How do you feel upon arising? Are you grouchy or tired? Do you have a headache? Is your loud snoring keeping your sleep partner awake at night? These can be signs of sleep apnea. The effects of this condition are often serious, so start looking for ways to treat your apnea immediately.
If your narrow airways are causing sleep apnea, get a mouth guard designed for sleeping. These mouth guards correct airways and facilitate breathing. It’s best to see a medical professional to get fitted properly for a guard that will fit your individual situation.
Excess weight is an issue that plays a negative role in many sleep apnea sufferers’ conditions. If this is true for you, try getting a little thinner. The simplest way to take off the weight is to eat fewer calories and engage in daily exercise. According to recent scientific work, many people looking to lose weight can also benefit from reducing their intake of carbohydrates.
Do you smoke or drink alcoholic beverages? If the answer is yes and you have sleep apnea, you need to stop both habits. These items can harm your airways. Smoking causes swelling in the airway. On the other hand, alcohol causes the airway to relax, much like sleeping pills. If you do not want to quit, just do not do it before laying down to sleep.
To help with your sleep apnea, you need to consult with your doctor about the best CPAP machine to use. You need to be aware of the machine’s size, as well as how loud it is. The newer CPAP machines are much smaller and quieter than earlier ones were. Your doctor can recommend which machines his patients have had the most success with.
It is important to use your CPAP machine if instructed to by your doctor. You should use it for the full night, but if you cannot, try to get at least 4 hours with the machine. Many folks have difficulty adjusting to the CPAP in the beginning. Keep in mind your CPAP device should be used at least four hours per night for it to help you. Using it for the minimum of four hours a day will allow yourself to slowly transition to full time use.
Quit smoking and drinking. Both of these habits are bad for the muscles in your air passage and can worsen apnea. Cutting out these habits actually saves you money, unlike other costly alternatives like surgery.
Limit your alcohol consumption. Drinking alcohol relaxes the muscles of your throat and airway. While this might often be a desirable side effect of drinking, it can also cause sleep apnea. Your throat muscles become relaxed and cause your airways to become blocked. Try your best to limit your drinking if you do decide to have alcohol, and try to not have any right before bed.
Purchase yourself a mouth guard that is made specifically for your mouth. Guards like these are specifically made for assisting sleep apnea patients. This is something that works well instead of using a CPAP, and it’s more comfortable. You will find that this mouth guard stabilizes the soft tissues and allows the airways to be more open.
You may be able to address your sleep apnea by simply changing from back sleeping to side sleeping. By sleeping on your back, you’ll notice that your throat and nasal passages may become obstructed. Try to fall asleep on one of your sides to see if that improves your sleep apnea this evening.
Eating in a healthy way will help you drop weight and fight apnea. You’d be surprised at how much a healthy diet can help you with sleep apnea. People who do not eat well, or are overweight, may suffer from sleep apnea.
Give sleeping on your sides a try. Most people who have sleep apnea realize that they have been sleeping on their back too much. Sleeping flat on your back may cause your throat and mouth tissues to obstruct your airways. Making an effort to stay off your back will help to give you a better night of sleep. If you have trouble staying off of your back, sew a tennis ball into the back of your sleeping clothes. This will help you stay on your side while you’re sleeping.
You really should cut down on your alcohol consumption. Consuming alcohol causes your muscles to relax too much. Although some people do enjoy this, it can contribute to sleep apnea. Because alcohol relaxes your throat muscles, your airway is harder to control. If you can’t give up drinking completely, at least make an effort to moderate your intake and avoid having alcohol in the hours leading up to your bedtime.
Sleeping by yourself can keep you from knowing if you have the symptoms of sleep apnea. Setting up a camera to record your sleeping habits might be the answer. Whatever video system you set up also need an audio component, since your physicians are going to need to hear the sounds you make.
Sleep apnea is not to be taken lightly. It’s important to seek medical advice as soon as you suspect you may be suffering from it. An official diagnosis might mean consultation with a sleep specialist, a sleep test and monitoring to get a whole grasp on your situation.
Sleep apnea is a condition that requires treatment in order to be resolved. Some treatments may work for certain people, but not all of them. Weight loss can ease sleep apnea for many people, even though apnea can be experienced by thin people too. There are many options available to help treat this condition, one of which is a CPAP machine. However, other people prefer having surgery where they can make changes in overcoming restrictions in the airway passages. Whichever route you choose, getting proper treatment can improve your sleep and your life.
