If your life is being disrupted by sleep apnea, whether it is you or your partner, you should take steps to address it and correct it so that you both can get a better night’s rest. Do not ignore the problem of sleep apnea, and do not let your significant other neglect it on your behalf! Continue reading to learn more.
If you have moderate to severe sleep apnea, lose some weight. Being over-weight or obese can affect your breathing severely and can cause many health problems, including sleep apnea. Those individuals who lost at least twenty to twenty-five excess pounds saw a marked improvement in respiratory issues related to sleep apnea.
Get a mouth guard made especially for sleep. If you have a recessed chin, overbite or a small jaw, they way your jaw sits while you sleep may be causing the breathing problems while you sleep by narrowing your airways. A mouth guard can correct this and help you sleep better.
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.
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.
Don’t give up on treatment for sleep apnea after one doesn’t work. There are a variety of treatments for your condition, so finding the right one is sometimes a process of trial and error. The number and severity of your symptoms influence what treatment is correct one for you. Giving multiple treatments a chance ensures you find the one that works the most effectively.
If you have a CPAP machine, you should always have it with you. Using a different machine might not work as well since the settings or the mask might be different. If you have to go to the hospital, have someone bring your machine so you can keep on using it.
You can do tongue exercises to help minimize sleep apnea symptoms. One exercise you can try involves putting your tongue on the roof of your mouth, then keeping it there for at least 180 seconds. This will strengthen your throat and tongue muscles and reduce the chances of them relaxing while you sleep and blocking your airways.
The most important aspect of dealing with sleep apnea is understanding exactly what it is. Unlike simple snoring, it is when a sleeper stop’s breathing for a short period of time while he is sleeping. If your sleep partner tells you that sometimes you stop breathing, there is a good chance you have apnea.
If you are drowsy, listen to your body. If you are not getting enough sleep at night because of sleep apnea, you are more likely to feel drowsy during the day. This indicates that your treatments are not effective. So, when you are feeling drowsy on a regular basis, consider visiting your doctor to re-discuss your treatment options and your current apnea treatment plan.
One way to determine whether or not you may have sleep apnea is to have your partner report what they see, hear and feel during the night. While you might not notice yourself waking up, your partner may hear you snoring, tossing and turning, or gasping in the wee hours.
If you suffer from sleep apnea now might be the time to see the doctor. There are a multitude of prescription medications available that can help you rest more fully throughout the night. amongst these medications are Lunesta, Ambien, and Rozerem, to name a few. Each of these will help you get a full 8 hours of restful sleep.
Falling asleep belly up can be detrimental for sufferers of sleep apnea. Sleeping on your back makes it far more likely for your airway to collapse as you sleep, causing apnea. The best thing you can do is sleep on the side.
Sleep apnea sufferers oftentimes take sleeping pills in an effort to get a good night’s sleep. This is a huge mistake. Taking sleeping pills will actually make it harder for you to breathe while you sleep. This is because sleeping pills relax throat muscles, which leads to your throat getting blocked off. Sleeping pills can also cause lead to a number of other problems, including addiction.
Do not hesitate to ask your partner for help. Your partner could help you get your CPAP machine ready before you go to sleep and even wake you up if you are choking and gasping in the middle of the night. If your partner is not willing to do these things for you, you should probably find someone who is really there when you need them.
Use a CPAP machine. You may not like the idea of sleeping in a machine, but many people who use a CPAP have found relief of their sleep apnea symptoms in a very short time. Such a machine may be uncomfortable at first, but if you stick with it, you will find a great deal of relief.
If nothing works for your sleep apnea, think about getting surgery. Having your tonsils or adenoids removed or some work down to your nose could make your symptoms go away. Before you get surgery, make sure you know what is causing your sleep apnea: your doctor should be able to recognize over-sized tonsils.
Here you have read through some wonderful advice with regards to sleep apnea. If you think sleep anea is something that can be ignored, that could not be further from the truth. Share copies of this article with other people so they can get help if they have symptoms of sleep apnea.