Tips On How To Reduce The Effects Of Sleep Apnea

Tips On How To Reduce The Effects Of Sleep Apnea

Many give up hope and assume that sleep apnea is something that simply must be lived with. This is so untrue. Many people have sleep apnea and everyone should know about the condition. A reason that a lot of people have problems with sleep apnea is due to excessive weight. If this is a problem for a person, then weight loss is recommended. Make sure that you stick with a plan that makes sense and combine a low calorie diet with an exercise regimen. Some studies have also shown that limiting your carbohydrate intake can help. Give up some of your vices to combat the symptoms of sleep apnea. Alcohol and cigarettes are two of the primary culprits. Drinking causes respiratory depression, which makes it more difficult to breathe. Cigarettes can hurt your lungs, possibly even causing lung cancer. Dropping both these habits entirely will help ease the symptoms of sleep apnea. Look into corrective mouth pieces to help with your sleep apnea. There may be genetic reasons you suffer from sleep apnea. Your airway may be naturally thin or your jaw may interfere with breathing during sleep. Special mouthpieces can help to maintain proper alignment while you sleep, allowing you to rest much better.

Sleep Apnea

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. 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. A common reason that people have sleep apnea is due to the extra pounds on their bodies. In this case, a person suffering from sleep apnea needs to lose this excess weight. A logical weight loss program that includes a restrictive, yet healthy diet together with a sensible exercise routine is necessary. Research has proven that reducing the number of carbohydrates one consumes throughout the day helps people in losing weight. A good physical exam, and a look at your family history, can quite often easily determine sleep apnea's presence. After taking all this information, your family doctor may send you to see a sleep specialist. This doctor specializes in diagnosing and treating sleep disorders, and he will quite likely order a sleep study. Consult with your doctor about getting a mouth piece. The natural configuration of your jaw and airway passages may be conducive to the conditions associated with sleep apnea. You can overcome these difficulties and experience much more restful sleep by using a custom-fitted device to keep your jaw and airway properly aligned. If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, avoid sleeping pills. The muscles in your airway may become too relaxed. Avoid them at all costs to prevent yourself from hurting your body any more. Consider any alternative you can find to using sleeping pills. The muscles in your throat relax too much when you use a sedative like sleeping pills, (or alcohol) and your airway is much more likely to collapse during sleep. Sleeping pills also worsen many other effects dangerous to sleep apnea sufferers. Ask your doctor about sleeping aids that won't have a negative impact on your breathing. Use a chin strap with your CPAP each night to prevent your mouth from opening as you sleep. This inconspicuous piece of cloth will keep your chin up when you are asleep and your mouth from gaping open. If your mouth falls open when you sleep, your CPAP therapy won't be effective. Use this device to try and solve the problem. Try sleeping on your side. Many people with sleep apnea sleep while on their backs. When you sleep on your back, tissue can block your throat and airways. You will breathe easier if you sleep on your side. Put a pillow on your side if you always find yourself moving around during sleep. Having your sleep apnea diagnosed by your physician is important; however, some options for self-help may be beneficial to you. Dropping weight or dropping cigarettes are good ideas; more so for victims of sleep apnea. Overeating, consuming an excessive amount of alcohol and too much caffeine before bed can all exacerbate sleep apnea. Without a partner in your bed to tell you how you sleep, you may not know that you experience sleep apnea. One way to check out your sleeping habits is to train a video camera on yourself. Make sure to record any sounds you make so the doctor can hear them. If you're using a CPAP machine, see if you doctor can also prescribe a humidifier with heat. If the air you breathe is moist, you have a higher chance of sleeping better and continuing your CPAP machine application. Your physician can help you select a full-featured CPAP machine that includes an on-board humidifier. In order to make a proper diagnosis, your doctor may have you maintain a sleep journal. 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 diary will help a medical professional see patterns in your sleep habits. Please do not waste time believing that a CPAP maching is something to be ashamed of. Inform those that need to know about it, and don't feel uncomfortable using your CPAP around those close to you. They want you healthy. Always know that the CPAP machine is something that you need which can help you, and if someone looks down upon you for using it, then they weren't your friends anyway.

Treatment Options

If you have sleep apnea, it has been proven that throat exercises can help strengthen the muscles. They tone and strengthen the muscles, giving you more control over them. There are many exercises that are helpful, but one of them is to push your tongue very firmly up against the back of your front teeth. Then slide your tongue to the back of your mouth, and repeat this cycle for at least three minutes. Try this once every day. If your current treatment options are not cutting it, speak to a doctor about additional techniques that may be suitable. There are many treatment options available, some which do not work well with some everyone. But there are other methods of treatment, such as surgical techniques which include airway enlargement, as well as the removal of adenoids and tonsils You can contact your doctor to arrange a sleep test if you suspect that you're having sleep apnea problems. A sleep study is a test that can determine not only if you have apnea but also how severe it is. After that, you will need to know how to treat the condition, even when suffering with a mild case. Lose a bit of weight to get rid of your sleep apnea. Getting rid of those extra pounds can help you with your sleep apnea. Simply losing a small amount of weight can open your airways, improving your sleep apnea symptoms. Sleep apnea sufferers should not drink alcohol before bedtime. Alcohol will make the muscles in your throat relax far too much, which in turn causes a reduced amount of air getting through and that makes the sleep apnea much worse. Drinking late in the evening is not advisable, but you can still have a drink earlier in the day. You should now be more aware of the dangers of sleep apnea and will be better equipped to watch for its symptoms. Don't let someone make you think that being tired all the time is perfectly normal or that this article shouldn't be discussed with a doctor. Sleep apnea causes a reduction of oxygen to your system while you are sleeping. An extended lack of oxygen can lead to a fatal event. Since there is less oxygen higher up, it can really have an impact of those afflicted. Sleeping at high elevations should be avoided whenever possible.