Try Out Some Of These Sleep Apnea Tips!
Many people who are sleep deprived may not know that their tiredness is, in fact, being caused by a certain sleep condition. Sleep apnea is common, and it's caused by airway obstruction at night. If you think you might have sleep apnea, keep reading to find out more.
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.
If you have sleep apnea, try sleeping on your side. If you are a back or stomach sleeper, gravity is working against you all night. Your airway is much more likely to collapse if you are facing straight up or down. Sleeping on your side instead makes it much easier for your body to maintain your airway as you sleep.
Clear up your nasal passage before heading to bed
If you suffer from sleep apnea and have problems with a "stuffed up" nose, using a nasal spray or device can help clear your nasal airway. This is not a permanent solution, but one you can use when your apnea symptoms are the worst.
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.
Try to sleep on a regular schedule if you have sleep apnea. Apnea disrupts your sleep patterns already. A routine sleep pattern will discourage the condition from getting worse. The best thing you can do is to be sure you're going to sleep and getting up every day during the same time.
If nothing you are trying is improving your sleep apnea symptoms, you should talk to your doctor about some of the more drastic treatment options that are available. A lot of people do not do well on some of the treatments, requiring complicated surgeries to enhance their airway.
You should use only one normal-sized pillow each night to sleep on. When you use multiple pillows or an over-sized pillow, it can interfere with your position as you breathe. Sleeping in this way may prevent easy breathing. Because of this you should only use one pillow for easier sleeping.
If you have a CPAP machine, you should always have it with you
Using a different machine might not work as well since the settings or the mask might be different. If you have to go to the hospital, have someone bring your machine so you can keep on using it.
If you have sleep apnea, and you smoke, it's crucial that you quit right away. Smoking causes the throat to inflame, making it hard for air to get into your airways. In fact, studies suggest that smoking may cause or worsen sleep apnea in some patients. So, avoid it altogether!
Your sleep position can impact the severity of sleep apnea. This is the reason why it's vital to sleep in a proper position each night. Try taking a foam wedge and using it to raise the top half of your body. Alternatively, you can elevate the upper portion of your bed a few inches.
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.
Try to find ways to really tire yourself out before going to bed
This means expending both your mental and physical energy before putting your head on the pillow. Going for a long walk is a great way to calm yourself down and clear your mind while also getting exercise.
Getting fitted for a mouth guard may help reduce your sleep apnea if you have an overbite, a small size jaw or a recessed chin. The position of your jawbone can actually block your airways when you have these problems. Using a mouth guard will help correct this issue, and can reduce the symptoms that you are struggling with.
If you suspect that you have sleep apnea, talk to your doctor about undergoing a sleep study. During the course of the study, you will be hooked to monitors while you sleep. These monitors will tell doctors about the levels of oxygen in your blood, the states of sleep you enter, and whether or not your breathing is inhibited while you sleep.
Your head and your throat should be aligned when you sleep
You can align your airways by sleeping on your side and propping your head with a small pillow. You should try different positions and wait a few minutes in each position to see which one allows you to breathe comfortably.
A newer, yet popular sleep apnea treatment is flower therapy. This is where a person sniffs flowers to help open up the airways to sleep better. Usually, it's recommended that you try this treatment about 30 minutes prior to bed. Vervain is the most common flower used in this kind of treatment.
Make sure your CPAP mask fits properly. You may be reluctant to use the CPAP at all, but the mask could be the reason for your problems. Talk to your doctor about how you feel with the CPAP machine, and he or she may be able to recommend better masks for you that fit well and feel better.
Once you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, you need to pursue an effective treatment plan so that you can find relief. Good sleep is a foundation of overall good health. Use the advice you have read here to help yourself sleep better so that you can enjoy a higher quality of life.
