Solid Tips For Surviving Sleep Apnea And Its Effects

Chris Kostopoulos Feb 22, 2013 · 4 min read

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

If you have sleep apnea, you’re already aware of the lack of sleep this condition can cause and the toll it can take on your health. Adequate sleep is imperative in maintaining a healthy and happy life. There are a lot of things you will be able to do to help it. Keep reading for information that will help you handle your sleep apnea.

A diagnosis of sleep apnea usually involves your personal and family medical histories, as well as a comprehensive physical examination. Sleep studies may be suggested and your doctor might refer you over to a type of sleep specialist that can diagnose and treat your symptoms.

TIP! If you are waking up with cotton mouth because of your CPAP device, there are some things you can do. Increasing humidity can help keep your mouth less dry.

Using a nasal spray prior to bedtime can help. Avoid nasal sprays that have chemicals that can intensify your sleep apnea symptoms. You can find many saline sprays that last for extended periods of time. Your nasal passage will thank you for using them.

Sleep Apnea

If you suffer from sleep apnea, do not take pills. They can relax your throat muscles, making it hard to get enough air when you sleep. Having a bad sleep apnea case could make these pills a dangerous option. It may be tempting to use these pills to sleep better, but it’s not worth the risk.

TIP! Stop smoking if you have sleep apnea. Swelling of the airways occurs when one smokes; this makes sleep apnea worse.

Exercise and tone your throat and neck muscles to help with sleep apnea. Nearly any solution for increasing your throat muscle strength will help prevent the collapse of your airway during sleep. Make faces, hum, stick the tounge out, or play a instrument. These exercises will help make your throat stronger.

Get through sleep apnea by consulting with your practitioner about getting a CPAP machine. You need to be aware of the machine’s size, as well as how loud it is. Quality CPAP machines are nearly noise-free and easily fit on a bedside table. The doctor would be able to guide you to the right one to use.

Sleep Apnea

TIP! Alcohol should be avoided, especially before going off to bed. Alcohol can make a sleep disorder much worse than it already is.

Take action against sleep apnea by getting yourself a fitted mouth guard! These can help take care of any problems with your airways, which are usually the culprit for sleep apnea. Sometimes the shape of the jaw can determine whether or not you have this affliction.

If you aren’t sleeping with a partner each night who can let you know of any irregularities in your sleeping patterns, it can be hard to know if you have this condition. You can always set up a camcorder to make a video of a typical night’s sleep. Whatever video system you set up also need an audio component, since your physicians are going to need to hear the sounds you make.

If your current treatment options are not cutting it, speak to a doctor about additional techniques that may be suitable. If you do not have success with standard treatments, you may have to consider surgery, such as a tonsillectomy or airway enlargement.

TIP! Sleep apnea sufferers often benefit from laying on their side during sleep. Sleeping on your back can block your airway.

Try going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. If you have sleep apnea, doing things to improve your sleep rhythm are helpful. Go to bed at the same time each night to train your body. This can help you get much better sleep.

Sleep Apnea

If you suffer from snoring or sleep apnea, learn to play an instrument. Not only will it be soothing for you, but in a trial study in Germany, it showed that a wind instrument can relax the symptoms of sleep apnea. Just as working out helps to make other muscles in the body stronger, playing an instrument will help make the muscles in your mouth and throat stronger.

TIP! Keep your throat and jaw muscles in shape. Some cases of sleep apnea are just contingent upon weaker muscles, so exercising them can really help out your condition.

As you are now aware, effective treatment options do exist for managing your sleep apnea. Incorporate the tips in the above article to help yourself finally get the sleep you deserve. You may be surprised by how dramatic a difference it makes in your life to be well-rested and energized at the start of the day.