The information found below will help anybody who is suffering from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can cause extreme problems for those who do not treat it. However, this condition can be managed with the proper treatments. Carefully study the sleep apnea health tips and advice contained in this article and apply them to your life.
Do you smoke and drink? Try to rid yourself of these horrible habits. They may hurt your air passages. Smoking will cause your throat to swell, and alcohol will relax it too much. If it’s too challenging to give up these habits entirely, you should at least avoid indulging in them as you approach your bedtime.
Get fitted for a specialty made mouth guard. These special guards are designed to help people who suffer with sleep apnea. They make a good substitute for CPAP machine use, and provide better nighttime comfort. It keeps your air passageways wide open and clear by stabilizing your throat and holding it in the proper position.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea can benefit from a good diet that results in your losing weight. Not everyone equates bad and good food with sleep apnea, but many people have found out that it does play a role. People who eat unhealthily tend to have sleep apnea more often than those who eat healthier.
Sleep apnea is a dangerous condition to have. Be aware of the symptoms of sleep apnea and consult your doctor if you are concerned. Once you have been diagnosed, your next step will be a sleep specialist, who may administer a sleeping test using a small monitor to determine the extent of your condition.
Find another way to get to sleep other than sleeping pills. Similar to alcohol, a sleeping pill will relax the muscles in your throat. Natural sleep aids, such as melatonin, are much safer. Ask your physician about sleep aids that won’t also affect your breathing.
Try and get someone you know to tell you how you sleep through the night. A video recorder can help you discover whether you are sleeping well or struggling. Make sure any video you make includes an audio stream, since certain noises are clues that you may suffer from sleep apnea.
Your physician might ask you to start and maintain a sleep log to get a better grasp on your diagnosis. In it, you’ll be expected to log the hours you sleep nightly, any symptoms you may feel and the overall quality of your sleep. Your partner can let you know if you snore too loudly, jerk your limbs, or stop breathing. This helps the doctor discern whether you have sleep apnea or not.
If you suffer from sleep apnea and require a CPAP machine, make sure you have a medical ID bracelet. If you ever need medical attention in an emergency, it is critical that healthcare providers know that you have this condition and use that machine. With your ID you can inform medical personnel about your sleep apnea and your CPAP device.
Cpap Machine
Remember to bring the CPAP machine with you if you should happen to require a stay at the hospital. Your CPAP machine should be with you whether you’re admitted to the hospital or visiting the emergency room. Your mask has been fitted to you or maybe you have a special humidifier attached to your mask that a hospital won’t have. You’ll be able to resume your CPAP therapy much easier by having these things in the hospital with you.
If you suffer from sleep apnea and have issues with your sinuses or allergies, have them treated as soon as possible. Your condition already causes you to have trouble breathing while you sleep. You don’t need to deal with anything that will affect your breathing when you sleep. You will sleep better and have a more open airway if you treat nasal problems.
Try a good nasal spray to take care of nighttime nasal congestion. Nasal spray can temporarily reduce swelling in your nasal passages. However, they are not suitable for long term use. A quick trip to the pharmacy can turn you onto a host of different treatments that can help reduce nasal congestion.
Try using devices that help with snoring. When the airway is closed but still allows a little air through, that’s when snoring is most probable; in sleep apnea, the airways are almost fully closed. This is why it makes perfect sense as to why this might work for you. Anti-snoring devices help you reduce apnea as you sleep.
People with sleep apnea often get good results by losing weight. People who are overweight usually suffer from sleep apnea more. When you lose weight it takes a lot of the pressure off of your airways and allows you to breathe more easily when you sleep.
You need to have patience when you realize you have sleep apnea. There are a variety of treatments that you can do, but they take time to work. Dropping some pounds might help your sleep apnea, but that might not be the cause. Other options, including the use of a CPAP machine, have helped a great number of people curb their symptoms. For others, surgical techniques to remove airway obstructions may provide the most effective relief. However you go about it, get help and your quality of life will improve.
Pick up a wind instrument to play. The music is enjoyable and helps to strengthen the muscles that you use to control your breathing. Training your breathing muscles regularly will make them stronger and they will help you control your symptoms of sleep apnea while you sleep.
As we said before, if you let your sleep apnea go you may become gravely ill. If you have sleep apnea, you must learn about it. Learning about the causes, symptoms and treatments for sleep apnea can help your and your doctor find the right therapy for you specific condition.