Home Sleep Hints For Coping With Your Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Sleep

Hints For Coping With Your Obstructive Sleep Apnea

A lot of individuals mistakenly think that waking each morning exhausted is unavoidable. In reality, many could be suffering from sleep apnea without their realizing it. This article will provide you with useful information about the sleep apnea disorder.

If your narrow airways are causing sleep apnea, get a mouth guard designed for sleeping. These guards look similar to what athletes use, but are specifically made to change the position of the tongue, jaw and palate while you sleep and keep your airway open. Ask your doctor about sleep mouth guards, and get fitted for one if you believe this could be the right solution for you.

Avoid contact with cigarette smoke and consumption of alcohol if you have been diagnosed with 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. Smoking introduces known carcinogens into your lungs and damages them over time. If you can give up these bad habits, you’ll see a significant reduction in your sleep apnea symptoms.

Have a mouth guard fitted for your needs. Sleep apnea patients can have mouth guards that are custom made specifically to treat their condition. This is a good alternative to using the CPAP machine. It keeps your air passageways wide open and clear by stabilizing your throat and holding it in the proper position.

Sleep Apnea

Don’t underestimate the potential health consequences of sleep apnea. If you see any signs, go get yourself an opinion right away. With an official diagnosis, you will have to see a sleep specialist and possibly a home based sleep test with a portable monitor to fully assess the condition.

Lose some weight if you’re heavy. Obesity has clearly been linked with sleep apnea in multiple studies. Losing a little weight can have a big affect on your sleep apnea. Try a calorie restriction diet and exercise.

Sleep on your side in order to get some better sleep. When lying on your back, your throat and nasal passages can obstruct your airways. If you have trouble staying off your back, sew a tennis ball into the back of your pajamas to help you stay on your side. You may see a big difference in the quality of your sleep.

Sleep apnea can benefit from a good diet that results in your losing weight. A lot of sleep apnea sufferers are shocked by the role that a bad diet has in their affliction. People who eat unhealthily tend to have sleep apnea more often than those who eat healthier.

If you need to stay at a hospital for any reason, remember to pack your CPAP machine. Be it an intended or emergency room stay, you must always have access to your CPAP and the mask when you suffer from sleep apnea. It will be a lot easier and more comfortable if you bring yours instead of using one at the hospital. This will simplify your CPAP therapy during your stay at the hospital.

Avoid alcohol before bed as much as possible. Alcohol will relax all of your muscles. Although some people do enjoy this, it can contribute to sleep apnea. Like the rest of your muscles, those around your throat and airway relax under the influence of alcohol, making it harder for you to maintain a proper air passage. 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.

Lessen your chances of getting sleep apnea. Some sleep apnea risk factors (like genetic predisposition or being a man) are impossible to escape. There are many other factors, though, that can be minimized or eliminated through lifestyle changes, such as excessive weight, alcohol use, or smoking.

Sleep apnea is usually diagnosed after a thorough medical examination. You might also undergo a sleep study. Dependent upon what your personal physician discovers, they might give you a referral to see a sleep specialist.

Weight loss can be a big help for those that suffer from sleep apnea. People who are overweight usually suffer from sleep apnea more. If you shed some pounds you will see that your airways will not be as constricted.

Try to keep a sleep schedule if sleep apnea is an issue in your life. Random sleep times affects your sleep as it is and this is compounded when you have sleep apnea. Whatever you are able to do to keep a regular sleep pattern will help you to be in better health and less exhausted during the day. The most important adjustment to make is to go to bed and get up at the same time every day.

If you have sleep apnea, do not sleep laying on your back. Most people with sleep apnea habitually sleep through the night on their backs. This causes the throat muscles to collapse, blocking the airway. Use a wedge pillow to stay propped up on your side.

If you suffer from sleep apnea and require a CPAP machine, make sure you have a medical ID bracelet. If you ever need medical attention in an emergency, it is critical that healthcare providers know that you have this condition and use that machine. Your ID needs to mention your sleep apnea, your CPAP use and your CPAP pressure settings.

You must get treatment if you have sleep apnea. It will not resolve itself. Each patient is different and what works for one person may not work for another. Although losing weight is known to reduce sleep apnea symptoms, people who are thin suffer also. Millions of sleep apnea sufferers find relief from non-surgical options like CPAP machines. Some people with severe sleep apnea will have surgery to get rid of the tissue that blocks the airway. It doesn’t matter which treatment you get, as long as it is effective for you and helps you find the quality of life you are missing.

Try nasal spray if you notice your nose is irritating you. This will dry out the passages and help clear them out temporarily. Don’t use the product over a long period of time, though; that could cause damage to your nose. Try other ways of opening this passage.

Learn to play a wind instrument. This will not only be fun and relaxing, it will also help you excercise the muscles responsible for your breathing control. Making these muscles stronger reduces sleep apnea symptoms.

