No sleep disorder is fun to live with, and sleep apnea is a particularly tough one to handle. Fortunately, there are a number of ways you can address this issue and improve the overall quality of your sleep. Use the advice from this article to sleep more comfortably.
If you are over weight, going on a diet can reduce your sleep apnea, or in rare cases, eliminate it completely. Maintaining a healthy weight can help you breathe easier, so losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight when you have trouble breathing is an obvious step in treating your sleep apnea.
Everyone who snores does not have sleep apnea. Conversely, everyone who has sleep apnea does not necessarily snore either. How do you know the difference? The biggest signs are how you feel during the course of a normal day. Snoring does not interfere with the sleep quality the same way that sleep apnea does. With snoring you are less likely to suffer from fatigue during the day.
For the sleep apnea patient using CPAP treatment, the wide range of options in machines and masks can seem overwhelming. The key to selecting the best equipment for your needs is to test out the various models yourself. Your Durable Medical Equipment (DME) provider should have a variety of masks and accessories available for you to try out. Don’t settle for the “standard” company mask. Insist on viewing several and being fitted properly. Comfort and good fit are key to successfully adjusting to CPAP treatment.
If you have sleep apnea, never take sleeping pills. The pills may relax the throat muscles so much that your airways do not function properly. Find other ways to solve your troubles with staying asleep, because sleep apnea mixed with sleeping pills can be a potentially life-threatening mix.
Although there are many things, you can do yourself regarding sleep apnea, don’t forget the help of the medical community. When dealing with a problem as serious as sleep apnea, you need to seek the help of a doctor as well as a sleep clinic in order to avoid any serious medical problems.
Sleeping in certain positions can also impact your sleep apnea. That’s why you need to sleep in an optimal position. Take a foam wedge to lift the top of your body up. Or, if you can, raise the top of your bed by at least four inches.
There are different ways that sleep specialists will treat sleep apnea. They may start by treating an underlying medical condition, using oxygen while you are sleeping or utilizing breathing devices that will manage your obstructive sleep apnea. They could prescribe medications that will help with the sleepiness, but will not help with the apnea itself.
If you are suffering from sleep apnea, sleeping pills are definitely not your answer. Sleeping pills give you similar negative symptoms as alcohol would. These pills relax your airways too much and will worsen your symptoms. Not only will your symptoms worsen; you may experience other side effects as well. Lay off of sleeping pills for a good night’s rest.
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.
Because our days are busy, we require enough energy to get through things and get things done. Use the tips presented here to make sleep apnea a thing of the past and face each day with plenty of energy.
