Even a small case of sleep apnea can cause big problems; nobody needs to go through their day on compromised sleep! If you suffer from sleep apnea, you know how challenging it can be to endure. The following article is written to enlighten you about some of the remedies and coping mechanisms for sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea can be connected to your weight. If you are overweight, consider going on a diet to lose a few pounds. Studies have shown that overweight people who suffer from sleep apnea were able to improve their symptoms by losing about 25 pounds in a year: give it a try!
If a person is severely overweight, they are much more likely to develop sleep apnea. In this case, a person suffering from sleep apnea needs to lose this excess weight. The best way to lose weight is to become physically active with exercise at least four times per week and eat less food calories than are burned off each day by activity. Taking carbohydrates out of a diet is something that studies show helps people lose weight.
For people who are using a CPAP machine, you need to take notes to give to your doctor. If you experience any symptoms, like snoring, that were eliminated when you started using the CPAP machine and they come back, you need to let your doctor know. Only your doctor can properly assess any problems.
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.
Consider sleeping sitting up if you have sleep apnea, and you do not have a CPAP available. Perhaps you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, but you have not had your CPAP prescribed yet. Maybe the power went out, and your CPAP will not work without electricity. Whenever you have to sleep without the benefit of CPAP therapy, sleeping sitting up will help to keep your airway from collapsing.
Try your best to maintain a regular sleeping schedule. When your body gets into a customary sleeping cycle, you will find yourself getting a better night’s sleep, and you will also be more relaxed. Several studies have shown that apnea episodes decrease when a person is not sleep deprived or stressed out.
Try yourself to sleep on your side. If you fall asleep on your back, gravity can make it easier for your tongue and/or tonsils to fall back into your throat and obstruct your windpipe, causing apnea episodes. While it may be hard a first, as time passes, however, it will start to become second nature to sleep on your side.
Sleep apnea is a serious condition that affects many overweight people. One of the first things that should be addressed by anyone suffering from this condition is to lose some weight. Until your weight is normal, your doctor may find it difficult come to an accurate diagnosis of the cause.
Many people simply lay down whenever they feel about it, and then complain when they aren’t sleeping well. The human body is based off of routine, so it is greatly beneficial to go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day. This can even help with snoring and apnea issues.
Try to find ways to really tire yourself out before going to bed. This means expending both your mental and physical energy before putting your head on the pillow. Going for a long walk is a great way to calm yourself down and clear your mind while also getting exercise.
Take the time to exercise your throat. Studies have shown that throat exercises can reduce sleep apnea symptoms by almost 40 percent. By practicing throat exercises daily, you can retrain your body to breathe in a way that prevents your sleep apnea. Although it may feel daunting to do the exercises daily, just envision how much more rested and energized you will feel after a good night’s sleep.
If you suspect that you have sleep apnea, talk to your doctor about undergoing a sleep study. During the course of the study, you will be hooked to monitors while you sleep. These monitors will tell doctors about the levels of oxygen in your blood, the states of sleep you enter, and whether or not your breathing is inhibited while you sleep.
Since sleep apnea is actually a throat problem and not a nose problem, strengthening the muscles in the throat can be a great way to reduce apnea issues. There are many exercises you can do that involve the throat, tongue and neck.
Pick up any type of wind instrument and learn to play it. You can pick up instruments like the clarinet or the flute to build your throat muscles. These instruments help you control airflow in your windpipe and strengthen your throat muscles. Over time, continual practice of woodwinds will start alleviating your sleep apnea since your throat and mouth muscles are growing in strength and motor control.
Sleep apnea sufferers should do everything they can to stop smoking. Smoking cigarettes inflames and irritates nasal tissues, which can make breathing much, much more difficult. Ideally, everyone with sleep apnea should totally give up cigarettes. This is, however, extremely difficult. Smokers with sleep apnea who can’t quit totally, should at least try to avoid smoking in the hours immediately before bedtime.
Battery backup can be a lifesaver for CPAP patients when camping, traveling or during a power outage. A wide array of options have sprung up in battery backup units, with most CPAP manufacturers offering units customized to their machines. At just 2-3 pounds, many units won’t weigh you down, but will happily keep you moving through an active lifestyle.
Hopefully this article has given you some very useful advice on controlling sleep apnea. Life is miserable when you haven’t gotten sufficient sleep and when it happens too often, everything suffers. Take the necessary steps to get control of your sleep apnea now with the tips from this article and finally get the sleep you deserve!