It is impossible to overstate the potentially negative impact sleep apnea can have on your life. In order to properly manage this condition and reclaim a normal sleep cycle, it is necessary to spend some time gaining knowledge of the topic. By digesting the information that follows, it is possible to do just that.
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.
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.
Anyone who suffers from sleep apnea should avoid using sleeping pills. It can be tempting to try to use them to help you sleep better, but these pills can relax your throat muscles and make your sleep apnea worse. They also have a number of other side effects that can be unpleasant.
The first thing to do when you think you are dealing with sleep apnea is to discover if it is really apnea or just advanced snoring. If you have a loved one sleeping with you, this can be done alone at home, but if not you may need to visit a sleep clinic.
It’s important to lose weight if you suffer from sleep apnea and you are overweight. The heavier you are, the harder it is for air to get down your throat. In fact, some studies suggest that obese people who suffer from sleep apnea can get rid of the condition by losing weight.
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.
Getting a sufficient amount of sleep every night (about 7 to 8 hours) helps to decrease sleep apnea episodes. It has been proven that sleep apnea is less likely to occur when the body is well rested and relaxed. Try to have a specific sleep schedule and stick to it each night.
Having sleep apnea puts you at risk for developing diabetes. When you go into sleep apnea, the body is deprived of oxygen and must produce more adrenalin to compensate, which causes sugar levels to rise. If you already have diabetes, check your sugar levels at night. If you do not have diabetes, make sure you adopt a healthy diet to prevent this condition from developing.
Clear your nasal passages before you go to sleep to avoid apnea. Open them up by using some saline spray, nasal dilator or a neti pot. Clearing the nasal passages will allow you to breathe easier while you are sleeping. Do not forget to use distilled water when you use a neti pot.
Alcohol has also been shown to negatively exacerbate the symptoms of sleep apnea. As a depressant it relaxes your throat muscles, making it easier for your airway to become blocked. By not drinking in the hours leading up to bedtime you give yourself a better chance of keeping your airways open.
If you do not have a partner who can relay how your breathing is during the night, try recording yourself. Set up a camcorder and play it back in the morning. Then you can see if you stop breathing for long periods of time or snore excessively. Make sure you have enough light for the camera. Modern cameras will record well in low light, but you do need some.
A newer, yet popular sleep apnea treatment is flower therapy. This is where a person sniffs flowers to help open up the airways to sleep better. Usually, it’s recommended that you try this treatment about 30 minutes prior to bed. Vervain is the most common flower used in this kind of treatment.
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.
If you have sleep apnea and use a CPAP machine, be sure your spouse or other loved one knows all the details of your condition and treatment. There may come a time when you are in need of medical treatment and cannot speak for yourself. Your mate can let the medical team know about your sleep disorder, your doctor’s name, and what the pressure setting is on your CPAP machine.
Sleep studies are valuable for figuring out whether you suffer from sleep apnea and what’s triggering it. When you do a sleep study, doctors monitor you while you’re asleep to see how you’re breathing and what stages of sleep seem to trigger sleep problems. This makes it easier to prescribe appropriate treatment.
Avoid opiods and narcotics. These medications and drugs can cause a major problem for you if you have apnea. These drugs make your muscles relax, and in turn make your throat and tongue muscles relax. That can restrict your airway even more and make it difficult for you to breathe and sleep.
Sleep apnea has long been wreaking havoc on the lives of millions of afflicted individuals. The right way to get a handle on the situation is to research the subject as much as possible. Utilize the advice in the piece above, and you will be off to a very effective start.
