Sleep is a magnificent thing, but to those who find it elusive, life can be brutal. We need quality sleep to have productive and healthy lives; sleep apnea causes severe interruptions in breathing that diminish sleep quality and your ability to function. Check out the following helpful tips to overcoming this serious problem.
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.
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.
Always get enough sleep. When you fail to get a decent amount of sleep on a regular basis or fail to follow a normal sleeping pattern. Insomnia and sleep apnea go hand in hand. So, when you can successfully sleep regularly, your symptoms are less pronounced because you are well rested.
There are several components to a sleep apnea diagnosis including a physical examination, a complete review of your medical history and a review of your family history. You can do sleep studies and the things the doctor finds will guide him on making a decision on what can be done.
Take the steps to find out if you actually have sleep apnea. Those who snore don’t necessarily have the disorder. If you have a sleeping partner, ask them questions about your actions during sleep. Do you stop breathing and gasp for air? That is a sure sign of sleep apnea.
Take your CPAP anywhere you go, even if you make a trip to the hospital. Be it an intended or emergency room stay, you must always have access to your CPAP and the mask when you suffer from sleep apnea. It is already set to your pressure, and you will have the exact mask you are used to using every night. All of this will mean much better sleep for you with your CPAP, if you need hospitalization for any length of time.
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.
If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, it is essential that you stop smoking immediately. People who smoke are 3 times more likely to suffer from sleep apnea than non smokers or those who have quit smoking. There are many wonderful programs that can help you kick the habit.
If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, it is important to avoid drinking alcohol. Alcoholic beverages will relax the muscles in your throat, which makes it more likely that they will block your airway during your sleep. At the very least, avoid any alcoholic beverages in the evening before you get ready for bed.
Deprivation of sleep makes a person miserable and reduces their ability to handle just about anything. Don’t suffer with sleep apnea any longer than you have to; put the advice of this article to work for you and start getting higher quality sleep that your body and your life really need.
