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What To Do When Sleep Apnea Takes Your Breath Away

People with sleep apnea are always eager to address it effectively. What it comes down to is what you know about how to get rid of sleep apnea symptoms. For those wishing to learn more, the following article should prove helpful.

Stopping bad habits may help with your sleep apnea. Drinking and smoking are the biggest offenders. Drinking can overly relax your respiratory system and may cause breathing problems. Smoking damages the lungs. Doing away with both of these bad habits will help do away with your sleep apnea symptoms.

If your sleep apnea is the result of narrow airways, try using a mouth guard when you sleep. These devices correct your airways and they help you breathe properly. Speak with your doctor concerning mouth guards, and have yourself fitted for one, provided your doctor agrees.

Do you smoke or drink? If you suffer from sleep apnea, quit smoking and cut down on your alcohol consumption. They can do bad things to your airways. Smoking swells up your airways, while drinking depresses your nervous system and muscles into excess relaxation. This can both cause and exacerbate sleep apnea. If you are having trouble quitting either of these habits, at least try to abstain in the few hours before bedtime.

Do you smoke and drink? Break these unhealthy habits right away. Using these vices can harm your airways. Alcohol relaxes some throat muscles to the point that sleep apnea becomes worse. Cigarettes also cause you to have difficulty breathing. If it is not possible for you to quit cold turkey, then try not to smoke or drink immediately before bedtime.

If your doctor has prescribed a CPAP machine for you, make sure you use it every night, for at least 4 hours. It is hard for many patients to become accustomed to using the CPAP. Four hours of use daily is recommended with a CPAP machine to see the medical benefits. Try two hours at first if you must. The next week you should increase that amount to 4 hours. In the end, you should never use it less than 4 hours per night on a permanent basis.

Lose weight if you need to. There is evidence that sleep apnea is correlated with obesity. Therefore, if you are obese, a loss of just 25 pounds can cause a major improvement in your apnea symptoms.

Sleep apnea is no joke. If you think you may have it, it is important to make an appointment with your doctor to discuss it. If the doctor determines you are suffering with sleep apnea, you should consult with someone who specializes in this disorder in order to effectively treat the condition.

Sleep Apnea

If you wear a CPAP for your sleep apnea symptoms, but are still bothered by your mouth opening when you try to sleep, get a chin strap. 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.

Don’t drink alcohol to excess. Alcohol is a natural muscle relaxant. Although many people desire this side-effect of alcohol, it is not beneficial to people with sleep apnea. When your throat muscles relax, your airway narrows and causes sleep apnea. While you might still drink, limit yourself and avoid it at bedtime.

Always bring your CPAP along whenever you travel. Never go a night without your CPAP, because you need it if you have sleep apnea. Conveniently, your CPAP machine should have a bag included with it for easy travel. Try this if you want to easily move your CPAP machine with you with ease.

It is possible for children to suffer from sleep apnea. Children who breathe through their mouth rather than their nose can suffer from sleep apnea. Other symptoms can include hyperactivity, poor grades, irritability or hostility. Often these symptoms are similar to ADHD, but you need to talk to a physician and consider sleep apnea as a cause as well.

Sleep apnea sufferers should treat their allergies promptly. You already find it hard to breathe during the night because of your symptoms. One issue is enough when battling for air when you are asleep. Addressing nasal problems ensures you a better chance at sleeping from dusk until dawn problem-free.

Sleep apnea is a dangerous condition to have. If you find you have some of the symptoms, talk to a physician as soon as you can. Once you have been diagnosed, your next step will be a sleep specialist, who may administer a sleeping test using a small monitor to determine the extent of your condition.

You should consult with a medical professional about the more intensive sleep apnea treatments available to you if your symptoms don’t respond to the basic steps you take. Conventional treatments may not work for you, and other options do exist, including surgery that results in enlargement of the air passage.

If you do not have a partner to let you know how you sleep at night, it can be difficult to assess if you have sleep apnea. Setting up a camera to record your sleeping habits might be the answer. Remember that recording audio is equally important; medical professionals can tell a great deal from the sounds you make while you sleep.

