Many people do not understand what sleep apnea is and how it can be treated and managed. Sleep apnea is much more than snoring, it is a serious medical affliction that can have a number of negative health consequences. This article contains information on sleep apnea and several tips on how to best treat it.

Try losing some weight. Getting into shape has many benefits. If you are on the heavier side and suffering from sleep apnea, you may find that slimming down helps with that as well. Studies have found that overweight and obese individuals are more likely to find relief from sleep apnea by getting themselves to a healthier weight.

Alleviate you sleep apnea by loosing weight. Many studies have demonstrated that sleep apnea can be significantly improved or even eliminated when patients slim down. You can go to the gym, join exercise classes or just get out and walk. Taking off the extra pounds will help you sleep more soundly.

Adjust your CPAP machine. Most machines come with default settings that might not correspond to your needs. You should be able to regulate the airflow: try different settings and choose one that seems to work for you. If you feel like your machine is not working like it should, try changing the settings again.

Stop smoking. Smoking cigarettes is bad for you for many different reasons. Smoking can also cause sleep apnea. It isn’t just bad for your lungs; it can also cause your upper airway to swell. This can make it difficult for you to get the breath that you need at night.

People who do not have a partner sleeping with them may not know they suffer from sleep apnea. If you wake up with a dry or sore mouth, wake up out of breath, have morning headaches, insomnia, and/or go to the bathroom frequently during the night, you may have sleep apnea and should talk to a doctor.

Make sure to provide relief for your allergies. Congestion can make it harder to breathe through your nose and force you to take in air through your mouth. Allergies can cause soft tissues to swell and make apnea much more severe. Research the medicines you use to treat your symptoms and be wary of adding side effects to the mix.

It is hard to know whether or not you are having difficulty breathing at night if you sleep alone. Try taping yourself at night to see if you do. Make sure that the microphone on your recording device picks up any snoring or other noises you make while sleeping, because your physician needs to hear them.

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.

If you are not having any luck managing your apnea, you may want to talk to a doctor about more radical treatments. There are surgical procedures that have proven to be highly effective in severe sleep apnea cases, such as airway enlargement and the removal of the adenoids or (if they’re still present) the tonsils.

People who use alcohol, sedatives, and sleeping pills are far more likely to suffer from sleep apnea. This is because these drugs will relax the throat and cause their breathing to be impaired. Using these drugs before bedtime is more likely to cause sleep apnea than using these drugs during the day.

Did you know there are exercises that you can do to reduce your sleep apnea? Throat exercises are a great way to reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea. Try pressing the tongue against the floor of your mouth. Use a toothbrush to brush the tongues tops and sides. Repeat this exercise three times a day for five repetitions.

Spending time exercising your throat muscles may significantly increase the complications of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is caused by the obstruction of breathing that results from the collapse of the soft tissues in the back of the throat. When your muscles are strenghthened they will not block your air passages.

One great way to track your sleep progress, especially if you sleep alone, is by recording yourself in the night. The next day you can watch for signs of apnea and see if there are specific times or triggers that cause the apnea. This is a great resource for your medical professional as well.

As was discussed in the beginning of this article, many people do not understand sleep apnea and fail to respect just how serious a medical problem it is. If left untreated, the disorder will cause a number of health issues. Apply the tips from this article to successfully treat sleep apnea.

Tips You Need To Know If You Have Sleep Apnea was originally published on Spring