Get A Good Night's Rest With These Sleep Apnea Tips

Get A Good Night's Rest With These Sleep Apnea Tips

Although many people are having trouble getting all of the rest they need on a day-to-day basis, few of them realize that the culprit may actually be a sleep disorder. One of these is sleep apnea, which results from airways in your body being obstructed during your sleep at night. If you are not continually getting restful sleep, then it may be that you are suffering with sleep apnea. Stop your destructive ways. In particular, alcohol and cigarettes are bad for you. Drinking causes respiratory depression, which makes it more difficult to breathe. When you smoke, you fill your lungs with carcinogens and cause severe damage. Letting these habits go can reduce your symptoms and make sleeping easier. A physician is the best person to ask about which CPAP machine is the right one to use for your specific situation. Think about the machine's size and noise levels. Some CPAP machines are small and are quiet. You can consult with your doctor to see who you should talk to in order to get a good machine. Get a custom mouth guard. These guards are designed for patients with sleep apnea. While they won't work for everyone, they do work for many people who find them to be easy to use and successful in treating their sleep apnea. A mouth guard works by keeping airways open and giving the soft tissues stability. Get fitted for a specialty made mouth guard. These are made for people with sleep apnea. This is something that works well instead of using a CPAP, and it's more comfortable. It will provide stability and help your airway to remain open. To help alleviate this condition, you should sleep on your side. Some sleep apnea patients lay on their backs. If you sleep on your back, you are more likely to have your mouth open and block your airways. It is best to sleep on one of your sides or your stomach. If you have trouble staying off of your back, sew a tennis ball into the back of your sleeping clothes. This will help you stay on your side while you're sleeping. Follow your treatment plan including wearing your sleep mask. Sometimes it is hard for people to get used to the CPAP. If this is the case with you, try a different mask. That is often the source of the discomfort. If you still have trouble adjusting, get at least four hours and try to add more time each night. You may not even realize you have sleep apnea. If you have no wife or husband to tell you, you be unaware you stop breathing at night. Or you can record yourself as you sleep to look at your sleeping patterns. Whatever video system you set up also need an audio component, since your physicians are going to need to hear the sounds you make.

Sleep Specialist

To help diagnose your sleep apnea, your doctor may ask you to keep a sleep log. In it, you'll be expected to log the hours you sleep nightly, any symptoms you may feel and the overall quality of your sleep. If you have a partner, they may be able to help document your snoring, jerky body movements and stoppage of breathing. This can help the doctor determine if you actually have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is generally determined by looking at your family and medical history, along with a physical exam. In addition, sleep studies could be performed. Afterwards, depending on the results, your doctor could refer a sleep specialist to you. A sleep specialist is a doctor who treats those with sleep problems. You should take your CPAP machine everywhere you will be spending the night. Do not leave it at home. You ought not to go a single night without the CPAP if you have sleep apnea. Your machine should include a padded travel bag. Use this to easily transport your CPAP with you whenever you are away from home. If you aren't sleeping with a partner each night who can let you know of any irregularities in your sleeping patterns, it can be hard to know if you have this condition. You can always set up a camcorder to make a video of a typical night's sleep. Whatever video system you set up also need an audio component, since your physicians are going to need to hear the sounds you make. If you are not having any luck managing your apnea, you may want to talk to a doctor about more radical treatments. There are some people who cannot tolerate traditional methods of alleviating sleep apnea symptoms, leading to the need for surgical intervention to enhance their airway. Many doctors ask patients to keep sleep logs to help diagnose sleep apnea. Here, you will track your hours of successful sleep, when you awaken through the night and other problems you may encounter. Your partner can best inform you if your sleep involves jerking limbs, stops in breathing and loud snoring. With this information, your doctors can make a final determination on whether or not you suffer from sleep apnea. Try using a nasal spray for an irritated nose. Using nasal spray a couple of nights in a row should help you sleep. If you use nasal spray alot you may damage it. Ask your pharmacist what other options you can try to keep your nasal passages clear. You should not be embarrassed of your diagnosis or your CPAP machine. Be forthright about your need for it, and don't worry about having to use it around other people. If you have to use a CPAP machine your family and friends should not make fun of it. If you have sleep apnea, do not drink a lot of alcohol. Snoring and airway blockages are made worse by over-relaxed throat muscles, and this is something that heavy drinking can cause. Don't drink close to bedtime. This can keep alcohol from messing up your sleep. If you're taking a long trip, talk to the airline about using your CPAP. 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. If flying on a foreign plane, remember to bring along a power adapter. Remember that you must bring your CPAP machine with you on long air flights, and the airline must know about this in advance. The airline may seat you in a convenient place to make using your machine easier. Make sure you bring a power adapter if you fly on a foreign airline. Getting properly diagnosed is the first step to getting treatment that can help solve the problem. Being able to sleep in a healthy, natural manner is vital to your well-being and long-term health. Use these tips to help you enjoy much better sleep. If you are prone to sleep apnea, you should try not to sleep on your back. When you sleep on your back, you can obstruct your air passages and complicate your sleep patterns. Attempt sleeping on your side. Should this be unnatural for you, use pillows to keep you in position on your side during the night.