Sleep Apnea: Learning How To Breathe Easy!

Sleep Apnea: Learning How To Breathe Easy!

A lot of people think that there's nothing they can do if they never get a good night's sleep. It is true that sleep apnea affects many people who do not even realize they have it. Learn more about treating your condition and sleeping better in this article. You have to get rid of a few vices to get through sleep apnea. The worst thing you can do to contribute to sleep apnea by drinking and smoking. Drinking depresses the respiratory system and can cause severe breathing issues. Smoking damages the lungs. When you stop doing these things, your sleep apnea symptoms should be reduced.

Sleep Apnea

To help deal with sleep apnea effectively, you should speak with your doctor to help him show you what CPAP machine works best. You should consider the size and volume of the device before you decide to get one. Some machines can be quite small and be very quiet. Your doctor will likely have a preferred brand or type of CPAP to recommend to you. Overweight people are more prone to suffering from sleep apnea. So if you have sleep apnea, and you are overweight, then try to shed some of those extra pounds. Improving the overall health of the diet in combination with an increased level of exercise makes a simple, effective weight loss strategy. Carbohydrate restriction has been shown to help people lose weight in recent studies as well. Do you regularly smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol? Eliminate bad habits. Smoking and drinking have negative effects on your airways. Alcohol use will lead to over-relaxation of your airways, making sleep apnea symptoms worse, while smoking can have a similar effect by constricting them. Avoid second-hand smoke and do not drink immediately before going to bed. Do you smoke or drink? Quit these vices. They can do bad things to your airways. Alcohol relaxes your airways, and tobacco causes it to swell. If it is not possible for you to quit cold turkey, then try not to smoke or drink immediately before bedtime. Speak with a doctor about using corrective mouth pieces to control your symptoms of sleep apnea. You might possess an airway that is naturally narrow, or you might have a recessed chin or small jaw. All of these can make the symptoms of sleep apnea seem more pronounced. A device made to assist you during sleep can provide you with enough air to flow through your body. Sleep apnea can benefit from a good diet that results in your losing weight. A lot of people are surprised that a bad diet can affect sleep apnea. There is scientific data that suggests that eating a poor diet can worsen sleep apnea, independent of a person's weight. Fighting back against sleep apnea often involves eating healthier and losing weight. Most people would find it surprising to know that your diet can be a factor in managing sleep apnea. Studies show that people who eat low quality foods suffer from apnea worse than overweight people that eat healthy foods. Children can have sleep apnea. If a child in your home shows symptoms like low grades in school, hostility, irritability, hyperactivity, inattention or mouth breathing, you should consider sleep apnea as a possibility to investigate. These symptoms are much like ADHD so you should make sure you get the right diagnosis. 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. A lot of people do not do well on some of the treatments, requiring complicated surgeries to enhance their airway.

Sleep Apnea

Use a single, average-sized pillow for your head at night. When you sleep on a pile of pillows, or one extremely thick pillow, your chin is pushed down toward your neck and restricts your air flow. This actually causes you to have more breathing difficulty based on your position. Because of this, you should only sleep with a single pillow to combat sleep apnea. If you suffer from sleep apnea, have a regular bedtime. Sleep apnea already disrupts your rest more than it should. Any steps you take towards a regular sleeping schedule will help you get a better night's sleep. The most important adjustment to make is to go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Reduce your sleep apnea risk factors. Some of these are unavoidable, like gender or genetics. However, you can limit many others, like excessive weight, smoking or alcohol consumption. You can wear a chin strap with your CPAP if you have problems with your mouth falling open as you sleep. 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. Avoid back sleeping when you have sleep apnea. Most people with sleep apnea habitually sleep through the night on their backs. This causes the throat muscles to collapse, blocking the airway. Prop yourself up on your side with a pillow or cushions.