If you are taking a flight and bringing your CPAP machine, contact the airlines ahead of time. The airline company is very accommodating and will designate an area for you and 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.

Keep a diary of your sleep habits to show your doctor at your appointment for sleep apnea. You will record when you sleep and when you awaken and anything else that happens during your sleeping hours. Your spouse can inform you of any excessive snoring, jerking, or momentary lapses in your breathing. This will allow your doctor to see if you’re suffering from sleep apnea.

Certain behaviors can improve the symptoms of sleep disorders and help you get a good night’s sleep. Try setting a regular bedtime and wake time. Make sure your environment is suitable for your sleeping arrangement. Without the right conditions, you may induce insomnia.

Make sure your CPAP comes with you when you need to go to the hospital. Your CPAP is set to your specifications so it will be easier for medical staff to help you out because you already have your own device. While they may have a machine for you to use, your machine is already preset for your specific settings and has the mask you are already accustomed to wearing. Doing so will make your hospitalization easier because you can continue to do your CPAP therapy.

Remember that you may not be aware of your sleep apnea. But if you do feel tired and irritated throughout the day, then this may be a sign that you do have sleep apnea. These symptoms may show that you have sleep apnea.

Don’t use more than one standard pillow. If you use very thick pillows or many pillows, you may end up sleeping at an odd angle that hurts the free flow of air through your airways. Not only is this bad for your neck in general, it also restricts your airway. For this reason, stick with just one pillow to alleviate your sleep apnea symptoms.

If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, give up sleeping facing up. Sleeping while flat on your back often results in airway constriction, reducing the amount of sleep you get. Try to sleep on your side, but if it doesn’t come naturally, make sure you prop yourself up on pillows to force yourself on your side each night.

While a condition like this does require the professional opinion of a doctor, there are many self-help remedies that work, too. Shedding pounds and quitting smoking are too big things you can do. It is also important to avoid consuming alcohol, caffeine and heavy meals at least two hours prior to going to sleep.

Do not let your sleep apnea go untreated. Not visiting a doctor will see that your sleep apnea will get worse. Don’t wait until you are getting absolutely no sleep every night. See your physician if you have even the slightest suspicion that you have sleep apnea.

Do not drink too much alcohol if you have sleep apnea. Consuming alcohol results in throat relaxation that is more than normal. Snoring and obstructed air passages both result. 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.

Don’t drink alcoholic drinks if you suffer from sleep apnea. Consuming alcoholic beverages will only increase your symptoms because it will cause your throat muscles to descend closer to your esophagus. If you like to drink alcoholic beverages, you just need to remember not to do so right before you go to sleep.

Your sleep habits directly affect you and your sleep apnea. You need to find the right position. Try using foam wedges to prop up your body. You can also lift up your bed by several inches at the head end.

Play any kind of wind instrument. Your apnea symptoms may improve if you start playing the clarinet, the flute or some other wind instrument. This can help you improve the muscles that are in your airway. Eventually, the muscle training you receive from playing the instrument will enable you to breathe better, relieving your apnea symptoms.

Cpap Machine

Make sure you are compliant with your treatments. Think about taking some time off and you will see that you are not as alert. Always comply with your treatment regimen in order to function at peak efficiency each and every day.

If you are taking a flight and bringing your CPAP machine, contact the airlines ahead of time. Many airlines will help you find a seat in a location where you have the space to use your CPAP machine. If the airline you’re flying on is foreign, ensure you carry a power adapter.

Exercising the muscles in your throat can ameliorate sleep apnea. This strengthening may prevent future collapsing of your airways. Try humming, making faces, sticking your tongue out, or playing a wind instrument. The point of these exercises is to firm and tone your throat muscles.

People who deal with sleep apnea every day are always on the lookout for a way to remedy this terrible condition. Those wishing to stop sleep apnea symptoms must gain understanding and knowledge. With the useful information in this article, you can finally get down to the business of resolving your issues with sleep apnea.

Speak with your partner about how they feel about your apnea. You may find that they have been frustrated by your snoring, and that is important to know. Have a sit-down talk with them and explain the disorder along with the steps you are taking to ease the disturbance.

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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

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