How You Can Better Manage Your Sleep Apnea

How You Can Better Manage Your Sleep Apnea

Of course, it isn't enough to simply read up on sleep apnea. You have to be active in treating your condition. Understanding how to properly deal with this condition is the best way to start the process. Continue reading to learn useful measures you can take to improve your own condition. Are you a drinker or a smoker? If the answer is yes and you have sleep apnea, you need to stop both habits. The reason is because these harmful substances impact your airways, and as a result, your sleep. Smoking causes swelling in the airway. On the other hand, alcohol causes the airway to relax, much like sleeping pills. If it is not possible for you to quit cold turkey, then try not to smoke or drink immediately before bedtime. If you have sleep apnea, yet you drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes, quitting could alleviate your symptoms. Sleep apnea and chronic snoring are each caused by over-relaxation of the airway muscles, and both smoking and drinking can cause this. Quitting these habits may help you avoid costly and invasive surgery in the future. Taking up a musical instrument (especially a wind instrument) can have a positive effect on your sleep apnea. Researchers in Germany have suggested that the didgeriddo can improve upper airway muscles. These muscles are responsible for the strength of your airway passage and its ability to dilate. There are also throat exercises you can practice, including blowing up a balloon, if you do not want to buy a didgeridoo.

Sleep Apnea

Have your dentist fit you for a custom mouth guard. They make these mouth guards specifically for people that suffer from sleep apnea. A mouth guard will help keep your airway open and may eliminate the need for a CPAP machine. It will provide stability and help your airway to remain open. Excess weight also causes sleep apnea, so losing weight is a very good idea. Although it might not be the main cause, being overweight makes sleep apnea worse. If you are obese, even just losing twenty pounds can significantly improve sleep apnea symptoms. Make yourself wear your CPAP for four hours while you sleep, at the least. Many folks have difficulty adjusting to the CPAP in the beginning. However, you must use your CPAP a minimum of four hours for it to be effective. Ease your way towards your four hour CPAP goal, even if you find the experience difficult to get used to. Sleep Apnea also affects children. Signs of sleep apnea in kids includes hyperactivity, hostility and breathing through their mouth. Often these symptoms are similar to ADHD, but you need to talk to a physician and consider sleep apnea as a cause as well. Attempt sleeping on the side. Many sufferers of sleep apnea sleep on their backs. If you sleep on your back, you are more likely to have your mouth open and block your airways. Try to sleep on your side to avoid that. If you think you might roll over anyway, try a wedge pillow. Sleep on your side as much as possible. Many sufferers of sleep apnea sleep on their backs. If you sleep flat on your back you are only exasperating your breathing problem by allowing your throat muscles to relax and move down. Sleeping sideways facilitates breathing. If you usually sleep on your back, make a conscious effort to change your ways. Sleep apnea can be extremely tricky to diagnose yourself, especially if you sleep alone without a loved one to tell you about minor sleep problems you experience. You can remedy this problem by setting up a recorder that can film you while you're sleeping at night. Make sure the video has sound as well, so that your doctor can hear your breathing. It's vital that you don't use any type of sleeping pill when you suffer from sleep apnea. The pills may relax the throat muscles so much that your airways do not function properly. The medication can be very dangerous, even fatal, if you suffer from sleep apnea. If you have sleep apnea and your mouth keeps falling open while you sleep with your CPAP every night, try wearing a chin strap. This minor fabric piece and make sure that your chin stays up and your mouth closed. It is worth trying this simple fix, because CPAP therapy is ineffective if your mouth falls open while wearing the mask.

