The information in this article may be very helpful to patients suffering from sleep apnea. Left alone, sleep apnea can ruin your health and wellness. On the other hand, you can very effectively manage the condition with the right treatment regimen. Thoroughly look over the tips provided below, and apply them so that you can manage your sleep apnea condition.
Stop your destructive ways. If you smoke and drink, you are almost sure to suffer from sleep disturbances. Drinking can overly relax your respiratory system and may cause breathing problems. Smoking damages your lungs over time. Quitting both of these habits completely will really alleviate your symptoms.
Overweight people are more prone to suffering from sleep apnea. If this is true for you, try getting a little thinner. Anyone in this situation should stick to a sensible diet, in combination with a good amount of exercise. Research has proven that reducing the number of carbohydrates one consumes throughout the day helps people in losing weight.
Your doctor or a sleep specialist can help you find the CPAP machine that is best suited for your needs and comfort. You must consider both the size of your machine and its loudness. A machine to get you through the night is better than feeling fatigued every day. Your doctor can help you pick a manufacturer for a good quality machine.
Do you drink and smoke? Quit these terrible habits. Both of these things affect your airway negatively and compound your sleep apnea problem. Smoking can actually swell your airways while alcohol can overly relax them; each causes sleep apnea. If you cannot get rid of these habits for good, make an effort to avoid smoking or drinking before you go to bed.
Quit smoking and drinking. Both of these cause muscles in your airway to relax, which can increase snoring and worsen sleep apnea. Quitting these addictions may be the easiest way to address your sleep apnea.
Try cutting out cigarettes and alcohol if you have sleep apnea. These habits can cause airways to relax too much, which can worsen sleep apnea and snoring. Quitting these habits may help you avoid costly and invasive surgery in the future.
Make yourself wear your CPAP for four hours while you sleep, at the least. Some people have a really hard time sleeping with the device. However, you must use your CPAP a minimum of four hours for it to be effective. If you struggle to adjust to it in the beginning, try using the CPAP for about four hours while you sleep.
If you’ve got a prescription for a CPAP for your sleep apnea, try using it for around four hours each night. Some individuals have a lot of trouble getting used to CPAP masks in their sleep. For this CPAP therapy to work successfully, you will need four hours each day to use it. Starting at just four hours per session can help you ease into adjusting to your CPAP.
To fight sleep apnea, try to eat a healthy diet. Not everyone is aware of just how significantly bad dietary choices can affect a sleep apnea condition. People that eat unhealthy are more likely to have worse sleep apnea.
Find another way to get to sleep other than sleeping pills. Sleeping pills can cause just as many problems with your throat as alcohol consumption. In addition, sleeping pills can contribute to many problems associated with sleep apnea. You may want to ask your physician to prescribe something for you that doesn’t have an effect on sleep apnea.
Even children can suffer from sleep apnea. Symptoms may include mouth breathing, hostility, irritability, bad grades, hyperactivity and inattentiveness. These symptoms are much like ADHD so you should make sure you get the right diagnosis.
Sleeping by yourself can keep you from knowing if you have the symptoms of sleep apnea. Try taping yourself at night to see if you do. Make sure that the microphone on your recording device picks up any snoring or other noises you make while sleeping, because your physician needs to hear them.
Sleep on your side in order to get some better sleep. Sleeping on the back can cause air passages to constrict. Give sleeping on your side a try, and see if your symptoms improve.
It’s vital that you don’t use any type of sleeping pill when you suffer from sleep apnea. They can relax your throat muscles, making it hard to get enough air when you sleep. This can be deadly when combined with sleep apnea. Sleeping pills are a bad idea.
To help alleviate this condition, you should sleep on your side. A lot of people who suffer from sleep apnea are back sleepers. When you sleep on your back, tissue can block your throat and airways. However, breathing is much easier if you sleep on your side instead. Use pillows to force yourself to sleep sideways if you have a problem with rolling over once you are asleep.
Make sure your CPAP comes with you when you need to go to the hospital. Your CPAP is set to your specifications so it will be easier for medical staff to help you out because you already have your own device. You will your mask you’re used to, and the pressure will be set right. This lessens the stress of being away from home and enables you to continue the CPAP therapy while at the hospital.