Sleep Apnea

Working out your tongue can help treat your sleep apnea symptoms. Place your tongue on your mouth's roof and keep it there for at least three minutes. This will make your throat stronger and prevent the muscles from relaxing too much during sleep and causing apnea. Consult with your doctor about surgery if you find that none of the less invasive options are helping with your symptoms of sleep apnea. There are people that don't respond well to traditional sleep apnea treatments, and sometimes they have to have surgery. This surgery may involve removing the adenoids, enlarging the airway or removing the tonsils. How you position yourself when you lay down for bed can contribute to your issues with sleep apnea. Try sleeping on your side or your stomach to decrease the condition. Lift up the top half of your body with a foam wedge. Talk to your doctor about other ways of sleeping that will be beneficial to you. If you suffer from sleep apnea, and you use a CPAP, check with your doctor about a heated humidifier. Sticking with a course of CPAP therapy is a lot easier (and your overall sleep quality will be better) if you're getting a supply of air that's properly heated and moisturized. Lots of CPAP machines have humidifiers built in. Check with your doctor to see if he or she can prescribe a humidifier for you. Be sure to see your doctor to participate in a sleep test if you suspect you may have sleep apnea. This sleep test will help diagnose your sleep apnea and give you an idea of its severity. Following that, you can begin to treat the problem. It's a good idea to try to sleep on your side rather than your back if you're struggling with sleep apnea. If you need to prevent yourself from turning to your back, try sewing a tennis ball into the back of your nightwear. This will keep you from rolling onto your back. Many people who sleep on their back typically experience sleep apnea. If this applies to you, try switching the position you sleep in. There is scientific evidence that sleeping facing sideways can reduce sleep apnea symptoms and improve sleep quality. If you have sleep apnea you should never sleep on the back. 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. Chronic fatigue can complicate sleep apnea symptoms and make the disorder even worse. Try to keep your sleep on a certain schedule to reduce this. Try to stick to the same bedtime and wake time every day of the week. That is going to stop apnea from getting worse, such as having total insomnia. Some types of sleep apnea may be treated by using corrective oral devices. It is not uncommon for people to have jaw shapes that create a narrow airway. Corrective devices change the way the the jaw is aligned as you sleep, meaning more air is able to come in. A technical description for sleep apnea is insufficient oxygen intake while sleeping. So anyone who has sleep apnea shouldn't sleep at higher elevations. High elevations mean that your oxygen level will be lower and may cause your sleep apnea to be worse. If it is possible to avoid sleeping at an elevated height, it would be prudent to do so.

Sleep Apnea

If you suffer with sleep apnea regularly, try daytime napping to compensate for your loss. Besides making you feel drowsy and fatigued, sleep deprivation can also lead to more serious health problems. If you can, you should take a siesta during the afternoon to get more good quality rest. Do not sleep on the back if you suffer from sleep apnea. Sleeping in this position increases the odds that your airways will collapse at some point, which will cause sleep apnea. If you suffer from sleep apnea, the best sleeping position would be on your side. Exercising your tongue and throat muscle is a smart move. Exercises help tone your muscles all over your body, and the same thing is true for your tongue and throat. This is great for keeping your muscles from being too lax while you sleep and blocking your airway. A few humming exercises and playing with wind instruments can help you increase throat strength. Any combination of these things can help make your throat stronger. Chronic fatigue can aggravate sleep apnea symptoms. To address this ensure that you are sleeping on a schedule. Schedule a certain time of night for sleep, and set an alarm to wake up at the same time every morning. In this way, you can avoid exacerbating your sleep apnea to complete insomnia. If you have sleep apnea, sleeping on your side can help you get the best sleep possible. Back sleeping makes it possible for your throat and tongue muscles to block your airway, making it hard for you to breathe. Use pillows to prop yourself up so you will not roll on your back to sleep. If someone close to you, or even you yourself has struggled with sleepiness, go talk to a physician right away. Trying to tough it out yourself won't change anything; you need to see a doctor. Remember to share what you learned today with others who could benefit from this information. There are many solutions to dry mouth caused by CPAP Machines. To start, try increasing the humidity level of the machine; this will keep your nasal passages and mouth wet. A CPAP mask with a chin strap will help keep your jaw in position so air doesn't leak out.