If you or someone you know suffers from sleep apnea, read on. Failing to adequately manage your sleep apnea will have an adverse effect on your health. Go over all the sleep apnea tips in this article and use the advice to craft a plan to help you in your own life.
If your sleep apnea is a result of narrow airways, look at options for a mouth guard. These devices are designed to correct your airways and allow you to breathe properly during the night. Speak with your doctor concerning mouth guards, and have yourself fitted for one, provided your doctor agrees.
4 Hours
If your doctor has prescribed a CPAP machine, try to wear it for about 4 hours every night. Sleeping while using a CPAP can be difficult to adjust to at first, but it is not impossible. For the CPAP therapy to work, it must be used a minimum of four hours per day. Try two hours at first if you must. The next week you should increase that amount to 4 hours. In the end, you should never use it less than 4 hours per night on a permanent basis.
Sleep apnea is a significant disorder. If you experience symptoms of sleep apnea, don’t delay the conversation with your doctor. After diagnosis, you may be referred to a sleep specialist who may order a home study using a portable monitor. In this way, the specialist can assess your condition accurately.
A doctor looks at both your medical history and family history when diagnosing sleep apnea. Also, your doctor may want to try a sleep study on you. Depending on the results, you may be referred to a specialist.
Sleep Apnea
If you are lacking someone to sleep next to you it might be hard to tell if you suffer from sleep apnea. Using a simple camcorder while you sleep can give you the information you need. Make sure any video you make includes an audio stream, since certain noises are clues that you may suffer from sleep apnea.
Keep a regular sleeping schedule to lessen the symptoms of sleep apnea. Your sleep disorder is already a sleep disrupter nightly. If you can get on a better scheducle you will help your symptoms. The most important adjustment to make is to go to bed and get up at the same time every day.
If you have a stuffy nose, use a saline spray or neti pot. This type of product can ease occasional congestion or dryness. Remember that nasal sprays should only be used on a temporary basis to avoid nasal damage and irritation. Visit your local pharmacist to learn which nasal sprays you can pick from.
Sleep apnea is not something that should be ignored, because it will not go away without treatment. Some treatments work better for different people. Although losing weight is known to reduce sleep apnea symptoms, people who are thin suffer also. If you use a CPAP it can help your sleep apnea leaps and bounds. Other people might just want to opt for surgery. Regardless of the method you use, obtaining some type of treatment is essential to living a higher quality of life with this condition.
You can get some relief from your sleep apnea symptoms by doing tongue exercises. Try pressing your tongue to the top of your mouth and holding it there for a minimum of three minutes. This should strengthen both your tongue and throat muscles, which helps them to not relax while you’re asleep.
Do not drink too much alcohol if you have sleep apnea. Alcohol consumption relaxes throat muscles beyond normality and can block an airway. Either stop drinking entirely, or limit your consumption to only one or two drinks well before you go to bed. This will ensure alcohol doesn’t affect your sleep.
Don’t be embarrassed about using a CPAP machine or getting treatment. You need not be self-conscious about your need to use a CPAP machine; be upfront about its medical necessity with friends, relatives, and room-mates. Anybody who doesn’t understand doesn’t deserve your time.
Sleep Apnea
If you do not treat sleep apnea, it can cause many health problems. It is essential to do your research when you have sleep apnea. Take what you’ve learned here to heart, and start to get a handle on your condition.