Do you often wake up after 8 hours of sleep feeling drowsy? If this has happened to you several times then you may be suffering from something known as sleep apnea without knowing it! If this is true for you then the best thing to do is read this article for information.
Don’t drink a lot of alcohol. Your muscles are relaxed by drinking alcohol. That may be something people like when they drink, but it also can cause sleep apnea. Your throat muscles are relaxed by alcohol, making it harder to breathe at night. If you can’t give up drinking completely, at least make an effort to moderate your intake and avoid having alcohol in the hours leading up to your bedtime.
Even children can suffer from sleep apnea. If your child exhibits any of the symptoms associated with sleep deprivation, such as chronic irritability, hostility and a drop in their grades, you might be looking at a case of sleep apnea. Sometimes parents mistakenly think these symptoms have to do with something like ADHD, and it is best that you talk to your child’s doctor to find the true culprit.
Exercise your throat. Make faces. Stick out your tongue. Rotate your jaw. It might feel a bit silly, but it can actually help people who suffer from sleep apnea. Doing these things exercises the muscles your body needs to moderate its breathing. Studies have shown that doing these exercises a few times a day can make a huge difference.
Going to sleep on your side may be beneficial. Many people who have sleep apnea also sleep looking straight up. When you sleep on your back, you are warping the shape of your airways. Sleep on your side to keep your airways straight. If you think you might roll over anyway, try a wedge pillow.
Sleeping pills are bad to take for people with sleep apnea. These will make your throat muscles too soft, and your air passages will not work right. These pills can lead to a very dangerous situation if your case is bad, especially when tempted to try and get a good night’s sleep.
If you have sleep apnea and were just prescribed a CPAP, keep trying different masks until you find the one that fits you just right. Some masks may not be the right size or shape for your face. If your CPAP mask is leaking air into your eyes all night or rubbing the skin on your forehead raw, ask your sleep center to prescribe a different mask for you.
If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, it is essential that you stop smoking immediately. People who smoke are 3 times more likely to suffer from sleep apnea than non smokers or those who have quit smoking. There are many wonderful programs that can help you kick the habit.
You will find it easier to go to sleep and remain asleep if you follow a schedule. Go to bed at the same time, follow a bedtime routine if it helps you relax and get at least eight hours of sleep every night. Create the ideal environment for you to sleep in.
If you have tried all the self-help ideas and treatments and made changes in your lifestyle, and you still have not had success in helping your sleep apnea, you should consult with a sleep doctor. These doctors can evaluate your condition and work with you to find a treatment that is effective.
Remember that you must bring your CPAP machine with you on long air flights, and the airline must know about this in advance. Most airlines will be willing to make arrangements to have you seated where you will have enough room to use your machine. You’ll need a power adapter on any foreign flights you take.
Many people find that throat and tongue exercises are highly beneficial for sleep apnea treatment. Throat exercises build up the muscles around the airway, and can make them less likely to collapse. Try to move your tongue up and down and flex your throat muscles as one type of exercise. This exercise can be done 1-2 times per day, every day.
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.
Since sleep apnea is actually a throat problem and not a nose problem, strengthening the muscles in the throat can be a great way to reduce apnea issues. Specific exercises and the regular use of your throat muscles may strengthen them and help relieve the symptoms of sleep apnea.
Learn to control anxiety, to lessen the severity of sleep apnea symptoms. Just facing a restless night of sleep can create enough anxiety to keep you up! Learn effective anxiety-control methods that will enable you to clear your mind of problems, including the possibility of experiencing sleep apnea, so that you increase the chances of actually getting to sleep.
Use a CPAP machine. You may not like the idea of sleeping in a machine, but many people who use a CPAP have found relief of their sleep apnea symptoms in a very short time. Such a machine may be uncomfortable at first, but if you stick with it, you will find a great deal of relief.
Put your bed on an angle. By slightly raising the head of your bed, you will keep your head higher than the rest of your body while you sleep and improve your sleep apnea symptoms. This can easily be done by placing bricks under the legs of the head of your bed. Ideally you’d like to raise the height no more than six inches.
Now that you know about sleep apnea you can analyze your situation to see if that is what is happening to you. By following these useful tips you can turn a horrible night’s sleep into a great, peaceful rest. Remember to enlist the help of loved ones when you are dealing with this issue.
