Tips To Help With Your Sleep Apnea Condition

Tips To Help With Your Sleep Apnea Condition

Do something to keep sleep apnea from getting to you. Not having enough sleep can pose a lot of problems. Use the advice from this article to learn about sleep apnea and how to alleviate some of your symptoms. A common reason for sleep apnea to occur is increased weight. Should this be the reason, weight loss should be the rule of thumb. Exercising and following a regular weight loss plan is the best strategy. Some studies have also shown that limiting your carbohydrate intake can help. Stopping bad habits may help with your sleep apnea. Two of the most common offenders are drinking and smoking. Alcohol can put you into a very deep sleep and depress your respiration. Smoking can create carcinogens inside of your lungs, which can damage them later on. Quitting both of these habits completely will really alleviate your symptoms. If your airway is naturally narrow, a mouth guard for sleep may help with your sleep apnea. This opens up your airways, letting you breathe fully while you sleep. If you think this will help, you should ask your physician to fit you with a mouth guard. You must use your CPAP at least 4 hours nightly after receiving your unit. It can be hard, at first, to get comfortable using it. However, it won't be effective if you don't use it every day. You'll be comfortable using it on a regular basis in no time. Fighting back against sleep apnea often involves eating healthier and losing weight. Changing from a poor diet to a healthy one can transform your sleep apnea symptoms. Studies have shown that people that eat poor quality food have worse apnea than those who are overweight but eat healthier. Cut back on your alcohol consumption. Alcohol causes your muscles to relax. That may be something people like when they drink, but it also can cause sleep apnea. If you must drink, keep it to just a few, and stop drinking well before bedtime. This will keep your throat muscles from relaxing excessively. While it's not vital that alcohol be avoided 100%, do what you can to make sure you do not drink it before a nap or nighttime sleep. Look for alternatives to sleeping pills. Just like alcohol, these medications relax your throat when you sleep. They also can cause other harmful issues to make your sleep apnea worse. Ask your doctor about sleeping aids that won't have a negative impact on your breathing. Make sure your CPAP comes with you when you need to go to the hospital. If your stay is planned or an emergency, you will need your CPAP device either way. You're already comfortable with the mask you're using, and your machine provides exactly the pressure setting you need. Staying in a hospital is tough enough, and you might as well bring your own machine along to help ease the visit as much as you can. Try sleeping in a different position (such as on the side) rather than on your back. Sleeping on your back is more likely to cause snoring and apnea. If you sleep flat on your back you are only exasperating your breathing problem by allowing your throat muscles to relax and move down. Breathing is a lot easier for your body to do when you are on your side. You may want to prop yourself up with pillows so you stay on your side. If your nose is bothering you, use a nasal spray. You will get relief from this for a little while. Avoid using this product for more than a few days because it may irritate the delicate tissues in your nose. Take a trip to the local pharmacy to see what they have available to help with keeping your nose open when you're sleeping. A diagnosis of sleep apnea is performed by analyzing your medical history as well as your family history, followed by a physical exam. Sleep studies may also be done, and depending on what your primary doctor finds after all these measures, he may refer you to a sleep specialist, which is a type of doctor that diagnoses and treats people exhibiting sleep problems.

Sleep Apnea

You need a regular sleep schedule if you suffer from sleep apnea. Sleeping at weird hours of the day can worsen your sleep apnea. Any steps you take towards a regular sleeping schedule will help you get a better night's sleep. Setting regular times for both going to sleep and waking up is the most important thing to do. Snoring devices may serve your needs with sleep apnea. Sleep apnea occurs when air passages are totally obstructed, but snoring is the result of majority closure where air still gets through what is left. This is why it makes perfect sense as to why this might work for you. Use an anti-snoring device when you sleep. Use a chin strap if you find your mouth continuing to fall open while you sleep with a CPAP machine. This strap is a small strip of material that holds up your chin while you sleep, thus keeping your mouth closed. CPAP machines do not function with open mouths, so a chin strap can really save you. Sleep apnea will not magically disappear; you need to treat it. Each patient is different and what works for one person may not work for another. For some, weight loss can help, but even slender people can suffer from sleep apnea. Many patients get great results with non-surgical treatments like CPAP therapy. Other people may be inclined to opt for surgery where changes may be made to the airway passages. Whichever route you choose, getting proper treatment can improve your sleep and your life. If you are going to be hospitalized for any reason, bring your CPAP with you to ensure you get restful sleep. If your stay is planned or an emergency, you will need your CPAP device either way. While they may have a machine for you to use, your machine is already preset for your specific settings and has the mask you are already accustomed to wearing. All of this will mean much better sleep for you with your CPAP, if you need hospitalization for any length of time. Sleep is far too important to compromise on; do whatever you have to in order to get the sleep you need. Take the helpful tips you learned here and use them to prepare yourself each day to get a good night's sleep, and hopefully this condition will be a thing of the past. Lose a bit of weight to get rid of your sleep apnea. It's possible to get rid of this condition just by losing weight. Even losing a little weight can improve sleep apnea by opening the throat and airway, because there is less pressure on the neck.