How can you wake up early and face the day when you haven’t had a good night’s sleep? One of the biggest sleep thieves is sleep apnea, an advanced form of snoring. If you have been diagnosed with this issue, then check out some great tips in this article about living with it.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, you should use a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine while sleeping. This will help you treat your sleep apnea and get you on the path to having a full nights sleep. This machine uses either a face or nasal mask to pump air while you sleep.
Try your best to lay off tobacco and nicotine products. Cigarette smoke can irritate your upper airway causing it to swell up, subsequently hindering your ability to breath during the night. Quitting smoking could therefore, significantly improve your sleep apnea symptoms and will also improve your body’s overall health and your feelings of well-being.
If you have sleep apnea, be sure to ask your doctor every five years if you should have a follow-up sleep study. As your weight and health change, your CPAP pressure may need to be adjusted. The most accurate way to reassess your needs is to have another sleep study with CPAP so the appropriate pressure can be determined.
Eating healthy foods consistently can reduce your weight and sleep apnea symptoms. A lot of people are surprised to learn how their poor diet could be causing sleep apnea. Someone who is overweight but still eats a healthy diet will have fewer symptoms of apnea than someone who eats an unhealthy diet but weighs less.
If you are taking a great deal of medicines on a regular basis, sit with your doctor and discuss how they can be reduced. Side effects from prescription medication can be making your sleep apnea worse. Keep a dialog open with your doctor and make sure he is up to date on all your symptoms.
Weight loss is an effective tactic in combating sleep apnea in many cases. Some people are able to almost completely eliminate their sleep apnea with weight loss. Even just a small drop in your weight can contribute to a better night’s sleep, helping to clear the airways and your throat.
If you are concerned your snoring may be sleep apnea, try keeping a sleep diary. You would keep a record of the hours you sleep, how many times you wake at night, and whether you feel refreshed the next day. Also, if you have a bedmate, ask them if your snoring is loud and frequent and if you exhibit any gasping or choking sounds.
Consider trying devices that reduce snoring. When the airway is closed but still allows a little air through, that’s when snoring is most probable; in sleep apnea, the airways are almost fully closed. A device that can help with snoring may also work to help with apnea. If you have mild sleep apnea, an anti-snoring device may be enough to help with your condition.
On easy way to help limit your sleep apnea is to stick to regular sleeping hours. When you stick to a sleep schedule that is steady and consistent, you will be more relaxed and sleep much better. Apnea episode frequency will be greatly reduced if you can get plenty of sleep every night.
Sleeping at a high altitude can worsen your sleep apnea because of the lower levels of oxygen. If you are going to a place located higher than what you are used to, take a CPAP machine with you. The best thing to do would be to completely avoid high altitude.
Although there are many things, you can do yourself regarding sleep apnea, don’t forget the help of the medical community. When dealing with a problem as serious as sleep apnea, you need to seek the help of a doctor as well as a sleep clinic in order to avoid any serious medical problems.
One great tip for people who sleep with an apnea sufferer is to use a white-noise machine. While this won’t target the problem at all, it does at least help the partner to get a good night’s sleep. Remember to use the same sound every night in order to sync the noise with relaxation.
Even though you want to sleep better, do not take sleeping medication if you suffer from, or have a history of sleep apnea. What you may think will help will only make the condition worse by relaxing your muscles even more when you sleep. If you suffer from insomnia along with sleep apnea, speak with your doctor.
Taking the time to exercise your jaw and stick out your tongue may seem like children’s play. In a recent scientific study, people who performed jaw and tongue exercises daily were able to relieve some of their sleep apnea symptoms. It may not work for everyone, but could be worth a try for a good night’s rest.
There are different ways that sleep specialists will treat sleep apnea. They may start by treating an underlying medical condition, using oxygen while you are sleeping or utilizing breathing devices that will manage your obstructive sleep apnea. They could prescribe medications that will help with the sleepiness, but will not help with the apnea itself.
While it is common sense to avoid some things before sleeping, like caffeine, many people load up their plates and then go to bed. This is not healthy in general and can worsen sleeping issues like apnea. Avoid eating any heavy meals before going to bed and you will find yourself sleeping better.
Cut down on alcohol use. When you drink, the alcohol relaxes the muscles in your throat, making it easier for them to obstruct your airway and “collapse.” Don’t have alcohol within 4 or 5 hours before going to sleep to avoid this, if you want to continue to drink at all.
While it is difficult to completely remove sleep apnea, you can learn to live with it through tips like those found in this article. If you liked them, be sure to share this article with friends and loved ones who suffer from the same problem. This will help everyone to get a better night’s rest.