Tongue exercising may help resolve certain sleep apnea symptoms. If you press your tongue up and hold it there for a short period of time, it will help. This makes the tongue and throat muscles stronger and prevents them from relaxing and blocking the airway as you sleep.

If you find that your CPAP machine is too drying, your physician can prescribe a humidifier for your mask. When your sleeping in conditions of warm and moist air, you will most likely adhere to the CPAP therapy. Many CPAP manufacturers are providing machines with integrated humidifiers, so check with your doctor to see if that is a good option for you.

Throat Muscles

Sometimes you might just need to do a few simple things to help with your sleep apnea. Set yourself a regular bedtime and stick to it. Ensure that your room is set up for comfortable resting, also. Unless you follow your rules, you may lead yourself to more severe apnea attacks or even insomnia.

Play wind instruments. Playing a wind instrument exercises your throat muscles to make breathing easier and gives you the pleasure of beautiful music at the same time. Strong throat muscles are less likely to contribute to the ill-effects of sleep apnea.

Be conscious of the fact that you may not even be aware of sleep apnea when you are in fact asleep. If you feel exhausted or extremely sleepy during the day or find yourself falling asleep behind the wheel, talk to a doctor immediately. Even if you don’t find yourself bolting breathlessly awake at night, you may have sleep apnea.

Remember that you must bring your CPAP machine with you on long air flights, and the airline must know about this in advance. As long as you let them know ahead of time, many airlines will make an effort to seat you in an area where you can use your machine. Remind them that you will need to plug your machine in, or you can use a machine that uses batteries as a backup measure.

If you suffer from sleep apnea, don’t sleep on your back. Sleeping on your back can restrict your airways, making symptoms worsen. Try sleeping on your side instead.

If you have sleep apnea you should never sleep on the back. Falling asleep on your back can create airway restrictions that prevent sound sleep. Try side sleeping. If it does not seem natural to you, prop yourself using pillows.

Chronic fatigue can complicate sleep apnea symptoms and make the disorder even worse. Be sure to get on a sleep schedule to combat this. Set a time to go to bed and get up and be sure to stick to them. That is going to stop apnea from getting worse, such as having total insomnia.

If sleep apnea is something that you are afflicted with, you might want to try the throat exercises known to improve the condition. This is because when you exercise your throat it become stronger, allowing them to let air through them easier. One example is pressing your tongue onto the roof of the mouth and holding onto it for about three minutes before releasing. You should practice this exercise once daily.

It is important to get a diagnosis of sleep apnea from your doctor so that you can get appropriate treatment. There are many complications that come from sleep apnea, and sound sleep is too essential to your health and life to be making blind guesses. Give your doctor a list of your symptoms. This will help determine what is causing the problem and the appropriate treatment.

If you believe you’ve got sleep apnea, try seeing your doctor and getting a sleep test. This test will determine if you have sleep apnea and how severe your condition is. The next step is to find a treatment for your problem, even if you have a very mild case of sleep apnea.

Pick up any type of wind instrument and learn to play it. It doesn’t matter which instrument you choose; playing the oboe, clarinet, or flute will have help you breathe more easily at night. By practicing the breath control necessary to play a wind instrument, you tone and strengthen your throat muscles and thus improve your sleep apnea symptoms. Soon, you will notice an improvement in your sleep apnea symptoms.

If you, a friend, or a family member has experienced poor sleep and excessive tiredness for a long period of time, it’s time to consult a doctor. Don’t continue to suffer with this condition. Use the information you learned here to treat your sleep apnea, or to speak with someone else that has it.

Surgery may be necessary for sleep apnea created through excess airway tissue. A procedure known as UPPP can remove the tissue, enlarging your airway. Keep in mind that this procedure often involves a tonsillectomy as well.

Most people are interested in learning about natural latex pillow
Hospital mattress protector,zippered mattress encasement, however, they are not always aware of how to do so on their own. This material will give you some great info about natural latex pillow
Hospital mattress protector,zippered mattress encasement. Take this information, and start using it right away.

About The Author

Written by
Kathy Berry

Kathy Berry is professional surveillance camera experts, understand more than 1,000 surveillance cameras, and have a wealth of surveillance camera related knowledge

Related Articles

Sleep

Tips That Will Help Sleep Apnea Sufferers

Constantly talking about dealing with sleep apnea is not going to put...

Sleep

Ideas To Help You Overcome Sleep Apnea

When you woke up today were you feeling very tired, even when...

Sleep

The Basics Of Fighting Sleep Apnea Easily

People who have had sleep apnea a while desperately want to eliminate...

Sleep

Great Tips And Tricks To Stop Snoring

A good night’s sleep is a dream you can achieve, but you...