Have you just learned you have sleep apnea? If so, then don’t be afraid. Even though the condition can cause many health problems, living a comfortable life is possible when treated the right way. But, as you will see in this article, it’s crucial that you learn all you can about this condition.
If your sleep apnea is a result of narrow airways, look at options for a mouth guard. Devices like these can align your airways properly to allow you better sleep. Speak with your doctor to learn more, and get yourself fitted for a mouth guard if you think it will help.
Stopping bad habits may help with your sleep apnea. Two of the most common offenders are drinking and smoking. Your respiratory system will not be happy with you if you drink all the time. Cigarettes can hurt your lungs, possibly even causing lung cancer. If you quit these habits you are likely to see an improvement in your sleeping difficulties.
Talk to your doctor about a CPAP device if your sleep apnea is severe. Factors such as the machine’s noise level and its size are important to consider. There are some small machines that make little noises. You can consult with your doctor to see who you should talk to in order to get a good machine.
Sleep Apnea
If you’re having a problem with sleep apnea and are a smoker or a drinker, you may find that quitting can help you immensely. Both of these cause muscles in your airway to relax, which can increase snoring and worsen sleep apnea. Cutting out these habits actually saves you money, unlike other costly alternatives like surgery.
Try cutting out cigarettes and alcohol if you have sleep apnea. Both of these bad habits make the airways relax too much, making sleep apnea worse. Instead of costly surgery or some other medical procedure, losing these bad habits is the best way to save yourself money and address this condition.
It may be possible to reduce the problems you are having with sleep apnea by getting involved with a wind instrument. Researchers around the world have implied that the musical instrument, the didgeridoo, can be used to make airway muscles stronger. These particular muscles impact your airway dilation and control how stiff your airway walls get. This means that practicing regularly with a wind instrument will reduce the severity of sleep apnea symptoms that you experience.
Lose a few pounds if you happen to be overweight and suffer from sleep apnea. Studies have shown sleep apnea and obesity can be related. Losing twenty five pounds is enough for even the most obese of sleep apnea sufferers to experience some relief of their symptoms, and you may well experience positive results with more modest losses.
Test out sleeping on the side. Most people who have sleep apnea realize that they have been sleeping on their back too much. If you sleep on your back, you can cause your throat and mouth tissues to block the airways. It’s easier to breathe when looking to the side. If you tend to lay on your back while sleeping, prop yourself on your side using pillows.
You can wear a chin strap with your CPAP if you have problems with your mouth falling open as you sleep. It’s simply fabric that keeps your chin up and mouth closed. If you have your mouth open CPAP therapy isn’t going to work, so give this device a try to find out if it works.
A diagnosis of sleep apnea usually involves your personal and family medical histories, as well as a comprehensive physical examination. Your general practitioner may order a sleep study. Based upon this, he or she may give you a referral for a sleep specialist. Sleep specialists focus primarily on the diagnosis and treatment of people with sleep disorders.
Do you travel? If so, then your CPAP should be carried along with you. When you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, you should not go even one night without using your CPAP. Most CPAP machines have convenient and durable carrying cases. You can transport your CPAP machine with you away from home.
Avoid sleeping pills if you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea. Sleeping pills can make it so your airways don’t function correctly. Having a bad sleep apnea case could make these pills a dangerous option. It may be tempting to use these pills to sleep better, but it’s not worth the risk.
If what you are doing at home isn’t working well enough to help your sleep apnea, then you should consult with a doctor to explore some additional treatment options. Some people don’t have any luck with conventional treatments, and usually opt for surgeries like a tonsillectomy, adenoid removal or airway enlargement as their last resort.
Many doctors ask patients to keep sleep logs to help diagnose sleep apnea. You would record your total hours of sleep each night, as well as symptoms that occur. Ask your partner for more specific information on how loud your snoring is, the quality of your breathing and even how restful you were. That helps the physician determine whether your symptoms are, in fact, sleep apnea.
Losing weight is an excellent way to alleviate the symptoms of sleep apnea. Symptoms of sleep apnea are completely resolved by many once they drop a few pounds. Simply losing a small amount of weight can open your airways, improving your sleep apnea symptoms.
Get a chin strap to keep your mouth closed when you are sleeping with a CPAP or BIPAP machine. This little piece of fabric holds your chin upright when sleeping so that your mouth remains closed. The CPAP only works if the mouth is closed, so try using the strap.
