Are you troubled by feeling tired when you wake up, even after you’ve slept for a full night? If you have already examined other options, then it is possible you suffer from sleep apnea. If this is the case, the following article can give you some great advice for dealing with this condition.
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.
Did you know that sleep apnea is more than just snoring? Your breathing may actually stop, or it may become very shallow, and this could happen upwards of a hundred times or more each night. If you feel you may be suffering from this affliction, you should see a doctor and be properly diagnosed and discuss a treatment that works best for you.
To keep your sleep apnea in check, eat a healthy diet to lose weight. Normally people are quite surprised to learn that unhealthy eating is a major source of their sleep apnea. Good nutrition can help many medical conditions, including sleep apnea.
Understand the effects that smoking and drinking alcohol have on sleep apnea, if you are trying to get a grip on your quality of sleep. Smoking enlarges airways, while alcohol can relax them too much, both of which will contribute to the symptoms of sleep apnea severely. Consider making the necessary cut-backs that will cut down on your sleep problems.
Even children can suffer from sleep apnea. If he or she is cranky, active, inattentive and tends to breathe through their nose, they may have sleep apnea. These symptoms are much like ADHD so you should make sure you get the right diagnosis.
Sleep apnea sufferers should always invest in a heated humidifier equipped with a bacterial filtering mechanism for use in the room where they sleep. By utilizing this type of machine, it is possible to guard against the fragile membranes that line the lungs and nasal passages, preventing exacerbation of existing 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.
Take your CPAP device with you when you are going to the hospital. If you are scheduled for hospitalization or if you go to emergency, you should make available your CPAP machine and mask. It will already be at your personal settings and pressure, and be the mask you know you can sleep in. Staying in a hospital is tough enough, and you might as well bring your own machine along to help ease the visit as much as you can.
If you have sleep apnea, stop smoking. Smoking swells up your upper airways, which can worsen your sleep apnea symptoms. You can use nicotine patches or replacement therapy to quit. The first month is the hardest part. Following that time, the nicotine will start leaving your body, and you’ll have decreased cravings.
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.
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.
Prior to going to bed, it is important to open up your nasal passages. This is so that you get enough air flow. To open up the nasal passages, you may want to use saline spray, a nasal dilator, a neti pot, breathing strips or whatever your doctor may have recommended.
Learn to recognize sleep apnea. If you snore a lot or choke and can’t breathe during the night, this is probably a sign of sleep apnea. Use a tape recorded if you sleep alone and listen to the tape to find out how much noise you make during the night.
Many people who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea sleep on their backs. If this describes your case, it may be time to change your sleeping position. There have been studies and reports that show how side sleeping will alleviate many symptoms of sleep apnea and improve the quality of sleep.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, try chewing on both sides of your mouth! It may sound odd, but if you think about it, chewing works all of your jaw muscles, so balanced strength and functionality may lessen the airway problems associated with sleep apnea. You might also try specific exercises that work all muscles in the jaw and throat.
For sleep apnea patients who are using CPAP therapy, cleaning your equipment is essential to avoiding bacteria buildup that can lead to sinus infections. Simply washing your mask every couple days in a soapy solution of mild dishwashing liquid (i.e. Ivory Clear) is enough to wash away any harmful residue. Alternatively, you can obtain treated wipes from your DME provider or online that can be used to wipe down your mask each morning after use. Disinfecting in a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water is recommended weekly.
You should feel better about being able to treat your apnea after reading this article. You should be prepared to deal with your next night’s sleep by following these tips. Keep in mind that this is a long process. Immediate results are not likely. Be persistent and you will eventually see the improvements.
