Sleep apnea is a common disorder that can have a dramatic, negative affect on a person’s life. If you suffer from sleep apnea, it is crucially important that you educate yourself on the best ways to deal with the disorder. The information contained within this article will educate you on several sleep apnea healthcare tips.
Learn how to play a wind instrument. Studies have found that playing a wind instrument like the flute or the didgeridoo can help with sleep apnea. Wind instruments exercise your breathing and help your body get accustomed to taking in sufficient amounts of air. Your throat will be able to better control airway dilation.
While people who are thin can have sleep apnea for various reasons, one common reason many people have it is being overweight. The obvious solution is to lose the excess weight. Make sure that you stick with a plan that makes sense and combine a low calorie diet with an exercise regimen. Some amount of carbohydrate restriction is beneficial for many who are trying to lose weight as well.
When using a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine, you should learn as much as you can about it. How to use the machine and when to use it should be your top priority. There are 800 numbers from the manufacturers that you can call if you have any questions about its use.
If you’re a smoker or a drinker (or both) who’s also dealing with sleep apnea, you may find that giving up your vices will solve your sleep disorder. Both smoking and drinking promote relaxation of the airways causing sleep apnea and excessive snoring. Dropping bad habits can help you live your life comfortably again.
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.
Try your best to lay off tobacco and nicotine products. Cigarette smoke can irritate your upper airway causing it to swell up, subsequently hindering your ability to breath during the night. Quitting smoking could therefore, significantly improve your sleep apnea symptoms and will also improve your body’s overall health and your feelings of well-being.
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.
If you have apnea, make an attempt to have a schedule for sleep. Sleeping at weird hours of the day can worsen your sleep apnea. Using simple sleep hygiene techniques like this one will help you avoid health problems and falling asleep during the day. Go to sleep and wake up each day on a regular schedule and this schedule should be used on the weekends, too.
Don’t forget to bring your CPAP along when you need to stay in the hospital. You need to take your CPAP machine with you whenever you go to the ER or any routine hospitalization, such as for surgery. The settings will be prepared and you won’t have to adjust the pressure. This will make your stay a little more comfortable.
As was discussed earlier, sleep apnea is a very serious and all too common medical disorder that afflicts many millions of people throughout the world. If you yourself suffer from the disorder, apply everything that you have learned from this article to your life and ensure that you are doing everything you can to protect your health.
