Sleep apnea is a lot more common than one might think. Many people have this disorder, whether they know it or not. When it comes to dealing with sleep apnea there are some things that you can do to make living with it less of an inconvenience. Continue reading to learn a few things that can make your life with sleep apnea more enjoyable.
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!
Do throat and tongue exercises daily to reduce your apnea symptoms. The results of recent research suggest that jaw exercise, and tongue exercises can greatly reduce the presence of sleep apnea symptoms. Doing just a few of these exercises every day can help you get a good night of rest.
Stop smoking. Smoking cigarettes is bad for you for many different reasons. Smoking can also cause sleep apnea. It isn’t just bad for your lungs; it can also cause your upper airway to swell. This can make it difficult for you to get the breath that you need at night.
Drink less alcohol and smoke less if you suffer from sleep apnea. Alcoholic beverages cause the upper airway to become overly relaxed, and smoking causes swelling in your airway. So, cutting back or completely giving up both can improve your symptoms or even cure your sleep apnea problem completely.
Seek out something else rather than taking sleeping pills. Sleeping pills are similar to alcohol in that they cause the muscles in your throat to be less tense. They may also have other negative effects as well. Consult your doctor to find a sleep aid that won’t impact your breathing.
If you are not having any luck managing your apnea, you may want to talk to a doctor about more radical treatments. There are people that don’t respond well to traditional sleep apnea treatments, and sometimes they have to have surgery. This surgery may involve removing the adenoids, enlarging the airway or removing the tonsils.
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.
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.
Stick to using just one normal sized pillow as you sleep. Using more than one pillow, or one that is too large, can make you sleep in an odd position. Pillows that lift your head can cramp the airways that you need to be open to be able to breathe properly as you sleep. One standard pillow is all you need to avoid having this happen.
Although there are many things, you can do yourself regarding sleep apnea, don’t forget the help of the medical community. When dealing with a problem as serious as sleep apnea, you need to seek the help of a doctor as well as a sleep clinic in order to avoid any serious medical problems.
Consider an alternative sleep apnea flower remedy therapy (also known as essence therapy). Vervain is used in this treatment for its calming and relaxing effects. This can help treat your symptoms, including insomnia problems associated with your apnea. As an added bonus, it also helps reduce overall stress and lower high blood pressure.
Relieve you sleep apnea symptoms by keeping your nasal passages clear. A good nasal spray can keep you breathing freely and lessen the occurrences of sleep apnea. Using a neti pot to clear sinuses before bedtime can keep you breathing freely all night long. Both nasal spray and neti pots are available at any drug store.
Getting fitted for a mouth guard may help reduce your sleep apnea if you have an overbite, a small size jaw or a recessed chin. The position of your jawbone can actually block your airways when you have these problems. Using a mouth guard will help correct this issue, and can reduce the symptoms that you are struggling with.
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.
If you suffer from sleep apnea now might be the time to see the doctor. There are a multitude of prescription medications available that can help you rest more fully throughout the night. amongst these medications are Lunesta, Ambien, and Rozerem, to name a few. Each of these will help you get a full 8 hours of restful sleep.
If you are trying to sleep on your side to avoid problems with sleep apnea, one way to do ensure you stay on your side is to put hard round object in your clothes. This will help you to stay on your side throughout an entire night’s sleep and avoid apnea.
Smoking is another thing which makes the problem of sleep apnea worse. It actually irritates the nasal passages and makes them swell. This in turn causes the airways to be partially blocked, making breathing on auto pilot while you are asleep more difficult. Cutting smoking out entirely is ideal, but even reducing the amount you smoke may help.
As you can see, there are options when it comes to dealing with sleep apnea. This condition can have a negative impact on your life, but there are some things you can do yo make living with it a little easier. Use what you learned here and sleep better with sleep apnea.
