If your sleep quality is in jeopardy due to sleep apnea, be aggressive about solving the problem. It’s difficult (not to mention unhealthy!) to struggle through life without getting proper, natural sleep. The article below discusses some of the things you can do to get your apnea in check.
Try losing some weight. Getting into shape has many benefits. If you are on the heavier side and suffering from sleep apnea, you may find that slimming down helps with that as well. Studies have found that overweight and obese individuals are more likely to find relief from sleep apnea by getting themselves to a healthier weight.
It may sound silly, but taking up a music instrument may improve your sleep apnea. When subjects in Germany were taught to play the didgeridoo, their sleep apnea symptoms were reduced. The researchers believe that practicing the instrument improved the tone of the muscles in the upper airway, which are responsible for airway dilation.
Try losing a few pounds, if you suffer from chronic sleep apnea. Controlled studies have proven that people with this sleep disturbance benefit greatly after losing 20 or more pounds. Symptoms may even diminish completely, so you now have yet another reason to get your weight down to a healthier number!
Some people have problems using the CPAP machine to deal with their sleep apnea. The best advice is to stick with it. It is not a cure, but it does treat your sleep apnea. If you stop using it, you still have sleep apnea, so you need to keep using the machine regularly.
Use a fitted sleep apnea mouth guard. The design is made to relieve the symptoms of sleep apnea sufferers. 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. These mouth guards help you by making sure your airways remain open by giving your soft tissues a stabilizing hand.
Try yourself to sleep on your side. If you fall asleep on your back, gravity can make it easier for your tongue and/or tonsils to fall back into your throat and obstruct your windpipe, causing apnea episodes. While it may be hard a first, as time passes, however, it will start to become second nature to sleep on your side.
If you do not have a partner to let you know how you sleep at night, it can be difficult to assess if you have sleep apnea. One way to check out your sleeping habits is to train a video camera on yourself. Remember to make a video with sound so your doctor can hear you snore!
Try out a regular sleep schedule to help you through your sleep apnea. Having this condition already is a problem for your nightly sleep cycle. If you can get on a better scheducle you will help your symptoms. For most people, the most important thing is to get up and sleep at the exact same time each day.
Make a sleep schedule and keep to it. By sleeping at regular intervals and times, your body gets used to a pattern and takes advantage of it. If you are not getting quality sleep on a regular basis, your sleep apnea may worsen. Make sure to go to bed at a similar time every day and try to sleep a fixed amount of hours.
Maintaining a regular sleep schedule can help anyone dealing with sleep apnea. Once you can get on a schedule and stick to it, you will notice that your symptoms will decrease as your body gets more sleep. Make a routine that works for your lifestyle, and do your best to stick to it.
Even though you want to sleep better, do not take sleeping medication if you suffer from, or have a history of sleep apnea. What you may think will help will only make the condition worse by relaxing your muscles even more when you sleep. If you suffer from insomnia along with sleep apnea, speak with your doctor.
If you are suffering from sleep apnea, sleeping pills are definitely not your answer. Sleeping pills give you similar negative symptoms as alcohol would. These pills relax your airways too much and will worsen your symptoms. Not only will your symptoms worsen; you may experience other side effects as well. Lay off of sleeping pills for a good night’s rest.
Playing a wind instrument can help you strengthen your throat muscles. Take up the flute or clarinet or any wind instrument to help your apnea. Playing such an instrument will strengthen your airways and help you control your breathing. Over time, continual practice of woodwinds will start alleviating your sleep apnea since your throat and mouth muscles are growing in strength and motor control.
Communicate with your significant other who may be sharing the bed with you. Sleep apnea is a serious condition that has many health risks. It’s important that you, as a family, are aware of those risks, how to combat it and tell-tale signs of side effects that can be harmful.
Consider looking into an alternative therapy to help your sleep apnea symptoms. Some sleep apnea sufferers have found that flower therapy have helped relieve some of the associated symptoms. It has been proven that Vervain is very effective in this flower therapy as it has a calming and relaxing effect on people.
Surgery may be your answer. If you have tried the at-home treatments with no success, surgery may be required to cure your sleep apnea. If your apnea is caused by severe misalignment of your jaw, you may require surgery to correct your alignment, thus enlarging your airway and curing the sleep apnea.
Sleep is one of the most important functions of the human body. Use whatever measures are necessary to make sure you sleep well. Remember what you have read in this article when you next go lay down for the night, and you might just have discovered the secrets to managing your symptoms.