Sleep apnea is usually diagnosed by a doctor after he looks at your family history, medical history, and you have a comprehensive 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.
Learn to play a woodwind instrument. This will be not only fun, but it will also help strengthen your throat muscles. Training these muscles will strengthen them and may help you to control them while you sleep and thus lessen your sleep apnea symptoms.
Keep a regular sleeping schedule to lessen the symptoms of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can disrupt your sleep every night. This is why it is important to maintain a consistent sleep pattern, which will eliminate sleepiness in the day. Setting regular times for both going to sleep and waking up is the most important thing to do.
If you currently are using a CPAP machine for sleeping, ask your general practitioner to prescribe a humidifier that is heated as well. Warm, moist air will make you more comfortable at night and allow you to sleep well. A lot of CPAP machines come with built-in humidifiers, so ask your doctor to prescribe that type for you.
People with sleep apnea who need a CPAP should have a medical ID that identifies the problem. If you need attention from paramedics or have to go to a hospital, your caregivers need to know that you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and require a CPAP. Your ID needs to mention your sleep apnea, your CPAP use and your CPAP pressure settings.
It is fine to get a CPAP machine, it’s natural for sleep apnea sufferers. Let people know that you need it, and do not feel self-conscious about using it in front of your friends or partner. 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.
Lower risk factors for sleep apnea. However, there are risk factors which aren’t changeable, such as being a male or that the condition is prevalent in your family. However, you can limit many others, like excessive weight, smoking or alcohol consumption.
It’s a good idea to try to sleep on your side rather than your back if you’re struggling with sleep apnea. One method to prevent yourself from changing positions during sleep is to sew a spherical object like a tennis ball into your nightclothes. This will keep you from rolling onto your back.
If you have sleep apnea, do not drink a lot of alcohol. Drinking can relax the throat muscles too much, and that can cause airways to be blocked as well as snoring. You should either cease drinking alcohol or reduce your consumption to no more than a couple of drinks before dinner. This will lessen the chances of alcohol interrupting your sleep.
Some research studies have pointed to throat excercises reducing the severity of sleep apnea. If you perform these exercises each day, your throat muscles will grow stronger over time, which means they will collapse less often while you are sleeping. 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 exercise daily.
Don’t be ashamed that you have to use a CPAP machine. Use it when you need to, and make others aware that it is necessary to your health and well-being. You also have to convince yourself that you need the machine. Your friends will understand if you explain why you use it.
If you suspect you are suffering from sleep apnea, schedule a sleep test with your doctor. A sleep test can diagnose both your sleep apnea and its severity. Following that, you can begin to treat the problem.
Sleeping in certain positions can also impact your sleep apnea. This is why it’s crucial to sleep properly. Try using foam wedges to prop up your body. An even better idea is to lift the top part of the bed by about four inches, if you can.
Don’t sleep face-up if you suffer from sleep apnea. Back sleeping could result in a collapsed airway, causing your symptoms. To avoid the affects of gravity, sleeping on your side gives the best results.
Some people find that learning to play the wind instrument they’ve always been interested in is an effective treatment for their sleep apnea. Playing a Didgeridoo or other wind instrument was shown to reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea in a German study. Taking up an instrument can help you with controlling your airways.
Sleep apnea causes chronic exhaustion, which is a self-reinforcing negative spiral. To address this ensure that you are sleeping on a schedule. Try to stick to the same bedtime and wake time every day of the week. This can keep your sleep apnea from getting worse.
You aren’t always going to be aware of your sleep apnea. If you feel exhausted or extremely sleepy during the day or find yourself falling asleep behind the wheel, talk to a doctor immediately. These symptoms may be indicative of sleep apnea, despite the fact that you don’t struggle to breathe at night.
Regularly exercise the muscles in your throat and jaw. Sleep apnea can be exacerbated by weak muscles in your throat, so taking the time to strengthen them can help you manage your apnea. Just doing some exercises can help your sleep apnea greatly.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, don’t drink prior to going to sleep. Your throat muscles become relaxed, and it makes it harder for you to breath during sleep. Drinking late in the evening is not advisable, but you can still have a drink earlier in the day.
Try to tone your throat muscles if you have sleep apnea. 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. Learning a wind instrument is known to work, and you can also make faces, stick your tongue out often and hum a lot. All of these activities can help to exercise and firm up the muscles in your throat.
Even though sleep apnea may be harmful to your health, it is actually good that there are many wonderful treatments available. The tips you’ve just read can help you when trying to find relief. If they’re not effective, speak with your doctor immediately concerning other options.
