Don’t panic if you’ve been told you suffer from sleep apnea. The disorder is serious, but it is also very manageable and treatable. It is crucial to your ability to get back to better sleeping that you learn about all available sleep apnea treatments, and the following article is a great place to start!
You can fight sleep apnea by giving up certain vices. As with many other health problems, alcohol and tobacco will worsen sleep apnea. Alcohol can put you into a very deep sleep and depress your respiration. Cigarette smoke is full of cancer-causing chemicals which are bad for your lungs. If you quit these habits you are likely to see an improvement in your sleeping difficulties.
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.
If you feel tired every day, you may have sleep apnea. Some of the common signs of sleep apnea include, chronic snoring, pauses in breathing, daytime sleepiness, and choking or gasping during sleep. If your partner notices that you have these symptoms while you are sleeping, you should go to a doctor for an assessment of your condition.
Your doctor may suggest keeping a sleep journal to help pinpoint if you have sleep apnea or not. Keep track of how many hours you’re sleeping the entire night and any symptoms you have. Your partner can often say if you jerk limbs around, stop breathing for a second, or snore loudly. Your doctor can use this information to determine if you actually suffer from sleep apnea.
If you have difficulties sleeping because of your sleep apnea, you should avoid driving or operating dangerous machines. If you do not get a good night of sleep, take public transportation instead of driving to prevent accidents and do not take a job in a factory or on a construction site.
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.
Exercising your tongue can help with your sleep apnea. For instance, press your tongue into the roof of your mouth for at least three minutes. This will make your throat stronger and prevent the muscles from relaxing too much during sleep and causing apnea.
The most important aspect of dealing with sleep apnea is understanding exactly what it is. Unlike simple snoring, it is when a sleeper stop’s breathing for a short period of time while he is sleeping. If your sleep partner tells you that sometimes you stop breathing, there is a good chance you have apnea.
How you position yourself when you lay down for bed can contribute to your issues with sleep apnea. That’s why you need to sleep in an optimal position. A foam wedge allows you to elevate your body. An even better idea is to lift the top part of the bed by about four inches, if you can.
While sedatives and other sleep medications may help you fall asleep they are not so good when suffering from apnea. If possible, avoid taking any sleep aids to see if this improves your apnea problems. You just may find that something you thought was helping you to sleep was actually decreasing the quality of your sleep.
Oftentimes a simple humidifier can help with the dryness and irritation caused by using a CPAP machine when treating your sleep apnea. With the constant airflow, many people suffer from dry skin and irritation from using the CPAP machine. A humidifier or special facial moisturizers can help to ease these symptoms.
There are oral devices that can help in the treatment of some sleep apnea cases. Some individuals have jaws aligned or formed in ways that constrict their air passages. Corrective mouth guards can improve night-time air flow by holding your jaw and throat in the ideal alignment for unimpeded breathing.
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.
Try not to sleep on your back with sleep apnea. The difficulties of sleep apnea are exacerbated by sleeping on your back. The best thing you can do is sleep on the side.
Check with your doctor about any medications that you are taking that may be causing your sleep apnea symptoms. Some prescription medications, such as muscle relaxers, may, in fact, promote the collapse of the soft tissue in the back of the throat which can contribute to the symptoms of sleep apnea.
Invest in a pillow that is made for sleep apnea sufferers. These pillows are designed especially for people who suffer from sleep apnea. They align your head and neck properly to ensure that your airway stays open while you sleep. Although more expensive than regular pillows, they are much less expensive than surgery or CPAP machines, so they are worth a try before you take more drastic measures.
Give your throat and jaw muscles a workout. Dealing with your weaker internal muscles can help you alleviate sleep apnea. You may see results after just a few days of doing exercises.
If you ignore your sleep apnea, it will only get worse. Luckily, there are several different treatments available to you. Use what you learned in this article and consult with a doctor in order to help ensure that you’re staying in the best shape possible.
