Sleep disorders are a common, but often unrecognized, class of health problems that cause widespread problems for millions of people. Sleep apnea is one common disorder that is caused by blocked airways during the night. This leads to snoring, tiredness, headaches, and other problems. For some effective treatments, keep reading this article.
Do throat and tongue exercises daily to reduce your apnea symptoms. The results of recent research suggest that jaw exercise, and tongue exercises can greatly reduce the presence of sleep apnea symptoms. Doing just a few of these exercises every day can help you get a good night of rest.
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.
If you have sleep apnea and cannot break the habit of sleeping on your back, try sleeping in a t-shirt with two tennis balls sewn into the back. Making this sleep shirt is a simple project to do at home, and it can help to break you of sleeping on your back. Every time you try to roll over on your back in your sleep, the tennis balls will remind you to roll back onto your side.
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.
Sleep apnea is a serious condition that can be improved by losing weight if you are obese. Losing about 25 pounds can dramatically improve this condition. For some people that will cure the problem, for others it may just help improve the symptoms that you are experiencing. Try to eat healthy and make sure to get enough exercise every day.
A great way to know if you are experiencing severe apnea is to keep a sleep journal. Write down all the times that you wake up in the night and also record how you feel in the morning. This will help you to have a record to see your progress.
If you have sleep apnea, and you have to have a sleep study, considering taking your pillow from home with you. It can be very difficult to sleep in the sleep lab. You are in an unfamiliar place in a strange bed. You have lots of wires, and electrodes attached to you. Having your own pillow can help to relax you and make it easier to fall asleep.
When you get your sleep apnea diagnosis and the doctor gives you a CPAP machine, be determined to stick with CPAP therapy. It can be a real adjustment getting used to sleeping with a mask on your face every night. However, your life and health depend on it. So tell yourself this is not optional, and set your mind on making it work.
There have been many advances in the treatment of sleep apnea recently and it is in your best interest to explore all of the various options in treatments. If you were unhappy with previous results from past treatments, you may find a new treatment that will work for you and that you will be comfortable with.
Don’t sleep on your back if you are a sleep apnea sufferer. If you sleep on your back, you may constrict your airways, resulting in trouble sleeping. Sleeping on your back is the worst possible position for people who suffer from sleep apnea.
Without a doubt, one major contributor to the level of severity of sleep apnea is weight. If you find yourself to be a few pounds overweight it may be time to hit the gym. Studies have shown losing weight has drastically reduced, and sometimes altogether gotten rid of the symptoms of sleep apnea.
Because apnea is not a problem of the nose, but rather a problem of the throat, making the throat stronger can have positive effects on controlling apnea symptoms. There are many fast and easy throat exercises you can learn about and use.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, it is important that you maintain a healthy body weight. Being overweight significantly worsens sleep apnea and losing just a few excess pounds can go a long way towards dramatically improving your ability to breathe properly while you sleep. Following a healthy diet and exercise plan is one of the best ways to deal with sleep apnea.
If you have sleep apnea and are looking for a way to improve your sleep, think about using a nasal spray. If your nose is stuffy and clogged up breathing properly during sleep will be incredibly difficult and a nasal spray may be of use. You don’t, however, want to use a nasal spray for an extended period of time because this can cause damage to your nose.
If you have sleep apnea, and you hate using your CPAP, try viewing it as a kindness to your sleep partner. No doubt, they have had to put up with your loud snoring for years before you got your diagnosis. Using your CPAP every night assures that they can rest peacefully for a change. In addition, your health will improve, and you will get to stay alive longer to spend more time with your loved one.
Sleep apnea can be an annoying and potentially dangerous sleep disorder, but the good news is that there are effective ways of treating it. You do not just have to accept that you will never sleep well at night. By using the tips in the preceding article, you can find safe, effective relief from this problem.