collapse during sleep. There can also cause other problems if you are dealing with sleep apnea. Stress relief through meditation or exercise can also help you fall asleep safely.
Try a good nasal spray to take care of nighttime nasal congestion. This will help to clear your airways temporarily. However, you should not continuously use nasal sprays as this may cause nose damage. Try other ways of opening this passage.
Sleep Apnea
While a condition like this does require the professional opinion of a doctor, there are many self-help remedies that work, too. Shedding pounds and quitting smoking are too big things you can do. Other vices to avoid are caffeine, alcohol and large meals right before bedtime.
Losing weight can definitely help reduce sleep apnea’s effects. Sleep apnea is linked to people who are overweight. If you lose that weight, the pressure on your air passage will be lessened, which will improve the quality of your breathing.
Tongue exercises are useful in reducing sleep apnea. Repeat vowels out loud over and over for 3 minutes each day. Press your tongue tip to the back of your front teeth, and quickly slide it to the back of your mouth repeatedly for three minutes. Do both once per day. This should strengthen both your tongue and throat muscles, which helps them to not relax while you’re asleep.
As stated above, learning that you have sleep apnea can be pretty scary. There is no reason to fret, as there are many treatment methods you can explore. Use the sleep apnea tips you went over in this article and use them to help you. There’s no reason you can’t enjoy a completely healthy life, even if you’re suffering from sleep apnea.
One helpful strategy to control sleep apnea is to begin playing a wind instrument. You can pick up a new skill, but more than that you are able to exercise and learn to control the very muscles that have to do with breathing. Training these muscles will strengthen them and may help you to control them while you sleep and thus lessen your sleep apnea symptoms.