This article’s information can help you if you have sleep apnea. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to poor health, but these health consequences can be avoided entirely with proper management. Go over all the sleep apnea tips in this article and use the advice to craft a plan to help you in your own life.
Excess weight also causes sleep apnea, so losing weight is a good idea. Multiple research projects demonstrate the connection between sleep apnea and being overweight. Therefore, if you are obese, a loss of just 25 pounds can cause a significant improvement in your apnea symptoms.
If you have sleep apnea, try sleeping on your side. If you are a back or stomach sleeper, gravity works against you all night. Your airway is much more likely to collapse if you face straight up or down. Instead, sleeping on your side makes it much easier for your body to maintain your airway as you sleep.
Avoid drinking alcohol very often. When drinking alcoholic beverages will relax your muscles. You may want to feel more relaxed, but it can exacerbate your apnea. Alcohol relaxes throat muscles and can make it challenging to keep the air passage open. While it’s not vital that alcohol be avoided 100%, please do what you can to make sure you do not drink it before a nap or nighttime sleep.
Keep your bedroom in prime shape for sleeping. Insomnia and sleep apnea are often connected. Keeping an environment in which you sleep at the right temperature, lightness level, and the sound level is essential for helping you get a good night of rest. The right environment also means leaving your stresses outside the bedroom to ensure you are relaxed enough to fall asleep.
If you have tried several less drastic sleep apnea treatment options, you might consider discussing surgical treatment options for the condition with your primary care physician. Sleep apnea treatment surgery often involves increasing the diameter of your airway to reduce the number of apnea episodes you experience.
If you are a smoker, this may be making your sleep apnea more severe. When you smoke a cigarette, the airways in your nose become swollen, restricting the amount of air that you can breathe. Quit smoking if you can. If you can’t give it up entirely, don’t smoke in the evenings before bed.
If you have sleep apnea and have been using your current CPAP machine for five years or more, see if it is time to replace it. CPAP technology is rapidly changing all the time. Many insurance policies allow for a new CPAP machine every five years. If yours does, consider upgrading to the newest CPAP so you can get the best treatment possible.
Suppose you use a CPAP machine and suffer from dry mouth. As a result, there are two solutions. First, try increasing the humidity of your system. If that doesn’t work, you can also try a chin strap. One or both of these solutions can prevent the air leakage that causes dry mouth.
You should adopt a healthy lifestyle and monitor your weight and blood pressure. Your doctor should be able to advise you on your diet and perhaps on a fitness program if you need to be more active. Living a healthy life should help you reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea.
If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, do not be shy about telling your friends and family. Sleep apnea is a widespread condition. It is possible that someone you know and love has it too and has not been diagnosed yet. By sharing your experience, you could help someone else realize they have a problem and encourage them to seek treatment.
Try sleeping on your side to reduce sleep apnea, as back sleeping only worsens the symptoms. You can use something like pillows or blankets so that you will not want to sleep on your back. Doing this makes back sleeping uncomfortable.
While you may not be obese or even very overweight, even a couple of extra pounds can cause sleep apnea. Even if you have a little belly, you should work to get rid of it and see if that removes your sleeping problems. You will thank yourself for it afterward.
Use meditation, warm baths, and massages to help you relieve stress and reduce anxiety-induced sleep apnea. A hot bath can help soothe your muscles to help you sleep better. This should provide you with an easier and faster way to sleep, reducing the chances of sleep apnea interfering and causing misery.
Frequently a simple humidifier can help with the dryness and irritation caused by using a CPAP machine when treating your sleep apnea. With the constant airflow, many people suffer from dry skin and irritation from using the CPAP machine. A humidifier or special facial moisturizers can help to ease these symptoms.
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 drinking.
Use a tennis ball to help you sleep on your side. When you sleep on your back, you can have a hard time breathing, so make sure that you do something that helps you avoid back sleeping. A tennis ball sewn into the back of your pajamas will feel uncomfortable if you sleep on your back, so your body will learn to be on the side.
In some more extreme cases of sleep apnea, your doctor may recommend a CPAP machine. These machines function to force your airway to remain open while asleep continually. While they can be a hassle, they frequently are lifesavers. If you think this may be necessary, speak with your physician.
As stated above, sleep apnea can cause serious health issues when left untreated. You need to do some research about sleep apnea if you have it. Now that you have read this article, you can use these tips to get more rest and live a healthier lifestyle.
