Sleep Apnea; How To Deal With This Dangerous Condition

Sleep Apnea; How To Deal With This Dangerous Condition

Any sleep apnea sufferer familiar with the agony of it will happily tell you how bad they want to manage their condition. What it comes down to is what you know about how to get rid of sleep apnea symptoms. The ideas presented throughout the rest of this article will be a great starting point for you if you want to know more. Try getting rid of bad habits to better your sleep apnea. Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol are a big problem for people who have sleep apnea. Drinking helps depress your respiratory system, causing breathing issues. Smoking introduces known carcinogens into your lungs and damages them over time. Dropping these habits can help ease your symptoms. While people who are thin can have sleep apnea for various reasons, one common reason many people have it is being overweight. 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. Reducing carbohydrate intake can be an effective way to take off the pounds, according to some recent studies. If a person is severely overweight, they are much more likely to develop sleep apnea. In this case, a person suffering from sleep apnea needs to lose this excess weight. Diet and exercise can do wonders to treat this condition. After a couple of weeks you should see a difference with how much sleep apnea effects you.

Sleep Apnea

It is important to stay away from alcohol if you have sleep apnea because it can help you see some improvement with the condition. Sleep apnea and chronic snoring are each caused by over-relaxation of the airway muscles, and both smoking and drinking can cause this. As an added benefit, keep in mind that ditching these bad habits will put extra money back into your pocket, whereas extensive medical treatments will cost you a great deal. If your sleep apnea is the result of narrow airways, try using a mouth guard when you sleep. Mouth guards help you breathe more throughout the night, which will reduce sleep apnea symptoms from arising. It's best to see a medical professional to get fitted properly for a guard that will fit your individual situation. Try your best to use your CPAP machine as much as possible if you get one. Some people find the machine difficult to get accustomed to. However, it needs to be used for four hours each night for it to be effective. If you find it hard to get used to your CPAP, use it for only 4 hours at a go. To help deal with sleep apnea effectively, you should speak with your doctor to help him show you what CPAP machine works best. Not all machines are alike, and you may need one that has a humidifier or a certain type of pressure. Some machines can be quite small and be very quiet. Your physician can recommend the best manufacturers in the industry. In an effort to get a restful night of sleep, sleep on your side if possible. When we sleep on our backs, the nasal and throat passages are more prone to obstructing the air-ways. If you have trouble staying off your back, sew a tennis ball into the back of your pajamas to help you stay on your side. You may see a big difference in the quality of your sleep. Sleep apnea generally is diagnosed by studying your medical and family history and having a thorough physical exam. You can do sleep studies and the things the doctor finds will guide him on making a decision on what can be done. Sleeping pills and other drugs are not good solutions if you are having trouble falling asleep. Similar to alcohol, sleeping pills will relax your throat and airways to an undesirable extent. There are a variety of other problems that they can cause as well, so be cautious of using them. Stress relief through meditation or exercise can also help you fall asleep safely. 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. Try setting up a video camcorder to record yourself while you are sleeping at night. Remember to make a video with sound so your doctor can hear you snore! Avoid sleeping pills if you've been diagnosed with sleep apnea. You will relax your throat muscles this way and you will not get as much from your sleep. If you suffer from sleep apnea, the pills could cause disastrous consequences. This is not the solution for getting some sleep. Try to sleep on a regular schedule if you have sleep apnea. Having this condition already is a problem for your nightly sleep cycle. 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. When you suffer from sleep apnea, you should do your best to stick to the same sleep schedule each day. Sleeping at weird hours of the day can worsen your sleep apnea. Anything you can do to restore a natural sleep pattern will assist you in regaining your health and avoiding daytime sleepiness. Go to sleep and wake up each day on a regular schedule and this schedule should be used on the weekends, too. If you're a sleep apnea sufferer and your mouth always opens as you sleep because of your CPAP, you may want to wear a chin strap. It is only a small fabric strap that keeps your chin in place so you can sleep with a closed mouth. It is worth trying this simple fix, because CPAP therapy is ineffective if your mouth falls open while wearing the mask. Bring your medical ID every you travel with your CPAP device. If tragedy strikes, it will be important for help to know you require the assistance of a CPAP machine. The ID should say that you have this condition, you require a CPAP, and it should identify the pressure levels you require for effective treatment.

Losing Weight

Always bring your CPAP along whenever you travel. You should never sleep without using your CPAP machine. A convenience travel pouch is usually included with purchase. Use this for easy travel with your CPAP device. Losing weight is an excellent way to alleviate the symptoms of sleep apnea. It's possible to get rid of this condition just by losing weight. In fact, you don't have to lose a lot of weight to open up the airways and the throat. If you suffer from sleep apnea and have issues with your sinuses or allergies, have them treated as soon as possible. Your condition is already affecting your breathing at night. You don't need anything else adding to that. Maintaining free nasal passages will ensure greater odds of sleeping getting a great night's sleep. Exercises done with the tongue reduce sleep apnea symptoms. Try holding your tongue up toward the roof of your mouth for at least three minutes. You will have less chance of your throat muscles relaxing and blocking your airway if you strengthen the muscles of your tongue and throat. If your current treatment options are not cutting it, speak to a doctor about additional techniques that may be suitable. Conventional treatments may not work for you, and other options do exist, including surgery that results in enlargement of the air passage. Do not drink to excess if you suffer from sleep apnea. When you drink you relax your throat muscles which actually provokes them to collapse. Limit drink consumption to no more than two or quit drinking completely prior to bed. Doing this will prevent alcohol from disturbing your sleeping hours. Exercise your tongue and minimize sleep apnea symptoms. Try pressing your tongue to the top of your mouth and holding it there for a minimum of three minutes. This makes your tongue and throat muscles even stronger than before, so you minimize your odds of them blocking your air flow during sleep. Try not to feel embarrassed about getting treatment or using a CPAP machine. You need not be self-conscious about your need to use a CPAP machine; be upfront about its medical necessity with friends, relatives, and room-mates. Remember that failure to use your CPAP could cause serious health problems. If people tease you for doing so, that's more a reflection on them than you. Sleep apnea sufferers may need to look for a simple solution in order to get a better night's rest. Be sure to keep regular bedtime habits and get the same amount of sleep nightly. Make your bedroom comfortable to sleep in. If you don't do that, you might cause insomnia.

Sleep Apnea

Keep in mind that you won't always notice your sleep apnea at night. You need to let your doctor know if you have excessive daytime sleepiness, frequent exhaustion or episodes of falling asleep at the wheel. Those symptoms might be part of what you're experiencing as sleep apnea. Be conscious of the fact that you may not even be aware of sleep apnea when you are in fact asleep. If you have unexplained exhaustion, sleepiness, or you're falling asleep when you drive, try talking to a doctor about it. These symptoms are indicative of sleep apnea, even when you do not know how many times you wake up at night gasping for air. Toning up your throat muscles is in fact an excellent way to deal with your sleep apnea; the condition originates from the throat rather than the nose. If making your throat stronger is something that you want to do, plenty of exercise choices exist that are quick to do. Those who suffer from sleep apnea are desperately searching for clues on how to treat their condition. Learning is the most important step anyone can take to start managing the symptoms associated with sleep apnea. New developments are being made on a regular basis to help treat this condition. Do not drink alcohol before laying down at night. Sleep apnea and many other sleep disorders are worsened by consuming alcohol. This is because alcohol is a sedative and it suppresses your central nervous system. This makes it harder for your body to wake up and start breathing again when you have an apnea episode. This can be deadly.