Whether it is you or a loved one suffering from a sleep issue, know that it may stem from sleep apnea. Never ignore sleep apnea because it can grow worse and harm you even more in the future. Read the following article for more information.
Give up some of your vices to combat the symptoms of sleep apnea. Alcohol and cigarettes are two of the primary culprits. Drinking relaxes your airway to prevent proper breathing. Smoking damages all parts of your airways. Getting rid of these bad habits can help to lessen the frustration that sleep apnea brings.
A major reason why a lot of people deal with the sleep apnea condition is because of the excess weight they’re carrying. If this is the case, a sleep apnea sufferer should try to lose weight. These people should set themselves up with a weight-loss plan that involves exercise and calorie reduction. Many people have success following a low carb diet.
If you are fat, become thinner. It is widely known that being overweight is the cause of sleep apnea for some people. For this reason, losing as little as 25 pounds could resolve your sleep apnea problems even if you would actually need to lose quite a bit more to attain your ideal weight.
Talk to your doctor about a CPAP device if your sleep apnea is severe. You need to be aware of the machine’s size, as well as how loud it is. Certain CPAPs are tinier than bread boxes and are barely heard. Your doctor can help you pick a manufacturer for a good quality machine.
Purchase yourself a mouth guard that is made specifically for your mouth. Guards such as these were designed for someone who suffers with sleep apnea. This is something that works well instead of using a CPAP, and it’s more comfortable. The mouth guard helps by keeping the airway open and providing stability for the soft tissues.
Sleep Apnea
Avoid drinking alcohol very often. Drinking alcohol relaxes the muscles of your throat and airway. Drinking alcohol will make it hard for you to get through the night if you have sleep apnea. Your throat muscles relax too much from alcohol, which means trouble of your body to manage breathing. If eliminating it is not an option, cut back and make sure you do it well before bedtime.
Children can also suffer from sleep apnea. If your child is inattentive, hyperactive, has poor grades, is irritable or hostile, and/or breathes through their mouth instead of their nose, they could be suffering from sleep apnea. This swath of symptoms is not unlike ADHD, but you should have your doctor check out the possibility of sleep apnea to know for sure.
Try to sleep on your side at night. By sleeping on your back, you’ll notice that your throat and nasal passages may become obstructed. Try to fall asleep on one of your sides to see if that improves your sleep apnea this evening.
Try sleeping on your side to prevent sleep apnea from robbing you of a good night’s sleep. Your air passages are more likely to suffer obstruction when you sleep on your back. Give sleeping on your side a try, and see if your symptoms improve.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, make sure to get sinus and allergy problems treated. It’s already hard for you to breathe when you sleep due to your condition. There’s no reason to compound your troubles by suffering through other problems that make it harder to breathe. You can get a much better night’s sleep if your treat your allergies or sinus problems and keep your breathing clearer.
If you have no one with you while you sleep, it would be hard to tell if sleep apnea is your problem. One way to see is to set up a video camera to record yourself as you sleep. Make sure you have audio on your video so you and your doctor can hear the noises you make in your sleep.
Losing weight is an excellent way to alleviate the symptoms of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea symptoms can be reduced or eliminated by taking off those extra pounds. Even a nominal amount of weight loss will go a long way in improving your breathing at night.
You might want to look into anti-snoring devices. Snoring happens when the airways are mostly closed but air can come though, and apnea is when the airways are completely closed. It is understandable that something can help this. You could find yourself reducing your apnea with anti-snoring devices.
You should ask your doctor what you can do about sleep apnea; however, there are areas that you can investigate for yourself. Try losing weight and eating healthier to get rid of your sleep apnea. It’s also a good idea to refrain from eating heavy meals and drinking alcoholic or caffeinated beverages close to bed-time.
Risk Factors
If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, it is imperative that you stop smoking. This irritation causes narrow air passages that make breathing difficult. To give up smoking, try any cessation program. Nicotine replacements are also good choices. The first month is often the hardest for most smokers. The physical cravings should leave your body after four days, and then you should only need to deal with the simple act of finding replacement things to do.
You can reduce the risk factors for sleep apnea. Certain risk factors that are associated with the condition cannot be controlled, such as being a man or having a family history of it. Some other risk factors should be changed, such as drinking too much, smoking or weighing too much.
If you have sleep apnea, you can improve your symptoms by exercising your throat muscles. The labored breathing common in sleep apnea is usually caused when the soft tissues of the throat collapse and obstruct the airway. As your muscles strengthen, their possibility of collapsing and blocking your airways is lowered.
Sleep apnea patients should not sleep on their backs. Most sleep apnea patients spend the night on their backs and that can interfere with the airways. Use cushions or pillows to keep yourself lying on your side at night.
If you are a sleep apnea sufferer, it is best to avoid drinking alcohol. When you drink alcohol, your throat becomes excessively relaxed. This can cause snoring, airway blockage and sleep apnea. Quit drinking, or have only one drink a few hours before bed. Doing so will minimize the chance that alcohol will interfere with your sleep.