Be sure to use just one, normal-sized pillow when you sleep. Over-sized pillows may lead to you sleeping in an unhealthy position. Your breathing will become more difficult for you to complete during sleep. So pick out a single pillow you feel comfortable with to sleep on at night.
Try using devices that help with snoring. Both snoring and sleep apnea are caused by narrowed airways. A device that can help with snoring may also work to help with apnea. Your sleep apnea may benefit from the use of a stop snoring device.
Patients who suffer from sleep apnea might want to consider losing weight as a means to relieve the symptoms. For people who are overweight, sleep apnea is much more prevalent especially people with a larger neck circumference. When you lose a few extra pounds you reduce the pressure on your airway and breathing becomes easier.
You can lessen the sleep apnea symptoms you are experiencing. Some things you can’t help, of course. Some other risk factors should be changed, such as drinking too much, smoking or weighing too much.
Although professional medical advice is always warranted in treating sleep apnea, you can try out a few treatments on your own, too. Everyone can benefit from getting thinner or quitting smoking, but this goes double for those suffering from sleep apnea. It is also important to avoid consuming alcohol, caffeine and heavy meals at least two hours prior to going to sleep.
Some useful tongue exercises can help alleviate many sleep apnea symptoms. The process is to simply press the tongue against the roof of the mouth and maintain this for at least three minutes. This will strengthen your throat and tongue muscles and reduce the chances of them relaxing while you sleep and blocking your airways.
If you have sleep apnea, do not sleep laying on your back. A lot of people suffering from apnea have problems with blocked airways because they sleep not on their side, but on their backs. If you are the type of person who rolls over while sleeping, use pillows in order to maintain a side sleeping position.
Avoid alcohol if you have sleep apnea. When you drink alcohol, your throat becomes excessively relaxed. This can cause snoring, airway blockage and sleep apnea. You should either quit drinking, or try and limit it to an occasional drink before going to bed. This way, the alcohol will not disturb your sleep.
Some great tongue exercises can reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea. Repeat vowels out loud over and over for 3 minutes each day. Press your tongue tip to the back of your front teeth, and quickly slide it to the back of your mouth repeatedly for three minutes. Do both once per day. This makes the tongue and throat muscles stronger and prevents them from relaxing and blocking the airway as you sleep.
Playing a wind instrument is helpful. This will be not only fun, but it will also help strengthen your throat muscles. Strong throat muscles are less likely to contribute to the ill-effects of sleep apnea.
You can help lessen the effects of sleep apnea by doing exercises which strengthen the throat muscles. Sleep apnea is a direct result of a collapse of tissue that occurs towards the far throat’s back. As the muscles become stronger, they will be less likely to collapse and block the airways.
If you have to use a CPAP machine, you should not have to hide it from others because you are embarrassed. Let people know that you need it, and do not feel self-conscious about using it in front of your friends or partner. You also have to convince yourself that you need the machine. Your friends will understand if you explain why you use it.
Avoid excessive drinking if you are a sleep apnea sufferer. Drinking alcohol can cause your throat to relax which can make sleep apnea worse. If you are going to drink, have only one a few hours before bed. This way, the alcohol will not disturb your sleep.
IF you have sleep apnea you can do exercises with your throat that may help. This is because when you exercise your throat it become stronger, allowing them to let air through them easier. Try to move your tongue up and down and flex your throat muscles as one type of exercise. Perform this activity once every 24 hours.
If you have sleep apnea, or if you just snore a lot, playing an instrument may be beneficial. According to a study from Germany, not only does this offer mental benefits, but it can also can reduce symptoms of sleep apnea. Learning this skill will assist you in controlling your breathing patterns.
The problem of sleep apnea is made worse when you are chronically tired. Make sure you’re getting adequate sleep. Your behavior can have a huge effect on your sleep disorder. That is going to stop apnea from getting worse, such as having total insomnia.
Untreated sleep apnea is hazardous to your health and quality of life. Luckily, there are several treatments available. Take the information you’ve learned from this article, discuss it with your doctor and then apply it to your life to ensure that you stay fit and healthy.
Regularly exercise the muscles in your throat and jaw. You have to work on your internal muscles and get them strong in order to deal with sleep apnea. Take a look online to learn the many easy and quick exercises that can be done in just a few minutes each day to treat the condition.
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