Living with sleep apnea can be tiring, miserable and terrifying. It can ruin your days and possibly end your life. When you live with this condition, you want to do anything you can to lessen the danger. Use the helpful advice contained in the following article to help you treat your sleep apnea.
If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and prescribed a CPAP, work hard to get in the habit of using it every time you sleep. While it can be a struggle to get used to sleeping with a mask on your face, your health and your life depend on it. Work with your sleep center to get everything adjusted just right so that you can use CPAP therapy with a minimal amount of discomfort.
It is important to use your CPAP machine if instructed to by your doctor. You should use it for the full night, but if you cannot, try to get at least 4 hours with the machine. Although it can be difficult to become accustomed to wearing a CPAP, it is an important tool in improving sleep apnea. If this is the case with you, try a different mask. That is often the source of the discomfort. Try two hours at first if you must. The next week you should increase that amount to 4 hours. In the end, you should never use it less than 4 hours per night on a permanent basis.
Sleep Apnea patients using a CPAP machine may find that a humidifier is their best friend. The continuous passage of air from the machine can dry out sensitive nasal membranes, creating discomfort. A room humidifier, placed near the machine, often provides the humidification needed for comfortable sleep. If that isn’t sufficient, machines with integrated humidification chambers are available and allow the patient to customize the amount of moisture they receive.
If you are taking a great deal of medicines on a regular basis, sit with your doctor and discuss how they can be reduced. Side effects from prescription medication can be making your sleep apnea worse. Keep a dialog open with your doctor and make sure he is up to date on all your symptoms.
For the sleep apnea patient using CPAP treatment, the wide range of options in machines and masks can seem overwhelming. The key to selecting the best equipment for your needs is to test out the various models yourself. Your Durable Medical Equipment (DME) provider should have a variety of masks and accessories available for you to try out. Don’t settle for the “standard” company mask. Insist on viewing several and being fitted properly. Comfort and good fit are key to successfully adjusting to CPAP treatment.
If you have tried a number of less drastic sleep apnea treatment options, you might want to consider discussing surgical treatment options for the condition with your primary care physician. Sleep apnea treatment surgery often involves increasing the diameter of your airway in an effort to reduce the number of apnea episodes that you experience.
People who use alcohol, sedatives, and sleeping pills are far more likely to suffer from sleep apnea. This is because these drugs will relax the throat and cause their breathing to be impaired. Using these drugs before bedtime is more likely to cause sleep apnea than using these drugs during the day.
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.
Your physician is the only one who can really diagnose sleep apnea in you for sure, but there are things you can do on your own to manage and combat the condition once you know. Losing weight and stopping smoking are always good, but are especially so for those who suffer from sleep apnea. You will definitely want to stay away from alcohol and caffeine, along with late night heavy meals before going to bed.
If you have sleep apnea, and you have to have a sleep study, considering taking your pillow from home with you. It can be very difficult to sleep in the sleep lab. You are in an unfamiliar place in a strange bed. You have lots of wires, and electrodes attached to you. Having your own pillow can help to relax you and make it easier to fall asleep.
If you have sleep apnea and use a CPAP machine at night, consider using saline nasal spray. The continuous airflow being pushed through your nose every time you sleep can cause your sinuses to dry out. Keep them hydrated by using two pumps of saline nasal spray in each nostril morning and night.
The way you sleep can play a big role in the amount of sleep apnea episodes you suffer from. Therefore, you need to be careful about the way you sleep. Try using foam wedges to prop up your body. Or, if possible, elevate the top part of the bed around four inches.
Contact the airline you will be flying on if you are flying overseas and will need to sleep on the airplane. The airline company is very accommodating and will designate an area for you and your machine. If you are using a foreign airline, pack a power adapter that will fit their outlets.
While it is common sense to avoid caffeine before sleeping, this is especially true for people who have problems with snoring or apnea. This is a simple thing to cut out, just remember that this includes soft drinks, coffee and even some types of coffee flavored foods. This will also help you sleep faster.
As stated in the introduction above, sleep apnea can cause a lot of hardship in your life, especially when left untreated. But, luckily there are many things you can do to reduce the occurrence of this condition. Use the advice above to get your sleep apnea under control and sleep easier.