Sleep Apnea

Shed pounds if you want to get rid of your sleep apnea. Some people are able to almost completely eliminate their sleep apnea with weight loss. Just losing a few percentage points of your starting weight can dramatically reduce your symptoms of sleep apnea, as well create more space in your throat and air passages. To help you figure out if you suffer from sleep apnea, you may be asked by your doctor to keep a log of your sleeping. You will record the time you go to sleep and wake up, whether you woke up during the night and how you felt when you woke up each morning. If you have a partner, you can find out about snoring issues, breathing issues or flailing limb issues. This can help the doctor determine if you actually have sleep apnea. Always discuss your sleep apnea problem with your doctor, but also try some self-help treatments. Stopping the habits of drinking and smoking can help. Anyone who is overweight may find that they benefit quite well from losing 20 pounds or more. It's also a good idea to refrain from eating heavy meals and drinking alcoholic or caffeinated beverages close to bed-time. Use a chin strap if your mouth falls open as you sleep. It is a simple cloth strap that can easily hold up your chin as you sleep. CPAP machines do not function with open mouths, so a chin strap can really save you. If you have sleep apnea, stop smoking. Smoking swells up your upper airways, which can worsen your sleep apnea symptoms. To quit, try using nicotine replacement treatment or a cessation program. It is the initial 30 days after you quit that are usually the hardest. Once you get through this, nicotine begins to exit out of your body, which decreases your cravings. Those with sleep apnea should treat any symptoms of sinus or allergy problems. Sleep apnea is a difficult enough condition to deal with. You don't need anything else adding to that. Keeping your airway free and clear by treating your nasal problems gives you a much better chance of sleeping through the night without problems. If you do tongue exercises you will allieviate sleep apnea symptoms. One simple exercise is to put your tongue against the roof of your mouth and hold it there for a couple of minutes. This exercise strengthens the tongue and throat muscles, making it less possible for them to allow the blocking of your air passage during sleep. Use a single, normal-sized pillow for sleeping. The position of your body can become awkward and harmful to your breathing when you use too many pillows. These mean you sleep in positions where it is hard to breathe. Try out different pillows until you find just one pillow that allows you to lay your head flatter against the bed each night so you can breathe more freely. You can help lessen the effects of sleep apnea by doing exercises which strengthen the throat muscles. The reduced airflow characteristic of sleep apnea is due to soft tissue in the throat relaxing. The muscles will slowly become stronger, which means that they won't collapse as often when you sleep, which in turn improves airflow. Shedding weight oftentimes is a big help to anyone who is dealing with sleep apnea. If your sleep condition is caused by obesity, weight loss may solve your problem completely. If you shed some pounds you will see that your airways will not be as constricted. Pick up a wind instrument to play. Wind exercises will help exercise and strengthen your throat muscles, which will help you breath in the middle of the night. Strengthening these muscles can help you better control them when sleeping, which can lessen apnea symptoms.

Sleep Apnea

People who snore or even those who have sleep apnea may benefit if they learn to play a musical instrument. Not only is this habit soothing, but a European research project showed that learning wind instruments like the Didgeridoo significantly cuts back on the problems of sleep apnea. This new craft will help you keep control of your airways. Getting your throat muscles stronger is a great way to have less of a problem with sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is often caused by the tissues in the throat, which can relax and collapse while you sleep. Stronger muscles mean a less likelihood of the the airways becoming blocked. People suffering from sleep apnea are well advised not to sleep on their backs. Sleeping while flat on your back often results in airway constriction, reducing the amount of sleep you get. Pillows may assist you in side sleeping. If sleep apnea afflicts you, don't drink too much. Drinking exacerbates the airway constriction of sleep apnea by causing the muscles in your throat to relax. If you are going to drink, have only one a few hours before bed. This will help you know that alcohol is not affecting the quality of your sleep. If you suffer from sleep apnea, some studies show that doing throat exercises may reduce the severity of it. You will have stronger muscles in your air passages that can help sleep apnea. One example would be pressing your entire tongue against the top of your mouth, holding it there for multiple minutes and then letting go. Perform this activity once every 24 hours. Apply the tips above to treat your sleep apnea. Identify the best ones for your situation, and you can start getting a good night's rest again soon. When you have sound sleep, you get back control over both your days and nights. Some situations of sleep apnea are solved with corrective mouth pieces. This is due to the fact that the jaw on some people is configured in such a way that the air passages are narrowed. When a device to re-align the jaw is used during sleep, more air can be allowed in.