Although specific requirements may vary, everybody needs a good night’s sleep! If you face the problems posed by sleep apnea, you know you’re not getting the quality sleep you need to face each day. Check out the following tips that may help you fight sleep apnea and finally get a decent 8 hours of sound and healthy sleep.
Learn how to play a wind instrument. Studies have found that playing a wind instrument like the flute or the didgeridoo can help with sleep apnea. Wind instruments exercise your breathing and help your body get accustomed to taking in sufficient amounts of air. Your throat will be able to better control airway dilation.
Try playing a wind instrument. Playing the trumpet or a similar musical instrument should help you strengthen your throat and help you control your breathing. Your upper airways should become stronger and remain open throughout the night, which would make the symptoms of sleep apnea disappear or at least reduce them.
If your sleep apnea is the result of having narrow breathing passages, a mouth guard can help you out. Through the use of a mouth guard, airways will be kept open. Mouth guards and sleep masks must be properly fitted in order to help improve apnea.
Skip sleeping pills if you are prone to bouts of sleep apnea. You may feel you need them to get to sleep, but they have a similar effect as alcohol on the body. They also have additional side effects besides the obvious ones. Stay away if you want to lessen your sleep apnea symptoms.
Understand the effects that smoking and drinking alcohol have on sleep apnea, if you are trying to get a grip on your quality of sleep. Smoking enlarges airways, while alcohol can relax them too much, both of which will contribute to the symptoms of sleep apnea severely. Consider making the necessary cut-backs that will cut down on your sleep problems.
Look for alternatives to sleeping pills. Just like alcohol, taking sleeping pills will make your throat muscles relax. Pills also can affect sleep apnea sufferers in several different ways. Consult with your doctor about what you should take besides sleeping pills.
Avoid sleeping pills when you suffer from sleep apnea. Sleeping pills can make it so your airways don’t function correctly. The medication can be very dangerous, even fatal, if you suffer from sleep apnea.
Use a chin strap with your CPAP each night to prevent your mouth from opening as you sleep. This little piece of fabric can work wonders to hold your chin that your breathing is not interrupted. CPAP devices don’t work well when your mouth is wide open, so this device can help.
If you are one of the millions of people who suffer from sleep apnea, you need to avoid caffeine and large meals before you go to bed. Stop eating and drinking any caffeinated beverages at least two hours before you go to bed. Both of these are linked to sleep apnea and should be avoided before bedtime.
A proven tip to reducing and preventing sleep apnea is to try sleeping on your side. You should avoid sleeping with your face up on your back. Gravity will cause the tongue and tissues in your neck fall back and block your airways. So sleep on your side for a better nights sleep.
If you are a smoker, this may be making your sleep apnea more severe. When you smoke a cigarette, the airways in your nose become swollen, restricting the amount of air that you can breathe. Quit smoking if you can. If you can’t give it up entirely, don’t smoke in the evenings before bed.
Avoid back sleeping when you have sleep apnea. A common sleeping position for most people suffering from sleep apnea is on their backs. As a result, it’s easy for airways to get blocked. Prop yourself on your side using pillows or cushions.
If you smoke cigarettes and are suffering from sleep apnea, now is the best time to quit this habit. When you smoke, you are increasing the inflammation and the fluid retention in your throat along with your upper airways, and that will contribute greatly to sleep apnea. Once you quit, you should notice your symptoms start to lessen.
If your nasal airways are too narrow, try using nasal strips. These can be bought in any pharmacy and will not damage your airways like sprays do. Choose a quality product and apply the strips right before you go to bed. Breathing should be a little easier with these strips.
There are several tools available to open up nasal passages that work to varying degrees. You should try several of these to see if any of them work well for you. The cheapest and easiest options are nasal strips, but neti pots are also becoming increasingly common for this type of problem.
Shed the pounds that have been bugging you. Those same pounds that you cringe at when you look in the mirror may also be causing your sleep apnea. In fact, there is a rule of thumb out there that for every 10% of the weight you lose, your sleep apnea will improve by 30%.
Sleep apnea can be exacerbated by exhaustion and sleep deprivation. One way to mitigate this effect is to sleep on a regular schedule. Try to stick to the same bedtime and wake time every day of the week. This will prevent the sleep apnea from escalating to anything worse like total insomnia.
If you are concerned that you may be suffering from sleep apnea, talk with your doctor immediately. Sleep apnea is a serious condition, so just guessing at a diagnosis could be dangerous. Your doctor can make an accurate diagnosis and develop an effective treatment plan if you share all your symptoms with him.
Nobody likes to be grumpy, but sleep deprivation will make you miserable. Take what steps you can to alleviate the symptoms of your sleep apnea, so that you can achieve a higher quality of sleep and start being a more productive and positive person during the day. You deserve it!
