Sleep apnea is a big deal. Many people blow off talk of sleep apnea without realizing that it is a disorder that is potentially dangerous for anyone. Read this article so that you can learn what you need to know that will help you and everyone you know about sleep apnea.
Consider sleeping sitting up if you have sleep apnea, and you do not have a CPAP available. Perhaps you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, but you have not had your CPAP prescribed yet. Maybe the power went out, and your CPAP will not work without electricity. Whenever you have to sleep without the benefit of CPAP therapy, sleeping sitting up will help to keep your airway from collapsing.
People who do not have a partner sleeping with them may not know they suffer from sleep apnea. If you wake up with a dry or sore mouth, wake up out of breath, have morning headaches, insomnia, and/or go to the bathroom frequently during the night, you may have sleep apnea and should talk to a doctor.
Make sure to provide relief for your allergies. Congestion can make it harder to breathe through your nose and force you to take in air through your mouth. Allergies can cause soft tissues to swell and make apnea much more severe. Research the medicines you use to treat your symptoms and be wary of adding side effects to the mix.
Get a mouth guard made especially for sleep. If you have a recessed chin, overbite or a small jaw, they way your jaw sits while you sleep may be causing the breathing problems while you sleep by narrowing your airways. A mouth guard can correct this and help you sleep better.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, make sure to get sinus and allergy problems treated. Your condition already causes you to have trouble breathing while you sleep. The last thing you need is something else interfering with your airways while sleeping. You need to keep your airways open, and remedying the slightest nasal condition will help you sleep better throughout the night.
Drink one cup of caffeinated coffee a few hours before you go to sleep. It may seem silly to drink a caffeine drink at night, but this can actually help keep your throat open while you sleep. You may have to play around with what time you drink the coffee to avoid restlessness.
Sleeping at a high altitude can worsen your sleep apnea because of the lower levels of oxygen. If you are going to a place located higher than what you are used to, take a CPAP machine with you. The best thing to do would be to completely avoid high altitude.
If you shed some weight it will likely help with apnea. People who are overweight usually suffer from sleep apnea more. Losing the excess weight can greatly lower the pressure it puts on your airways and helps to get air flowing freely so you can breathe much better at night.
Keep your throat and head elevated while you sleep. If you suffer from sleep apnea, your airways are getting blocked while you sleep. So, keeping your throat and head in an elevated position helps keep your airways open. This can translate into a better night of sleep with reduced sleep apnea symptoms.
A great way to know if you are experiencing severe apnea is to keep a sleep journal. Write down all the times that you wake up in the night and also record how you feel in the morning. This will help you to have a record to see your progress.
For those individuals that suffer from sleep apnea, sometimes the position that you sleep in can make a difference. Try sleeping on your side. Many times when people sleep on their backs, their tongues can block the airways making it harder to breath, and causing sleep apnea symptoms to appear.
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.
Sleep apnea is an issue of the throat, not your nose. So, if you can strengthen your throat muscles, you can actually reduce your problems. There are many exercises that can strengthen throat muscles.
Go to a doctor to get your potential sleep apnea checked out. There is no room for guessing when it comes to getting a restful night’s sleep. Inform your physician of all that is happening. Help them find the specific issue and treat it quickly.
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.
Invite your significant other to come with you to your next doctor’s appointment. Not only will this educate your partner on sleep apnea, he or she can also inform your doctor about your condition through reporting on first hand experiences. Your partner can, better than you, describe the patterns that are occurring while you are sleeping.
Make sure your doctor knows about other conditions you have and all the medications you take. Some medications you may take for other conditions can be causing your apnea or making it worse. Your doctor may be able to make adjustments in your medications that can relieve your sleep apnea.
Knowing what sleep apnea is helps to arm you with power. You should now be well equipped to talk about it with more authority thanks to the information given here. If you think someone you know has sleep apnea, speak up. You can be the one that keeps others happy, healthy and alive for many more years.