Stop smoking cigarettes if you have sleep apnea. Smoking aggravates air passages. To quit smoking, try a smoking cessation program or use nicotine replacement therapy. The first month is pretty tough for most people, but it gets better. The physical cravings should leave your body after four days, and then you should only need to deal with the simple act of finding replacement things to do.
Pick up a wind instrument to play. Not only will you enjoy the music and exercise your mind, but you will also exercise the muscles that help you control your breathing. Strengthening these muscles can help you better control them when sleeping, which can lessen apnea symptoms.
Certain tongue exercises can decrease 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 strengthens the muscles throughout the airway passage and minimizes the likelihood of them interfering with breathing and sleep.
How you sleep can determine the number of episodes you’ll have with your sleep apnea. Try sleeping on your side or your stomach to decrease the condition. Lift your body up by using a foam wedge at the top of the bed. If you have an adjustable bed, raise the head by several inches for the best position.
Play wind instruments. You are going to have a good time with the music, and you get to give your mind a workout. However, you are also working out your throat muscles that regulate breathing. The training of these muscles will give better breath control and reduces the symptoms of sleep apnea.
Many people who have sleep apnea make the mistake of sleeping on their backs. You would be better served by laying on your side during sleep. One way to keep yourself off your back while you sleep is to sew a pocket into the back of your pajamas and tuck something lumpy into it (a tennis ball is ideal). It does so by making it intolerable to sleep on your back.
Cpap Machine
People that have sleep apnea can benefit from learning to play a wind instrument. It is not only soothing, but in a German trial study, it was proven that playing the Didgeridoo or any wind instrument can drastically calm sleep apnea symptoms. Playing a musical instrument strengthens the airways and gives you greater control.
Speak with your doctor about adding a heated humidifier to your routine use of a CPAP machine for treatment of sleep apnea. If the air you breathe is moist, you have a higher chance of sleeping better and continuing your CPAP machine application. Many CPAP machines come with built-in humidifiers now, so see if your doctor can prescribe one of those for you.
Anyone who has sleep apnea should avoid laying on their back during sleep. Lying on your back when you sleep makes it easier for your airways to become blocked. Do what’s necessary to sleep sideways, even if you have to use pillows or other items to force the issue.
Your sleeping position can actually be important when dealing with sleep apnea. That’s why you need to sleep in an optimal position. Try taking a foam wedge and using it to raise the top half of your body. You could also try raising your head up about four inches.
Take the initiative and figure out how to live with sleep apnea. Without proper medical treatment, your symptoms can only worsen. Don’t wait for this problem to get much worse, take control of it now if you believe you are suffering with sleep apnea.
You may find that anxiety about your condition worsens the effects of sleep apnea once you know you suffer from it; in this case bathing before you go to sleep may be helpful. Taking a hot bath can relieve the tension in your muscles. Due to this effect, you can sleep easier and more comfortably without getting interrupted by apnea.
Some situations of sleep apnea are solved with corrective mouth pieces. Sometimes the way a person’s face is shaped may be causing their air passage to be smaller. You can use a mouthpiece in this instance; you will get better airflow this way
Remember that you may not be aware of your sleep apnea. If you experience unexplained sleepiness, exhaustion, or falling asleep while driving, discuss these symptoms with your doctor. You want to consult with a professional that can let you know if you truly have sleep apnea or not.
Avoid medications that may lower your oxygen levels. These medications sometimes cause low blood oxygen levels in even normal patients. If you are already suffering with sleep apnea and use these medications, it can potentially turn into a fatal situation.
Some research studies have pointed to throat excercises reducing the severity of sleep apnea. The goal of these exercises is to prevent the throat from collapsing by strengthening the muscles supporting it. An easy exercise is to firmly press your full tongue against the top of your mouth, then hold for approximately three minutes before releasing. This should be done at least once per day.
Common sleep hygiene interventions, such as keeping a sleep schedule, can help with sleep apnea. Do anything you can to get yourself in a good sleep pattern when you have sleep apnea. Going to sleep at the same time each day makes it easy for your body to sleep. You will be able to fall asleep easier and get more rest.
Whether you yourself suffer from sleep apnea or you have a loved one dealing with the condition, the advice in this article may prove helpful. Remember that ignoring a sleep apnea problem will not make it go away, and can even expose you to further risk. You may wish to print this article out to discuss it with others.
Try to take a nap during the day if sleep apnea has prevented you from getting enough rest in a given night. Good naps can help provide your body with the energy it needs to make it through the day whenever you aren’t getting enough at night. If you ask your boss about this, he may understand.
Blue widgets is a complex topic, which is why you should take the time to research it some more. Thankfully, you came to the right place to help you get started with the learning process. Take this information, and start using it right away.
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