If you or someone you know has been having trouble dealing with sleep for a long time, it may be because of sleep apnea. Read on to get more useful information.
Do you smoke or drink? Rid yourself of those bad habits. Both have a negative influence on your air passages. Alcohol use will lead to over-relaxation of your airways, making sleep apnea symptoms worse, while smoking can have a similar effect by constricting them. If you’re not able to stop smoking and drinking, at least don’t do them before you fall asleep.
Drop some of your vices to combat sleep apnea.Drinking alcohol and smoking are the biggest offenders. Drinking affects the ability of your respiratory system to function.Smoking adds harmful chemicals which damage your lungs and damages them over time. Dropping these habits entirely will help ease your symptoms.
Lose some weight if you need to. Obesity is linked with sleep apnea according to certain studies. If you slim down, even shedding 25 pounds can provide a drastic improvement in your symptoms.
Reduce your consumption of alcohol. Alcohol causes your muscles to relax. Although many people desire this side-effect of alcohol, it is not beneficial to people with sleep apnea. Alcohol relaxes throat muscles and can make it difficult to keep the air passage open. If you must drink alcohol, consume it sparingly and at least a few hours before heading to bed.
If you have been prescribed a CPAP for sleep apnea, you should at least use it four hours every night. It can be hard for some patients to get used to sleeping with a CPAP. If you still have trouble adjusting, then ensure you are using it at least four hours a night.
Sleep Apnea
Are you not having any success at improving your symptoms of sleep apnea? If so, then visit your doctor and ask him or her about other options you can utilize. Not everyone responds to the standard treatment for sleep apnea, and some may need to do something a little more drastic, including surgical techniques.
Eating healthy foods consistently can reduce your weight and relieve sleep apnea. A lot of people would be surprised to learn that eating badly makes sleep apnea. Research has proven that those who consume low quality food demonstrate more severe sleep apnea.
A lot of people who have sleep apnea lay down in bed at night on their backs.Sleeping one one’s back may cause constriction of the throat and mouth tissues to obstruct your airways. Sleeping on one’s side makes breathing significantly easier. If you move around at night and tend to always wind up on your back, try propping yourself on one side with pillows.
If you have a stuffy nose, use a saline spray or neti pot. This should clear your airways, at least temporarily. Don’t use it over a long duration because it can cause problems. Take a trip to the local pharmacy to see what they have available to help with keeping your nose open when you’re sleeping.
If you’re a sleep apnea sufferer undergoing CPAP treatment, take your sleep apnea machine with you. Your CPAP machine should be with you for both planned stays and trips to an emergency room.This will simplify your CPAP therapy during your hospital stay.
This article has given you some great advice to think about and discuss with others. If you believe you can ignore sleep apnea, you are very wrong. Share this article with your family members who are affected by sleep apnea in order to maximize the effect its advice can have.
Take what steps you can to reduce the risk factors of sleep apnea you’re subject to. Some sleep apnea risk factors (like genetic predisposition or being a man) are impossible to escape. There are many other factors, though, that can be minimized or eliminated through lifestyle changes, such as excessive weight, alcohol use, or smoking.