Treat your sleep apnea symptoms to get an adequate amount of sleep every night. Luckily, there are sleep apnea treatment options out there, one or more of which will get you back to sleep again. Your first step is to read the advice presented here.
Drop some vices to combat sleep apnea. Smoking and drinking can inflame your airways and make them swell. Drinking depresses the respiratory system and can cause severe breathing issues. Smoking damages your lungs over time. Eliminating these habits is going to help alleviate sleep apnea symptoms.
One way to improve your sleep apnea is to shed excess weight that you are carrying. Being overweight or obese places pressure on your neck, which can compress your windpipe as you sleep. Losing just 25 pounds can make a difference in your symptoms, and losing enough weight can eliminate the disorder altogether.
Exercise your neck and throat. Sleep apnea is caused by your throat becoming obstructed as you sleep. By strengthening the muscles in your neck, throat, and jaw, you can help your muscles withstand the pressure. Spend a few minutes every day performing exercises designed for the jaw and neck area.
Clear up your nasal passage before heading to bed. If you suffer from sleep apnea and have problems with a “stuffed up” nose, using a nasal spray or device can help clear your nasal airway. This is not a permanent solution, but one you can use when your apnea symptoms are the worst.
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.
Take the steps to find out if you actually have sleep apnea. Those who snore don’t necessarily have the disorder. If you have a sleeping partner, ask them questions about your actions during sleep. Do you stop breathing and gasp for air? That is a sure sign of sleep apnea.
If you are one of the millions of people who suffer from sleep apnea, you need to avoid caffeine and large meals before you go to bed. Stop eating and drinking any caffeinated beverages at least two hours before you go to bed. Both of these are linked to sleep apnea and should be avoided before bedtime.
Sleep apnea is a serious condition that affects many overweight people. One of the first things that should be addressed by anyone suffering from this condition is to lose some weight. Until your weight is normal, your doctor may find it difficult come to an accurate diagnosis of the cause.
If you have sleep apnea and use a CPAP machine to sleep at night, consider buying a marine battery as a backup power source. When you have sleep apnea, it is important that you use your CPAP any time you sleep. If your power should go out for any reason, you will still be able to use your CPAP at night using the battery hook up.
If simple changes in your lifestyle, such as regular sleep hours and losing weight, have not eliminated your sleep apnea episodes, it is time to consult with a sleep specialist. The specific causes of your sleep apnea can be evaluated, and an individual treatment plan can be designed for you.
At bedtime, elevate your head using pillows. This will allow your airways to remain open as you sleep, and will reduce sleep apnea. Just make sure that your neck and back are comfortable so that you are not causing any pain in these areas while you are trying to help your sleep apnea.
There are different ways that sleep specialists will treat sleep apnea. They may start by treating an underlying medical condition, using oxygen while you are sleeping or utilizing breathing devices that will manage your obstructive sleep apnea. They could prescribe medications that will help with the sleepiness, but will not help with the apnea itself.
If your sleep apnea is caused by misalignment of your jaw, which results in the narrowing of your airway, you may benefit from visiting a doctor. A doctor can look at the alignment and suggest a night mouth guard that will force your airways to stay open while sleeping by holding your jaw in proper alignment.
Try to find ways to really tire yourself out before going to bed. This means expending both your mental and physical energy before putting your head on the pillow. Going for a long walk is a great way to calm yourself down and clear your mind while also getting exercise.
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.
Talk to a doctor. When you have sleep apnea, you must be sure to see a physician. This is because only a doctor can tell you which treatments are right for you. If you wait, you may find yourself in dire straits as well as feeling confused. See a doctor right away so you can treat your condition.
In some more extreme cases of sleep apnea, your doctor may recommend a CPAP machine. This machines function to continually force your airway to remain open while you are asleep. While they can be a hassle, they often times are life savers. If you think this may be necessary, speak with your physician.
Life is hard enough without sleep problems added on to that. Hopefully this article has offered you some very useful advice you can try out as soon as this evening, and you will be able to start getting a really good night’s sleep, once and for all!
