Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Great Ideas For How To Deal With Sleep Apnea

Do you sleep with a loved on who keeps you up with his snoring? Have you ever heard him stop breathing in the middle of the night? You may be dealing with something more serious than simple snoring - sleep apnea. Don't fret, however, as this article has some great tips!

Sleep apnea can be connected to your weight. If you are overweight, consider going on a diet to lose a few pounds. Studies have shown that overweight people who suffer from sleep apnea were able to improve their symptoms by losing about 25 pounds in a year: give it a try!

If you feel tired every day, you may have sleep apnea. Some of the common signs of sleep apnea include, chronic snoring, pauses in breathing, daytime sleepiness, and choking or gasping during sleep. If your partner notices that you have these symptoms while you are sleeping, you should go to a doctor for an assessment of your condition.

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.

Avoid drinking alcohol. Getting buzzed or drunk causes your airways to relax too much. If someone goes to sleep in a drunk state, you can hear the effects from their deep snoring. In someone who already suffers from sleep apnea, it can be very dangerous. Avoid alcoholic drinks to sleep safer.

On easy way to help limit your sleep apnea is to stick to regular sleeping hours. When you stick to a sleep schedule that is steady and consistent, you will be more relaxed and sleep much better. Apnea episode frequency will be greatly reduced if you can get plenty of sleep every night.

The first thing to do when you think you are dealing with sleep apnea is to discover if it is really apnea or just advanced snoring. If you have a loved one sleeping with you, this can be done alone at home, but if not you may need to visit a sleep clinic.

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.

If you want a way to reduce your chances of getting sleep apnea, strengthen your throat muscles. Relaxed or excessive tissue can obstruct air passages and make breathing difficult. As the muscles become stronger, they will be less likely to collapse and block the airways.

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.

Reduce your weight to combat sleep apnea. Increased weight is often a cause of sleep apnea because the increased weight causes the airways to be narrower, thus allowing them to collapse more easily during sleep. By dropping your weight you can reduce the compression the airways and minimize issues while sleeping.

Prior to going to bed, it is important to open up your nasal passages. This is so that you get enough air flow. To open up the nasal passages, you may want to use saline spray, a nasal dilator, a neti pot, breathing strips or whatever your doctor may have recommended.

Lose weight. If you find yourself having difficulty sleeping, take the time to evaluate your weight. If you are obese, that is likely a major factor in your sleep apnea. Start on a diet and exercise regime right away so that you can slim down and sleep more comfortably every night.

Many people who have sleep apnea sleep on their back. A change in your sleep position can often help your breathing at night. It has been proven that side sleeping helps alleviate sleep apnea so you can get some rest.

When suffering from a problem like sleep apnea, you should always check out the basics of your life first. If you smoke, overeat, eat late at night, or ingest high quantities of caffeine, simply changing these life habits may be enough to improve your overall sleep situation without any surgeries.

Surgery may be your answer. If you have tried the at-home treatments with no success, surgery may be required to cure your sleep apnea. If your apnea is caused by severe misalignment of your jaw, you may require surgery to correct your alignment, thus enlarging your airway and curing the sleep apnea.

Daytime napping can help combat against sleep apnea. If you don't get enough sleep, your health and functionality can be seriously impacted. Because of this, take as many naps as possible so that your amount of good sleep is increased.

Consider the impact that eating has on the quality of sleep you get, if you are prone to sleep apnea. Big meals can make you tired way before bedtime, and prolonged occupation of the sofa will compromise the quality of sound sleep you may get later. Try a little physical activity after meals to avoid this.

Add regular exercise into your routine. Exercise not only tires out the body, it helps relax your mind as well. With a normal exercise routine, you may find that a more normal sleep is possible. It may keep the sleep apnea symptoms from being as severe or even not appearing at all.

Now that you are better informed about the reality of sleep apnea, it is time to become proactive about it. If your loved on is the sufferer, the first thing to do is pass this article on to him or her. That way you can tackle the problems head on and together.

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