People who deal with sleep apnea know how difficult it is to get even a single night of uninterrupted sleep. The most efficient way to combat the unpleasant effects of this condition is to learn as much as you can on the subject.
Do you occasionally drink or smoke? Stop these bad habits. These items can harm your airways. Alcohol relaxes your airways, and tobacco causes it to swell. Avoid second-hand smoke and do not drink immediately before going to bed.
Lose weight if you happen to be overweight and suffer from sleep apnea. There are many studies that sleep apnea is correlated with obesity. If you slim down, even shedding 25 pounds can provide a drastic improvement in your symptoms.
Playing with some wind instrument can be beneficial to your sleep apnea.Researchers in Germany found playing a didgeridoo can make your throat muscles stronger. These muscles are responsible for the strength of your airway and causing the walls of the airway to stiffen.
Sleep apnea is a severe condition to have. If you think you may have it, it is important to make an appointment with your doctor to discuss it. A specialist in sleep disorders can order the tests necessary to diagnose the condition.
You might consider video recording your sleep patterns with a camcorder. The video should be equipped with sound so that doctors can also have audio to listen for any noises.
Sleeping Pills
There are several components to a sleep apnea diagnosis including a physical examination, a complete review of your medical history and a review of your family history. Your doctor may recommend a sleep study as well. When your doctor has this information, he passes it on to a specialist who can help you even more.
Sleeping pills are not the answer if sleep apnea. Sleeping pills relax throat muscles and with your airway. These pills can become very dangerous if you have a bad case of sleep apnea; even though you might be tempted to use them to stay asleep, even if you just want to get to bed sooner.
You simply log the amount of hours you’re sleeping each night, whether you woke up during the night and how you felt when you woke up each morning. Your partner can help with that, quit breathing or jerk your limbs. This diary will help your doctor figure out if you’ve got sleep apnea or if you don’t.
If you are dealing with sleep apnea, you never want to take any sleeping pills. The muscles in your airway may become too relaxed. If your sleep apnea is bad, these can prove a real risk. No matter how bad you want a good night’s sleep, these are not the answer.
Everyone who’s experienced a bout of sleep apnea knows that the effects it has on the mind and body can be remarkably stressful. The great thing, however, is that if you educate yourself about your condition you will find that there are things you can do to relieve your suffering. Take the information you learned today and come up with a plan to help you get that good night’s rest you’ve been seeking for a long time.