A significant percentage of the world’s population has sleep apnea. Unfortunately, many of the people do not even realize they are suffering from it because they mistake what they’re going through for something else. Educate yourself so that you can spot what you need to about sleep apnea from a mile away.
If you have moderate to severe sleep apnea, lose some weight. Being over-weight or obese can affect your breathing severely and can cause many health problems, including sleep apnea. Those individuals who lost at least twenty to twenty-five excess pounds saw a marked improvement in respiratory issues related to sleep apnea.
Strengthen your throat and jaw with some basic exercises. Developing these muscles should reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea. You can exercise your throat and jaw by simply pulling your tongue or practicing some very simple breathing exercises. The goal is to train you to breathe differently and hopefully make your sleep apnea disappear.
Get a CPAP mask that fits your face perfectly. If the mask that comes with your CPAP machine is too narrow or too loose, you will probably experience discomfort when you sleep and the machine might not work properly. Get a customized mask if you need to: the expense will be worth it.
You should know that using a CPAP machine can cause certain side effects, including snoring, congestion, irritation or dryness in your mouth and airways. If this occurs, you should go to your doctor and make sure you are using your machine properly. Consider using a different mask or a different machine.
Playing with some wind instruments can help get rid of your sleep apnea. Research conducted in Germany has shown that you can greatly strengthen the muscles of your upper airway by taking up an instrument like the didgeridoo. These muscles are responsible for dilating your airway and causing the walls of the airway to stiffen. Therefore, you should regularly play these instruments due to the fact that they decrease your sleep apnea symptoms.
If you are a smoker and suffer from sleep apnea, quit, or at the very least, cut back dramatically. Smoking is dangerous for those who suffer from sleep apnea because it causes swelling to the airways, not to mention all the tar it leaves behind in your lungs and airways.
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.
Try sleeping with nasal strips to open your nasal passageways. If you suffer from sleep apnea, this can offer some relief to your symptoms, especially snoring. When your sleep is less interrupted by waking periods when you cannot breathe, you receive a better night of rest and often see your symptoms disappear.
If you are concerned your snoring may be sleep apnea, try keeping a sleep diary. You would keep a record of the hours you sleep, how many times you wake at night, and whether you feel refreshed the next day. Also, if you have a bedmate, ask them if your snoring is loud and frequent and if you exhibit any gasping or choking sounds.
If you believe you are the one suffering from sleep apnea, it’s time to do something about it. The information here will help you be well on your way to finding a solution that you may not even have realized that you desperately needed. Make a positive step to finding a solution soon!
