If you do not feel well rested when you wake up in the morning, you may be suffering from a sleep disorder. One common disorder is sleep apnea. Those who suffer from this condition stop breathing when they sleep because their airways become blocked. Fortunately, there are ways of treating this condition.
A reason that a lot of people have problems with sleep apnea is due to excessive weight. In these cases, simply losing the extra weight can alleviate the symptoms. Increasing exercise and reducing your total calorie intake can help to accomplish this. Restriction of carbohydrates is shown to help those wanting to shed pounds.
Get a checkup regularly and act upon your doctor’s suggestions. Besides excess weight, you could be suffering from health issues such as heart disease and hypertension, which can greatly increase your chance of suffering from sleep apnea. Even problems with blood sugar can make sleeping a miserable experience for apnea sufferers.
Adjust your CPAP machine. Most machines come with default settings that might not correspond to your needs. You should be able to regulate the airflow: try different settings and choose one that seems to work for you. If you feel like your machine is not working like it should, try changing the settings again.
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.
Always get enough sleep. When you fail to get a decent amount of sleep on a regular basis or fail to follow a normal sleeping pattern. Insomnia and sleep apnea go hand in hand. So, when you can successfully sleep regularly, your symptoms are less pronounced because you are well rested.
Sleep apnea symptoms can be worse if you also have allergies or other sinus related issues. Sleep apnea makes breathing during sleep hard. The last thing you need is something else causing you difficulty breathing during your sleep. Keeping your airways clear and free by properly treating nasal issues can help you sleep better at night.
Being overweight is a common cause of sleep apnea. If you suffer from this condition, losing weight can help you find relief. Talk to your doctor to find some safe and effective ways of dropping a few pounds. Doing so will also benefit you in many other ways as well.
Only sleep with a single pillow of standard size. When you use multiple pillows or an over-sized pillow, it can interfere with your position as you breathe. As a result, you may find it more difficult to breathe normally. Use a single pillow for maximum relief from your sleep apnea.
Eliminate or reduce your alcohol consumption to reduce your sleep apnea episodes. The relaxation that results from alcohol use can cause you to breathe less deeply and may also increase the likelihood that your upper airway will collapse. If you can’t refrain altogether from alcohol, make sure that you don’t drink for at least 3 hours before bedtime.
If you have sleep apnea and use a CPAP machine at night, consider using saline nasal spray. The continuous airflow being pushed through your nose every time you sleep can cause your sinuses to dry out. Keep them hydrated by using two pumps of saline nasal spray in each nostril morning and night.
Reduce your weight to combat sleep apnea. Increased weight is often a cause of sleep apnea because the increased weight causes the airways to be narrower, thus allowing them to collapse more easily during sleep. By dropping your weight you can reduce the compression the airways and minimize issues while sleeping.
If you have a long flight coming up, tell the airline that you are going to need your CPAP on board. Many airlines are accommodating and will seat you in an area that has enough space where you can properly use the machine. Be sure to bring along a power adapter when using a foreign airline.
Smokers who also suffer from sleep apnea need to make a difficult decision. Research shows that smoking can worsen sleeping problems such as snoring and apnea, so those who like to light up need to really look into themselves and decide what is more important, nicotine or a great night’s sleep.
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.
If you are trying to sleep on your side to avoid problems with sleep apnea, one way to do ensure you stay on your side is to put hard round object in your clothes. This will help you to stay on your side throughout an entire night’s sleep and avoid apnea.
Many people find relief in treating sleep apnea with mouth and throat exercises. Some people learn from their doctors that weak muscles in their tongue, jaw and throat are the cause of their sleep apnea and exercises will help. Just a couple of exercises can greatly improve your symptoms.
Learn to control anxiety, to lessen the severity of sleep apnea symptoms. Just facing a restless night of sleep can create enough anxiety to keep you up! Learn effective anxiety-control methods that will enable you to clear your mind of problems, including the possibility of experiencing sleep apnea, so that you increase the chances of actually getting to sleep.
If sleep apnea is causing your sleep problems, you need to seek out treatment right away so that your problems do not become worse. First, try using the tips that you have just read in this article. If they do not help, you should consult a physician to learn about other treatment options.