Be sure to take your CPAP with you if you have sleep apnea and have to visit the hospital. It doesn’t matter whether your hospital visit is planned or an emergency, your CPAP should be there with you, along with your mask. It will already be at your personal settings and pressure, and be the mask you know you can sleep in. Your whole hospitalization process will go much smoother because of this.
To decrease your risk of sleep apnea symptoms, lose some weight. Sometimes, losing weight is all it takes to get rid of sleep apnea. Losing even just five pounds can make your sleep apnea symptoms go away.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, get your allergy and sinus problems treated. During the night, you are already dealing with breathing problems. There’s no reason to compound your troubles by suffering through other problems that make it harder to breathe. It is important to keep your airways open and free from mucous and debris.
Use a single, average-sized pillow for your head at night. When you use an over-sized pillow or multiple pillows, it can skew your position. You’ll be resting in such a way that makes breathing difficult. One standard pillow is all you need to avoid having this happen.
Only sleep with a single pillow of standard size. When you use an over-sized pillow or multiple pillows, it can skew your position. This actually causes you to have more breathing difficulty based on your position. Because of this, you should really just have one good pillow to help with symptoms of sleep apnea.
Many people can reduce the severity of their sleep apnea symptoms by losing excess weight. Being overweight and large around the neck are often indications of sleep apnea. Shedding some unnecessary weight can really cut down on the pressure airways receive, which means you get easier air flow and breathing during your sleeping hours.
If your nose is bothering you, use a nasal spray. You can experience a few nights of untroubled sleep using such a product. Don’t use it over a long duration because it can cause problems. You should go to your pharmacy and explore different options to keep your nose open while you sleep.
Do not smoke. Your air passages swell when you smoke, which is no good for sleep apnea sufferers. There are many effective ways to stop smoking. It is the initial 30 days that are the most trying. Once you are over that, you shouldn’t have as much trouble with cravings, as the nicotine has started leaving your body.
Although you should speak with your doctor about sleep apnea, you can try certain things yourself. Dropping weight or dropping cigarettes are good ideas; more so for victims of sleep apnea. Also, stay away from large meals, caffeine and alcohol a few hours before going to sleep.
Some great tongue exercises can reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea. Press your tongue against your mouth’s bony palate and keep it there for at least three minutes. This can improve the strength of your tongue and throat muscles and decrease the chance that they will relax too much and cause breathing difficulty.
If you have a CPAP machine, ask your physician to prescribe you a heated humidifier as well. 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. Try and get a CPAP machine that has a humidifier built into it; your doctor should be able to point you in the right direction.
How you position yourself when you lay down for bed can contribute to your issues with sleep apnea. Sleeping on one’s side or stomach will go a long way toward making for easier breathing with sleep apnea. Sew a tennis ball into the back of your sleeping attire so that it will remind you during your sleep to stay on your side or stomach. Talk to your doctor about other ways of sleeping that will be beneficial to you.
If you have sleep apnea, or if you simply snore at night, try learning to play a wind instrument. The music is soothing, and a recent German study has revealed that playing any wind instrument drastically calms sleep apnea symptoms. This new craft will help you keep control of your airways.
Sometimes anxiety might arise if you get sleep apnea, so take a shower to get rid of your stress. A good hot bath is an excellent way to reduce tension and soothe away your aches and pains. Consequently, you are far more likely to sleep, and a full night of sound rest can occur instead of another night full of sleep apnea interruptions.
A large number of sleep apnea sufferers sleep on their backs. You may wish to consider a different sleeping position. Sleeping in a position, such as on your side, can help alleviate the problems caused by constricted airways.
Those who suffer from sleep apnea may need to consider a simpler solution for their problem. Schedule a nightly bedtime and stick with it. Keep your bedroom comfortable and calm for the most satisfying sleep. If it is uncomfortable, you might not be able to fall asleep.
Many people find relief in treating sleep apnea with mouth and throat exercises. In some cases, sleep apnea is caused by weak musculature in your mouth and throat. There are exercises that will help correct this problem and reduce sleep apnea symptoms. You can really benefit from a few exercises.
Sleep apnea can contribute to many serious health disorders if left untreated. If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, you need to avail yourself of the information available about this debilitating condition. Knowing this information and using it can greatly improve your life.
