Sleep apnea has the potential to seriously disrupt the lives of not only sufferers themselves but also of those they love. Learning the causes and symptoms of this condition is the best way to effectively manage the problems sleep apnea can cause. Use the ideas in the piece below, and you will be prepared to win the war against sleep apnea.
Improve your sleep apnea by slimming down a bit. Recent research showed dramatic improvements in overweight men who shed 25 pounds over a period of one year to reduce sleep apnea symptoms. In some cases, the weight loss resulted in a cure of sleep apnea where no further treatment of the condition was necessary.
Avoid using sleeping pills and do not be tempted to consume alcohol before bedtime. Both sleeping pills and alcohol are sedatives, which can interfere with your breathing, as they cause your throat muscles to relax. You should also avoid other types of sedatives, including some prescription painkillers and many street drugs.
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.
Many people don’t realize that sleep apnea is not something to ignore and can be potentially dangerous if left untreated. If you think you may have it, it is important to make an appointment with your doctor to discuss it. With an official diagnosis, you will have to see a sleep specialist and possibly a home based sleep test with a portable monitor to fully assess the 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.
If you have tried a number of less drastic sleep apnea treatment options, you might want to consider discussing surgical treatment options for the condition with your primary care physician. Sleep apnea treatment surgery often involves increasing the diameter of your airway in an effort to reduce the number of apnea episodes that you experience.
You may have to maintain a sleep log for your doctor to diagnose your condition. The intent is for you to record both the overall amount of sleep you get and any unusual symptoms or incidents that occur. If your sleeping partner is telling you that you snore or jerk in your sleep, you may have sleep apnea. With this information, your doctors can make a final determination on whether or not you suffer from sleep apnea.
There are known risk factors for sleep apnea. Some of obstructive sleep apnea risk factors are being overweight, a smoker, male, related to someone with sleep apnea or being Hispanic, Black, or a Pacific Islander. If you have one or more of these risk factors, you are more prone to being diagnosed with sleep apnea.
Do you always sleep on your back? Try sleeping on your side instead. When you sleep on your back with a head propped on a pillow, your airways get narrower. Go to sleep on your side and use cushions to prevent yourself from rolling in your sleep. Your airways should remain open as long as you are on your side.
For people who smoke, the best way to correct a sleep apnea condition is to quit smoking. Smoking is one of the biggest causes of sleep apnea. When people stop smoking their risk of sleep apnea is reduced and they can get a full night sleep within days of quitting.
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.
Try using a nasal spray for an irritated nose. It helps to clear the nasal passages and airways to let you sleep more soundly. However, you should not use these sprays for an extended period of time to avoid irritation. You should go to your pharmacy and explore different options to keep your nose open while you sleep.
There can be no dispute about the inconvenience and health difficulties that arise from sleep apnea. Sufferers and their loved ones must gain as much knowledge about the condition as possible in order to combat its symptoms. By heeding the advice above, it is possible to gain the upper hand against sleep apnea and resume a normal life.
Sleep Apnea Can Be Dangerous. Follow These Tips To Sleep Well. was originally published on Spring