Category - Sleep Positions

Handle Your Sleep Apnea With These Tips And Tricks There are hundreds of people who suffer from an unknown ailment - unknown even to themselves. This ailment is called sleep apnea, and aside from damaging the quality of a night's sleep, it also carries more severe health risks. This article offers tips on how to survive when you have sleep apnea. If you are suffering with sleep apnea due to having narrow airways, you should get yourself a mouth guard to use when sleeping. This will help you breathe better at night. Ask your doctor to help you get fitted for a mouth guard. If you want real assistance with sleep apnea at night, talk to a physician about the optimal CPAP machine for you. You should take the size and potential to make noise into consideration. There are some very small and quiet machines available. Your doctor should be able to point you in the right direction of a capable machine. Skip sleeping pills if you are prone to bouts of sleep apnea. You may feel you need them to get to sleep, but they have a similar effect as alcohol on the body. They also have additional side effects besides the obvious ones. Stay away if you want to lessen your sleep apnea symptoms. Your doctor may recommend a mouth guard to help ease the breathing problems associated with sleep apnea. You might possess an airway that is naturally narrow, or you might have a recessed chin or small jaw. All of these can make the symptoms of sleep apnea seem more pronounced. With a specialty device, you can change your sleeping position and align your jaw so that you are able to sleep. If you have sleep apnea and you're overweight, try shedding those pounds. Studies have shown sleep apnea and obesity can be related. If you are obese, lose at least 20 pounds to see if it makes a change for the better with your sleep apnea. It will also help ward off other medical conditions, too. Did you know that sleep apnea is more than just snoring? Your breathing may actually stop, or it may become very shallow, and this could happen upwards of a hundred times or more each night. If you feel you may be suffering from this affliction, you should see a doctor and be properly diagnosed and discuss a treatment that works best for you. Are you using a CPAP for your sleep apnea? If so, then you should try to utilize it a minimum of four hours per night. Using a CPAP while sleeping is a tough adjustment for many patients to make. However, it needs to be used for four hours each night for it to be effective. 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. Try yourself to sleep on your side. If you fall asleep on your back, gravity can make it easier for your tongue and/or tonsils to fall back into your throat and obstruct your windpipe, causing apnea episodes. While it may be hard a first, as time passes, however, it will start to become second nature to sleep on your side. If the solutions you have tried are not improving your ability to sleep soundly, then see your doctor to discuss more aggressive options. For people who did not benefit from traditional treatment alternatives, they can resort to surgery to take out the tonsils or to make the airway wider. Sleep apnea is a serious condition that affects many overweight people. One of the first things that should be addressed by anyone suffering from this condition is to lose some weight. Until your weight is normal, your doctor may find it difficult come to an accurate diagnosis of the cause. The first thing to do when you think you are dealing with sleep apnea is to discover if it is really apnea or just advanced snoring. If you have a loved one sleeping with you, this can be done alone at home, but if not you may need to visit a sleep clinic. By understanding and analyzing these tips, you are better prepared to deal with your own sleep apnea, or even that of a loved one. You can turn nighttime from a battle into bliss or from purgatory into peace. By ensuring a good night's sleep, you will improve the quality of your entire life.

Surprising Health Benefits of Sleep

Living With Sleep Apnea After You Have Been Diagnosed Sleep apnea can run your whole life if you let it. It interferes with your sleep and leaves you tired and weak throughout the day. It is inconvenient and dangerous when it isn't treated. Use the tips and trick below to treat your sleep apnea and enjoy life more. If you have sleep apnea and drink or smoke, try quitting to improve your symptoms. Both smoking and drinking promote relaxation of the airways causing sleep apnea and excessive snoring. Some people resort to invasive surgeries to correct their sleep apnea without realizing that discontinuing these bad habits could have been a more simple and much cheaper route! If you feel tired every day, you may have sleep apnea. Some of the common signs of sleep apnea include, chronic snoring, pauses in breathing, daytime sleepiness, and choking or gasping during sleep. If your partner notices that you have these symptoms while you are sleeping, you should go to a doctor for an assessment of your condition. 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. Sleep apnea is generally determined by looking at your family and medical history, along with a physical exam. In addition, a sleep study may be required. Some doctors may send you to a doctor that specializes in sleep disorders. This is a specialist that concentrates on treating people who are having trouble sleeping. You may not even realize you have sleep apnea. If you have no wife or husband to tell you, you be unaware you stop breathing at night. One way to see for yourself is to train a camcorder on yourself as you sleep. You need to include audio in your video because the doctor needs to hear the noises you make. 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. Try to prevent snoring with an over-the-counter device. Snoring happens when the airways are mostly closed but air can come though, and apnea is when the airways are completely closed. So you can see that it is logical that this device can help with both issues. If you have a machine to help with snoring it can help with apnea. Minimize the risk factors associated with sleep apnea. Certain risk factors that are associated with the condition cannot be controlled, such as being a man or having a family history of it. Some other risk factors should be changed, such as drinking too much, smoking or weighing too much. Try not to sleep on your back if you have sleep apnea. Most people who have sleep apnea are back sleepers, which means that their airways constrict easier. Use pillows or specially designed cushions that will make sure you go through the entire night on your side only. The first thing to do when you think you are dealing with sleep apnea is to discover if it is really apnea or just advanced snoring. If you have a loved one sleeping with you, this can be done alone at home, but if not you may need to visit a sleep clinic. Although there are many things, you can do yourself regarding sleep apnea, don't forget the help of the medical community. When dealing with a problem as serious as sleep apnea, you need to seek the help of a doctor as well as a sleep clinic in order to avoid any serious medical problems. As stated above, sleep apnea can take control of your days and nights. Leaving you waking up throughout the night and still tired in the morning can take a lot out of your day. Use the helpful tips listed above to take control of your life back and enjoy each waking (and sleeping) moment.

What You Need To Know About How does Sleep Apnea Affect the Heart?

Manage Your Sleep Apnea With These Tips You may feel that your sleep apnea diagnosis is the end of your world. Perhaps you have never felt so alone as when your doctor gave you the news. Take heart though, because you are definitely not alone. Thousands are diagnosed with sleep apnea every year, and you can learn from their experiences. 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. Go to the doctor to get a mouth guard that is custom made. The design is made to relieve the symptoms of sleep apnea sufferers. These mouth guards are more comfortable than a CPAP. The mouth guard can help by keeping your airway unobstructed. Consider sleeping sitting up if you have sleep apnea, and you do not have a CPAP available. Perhaps you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, but you have not had your CPAP prescribed yet. Maybe the power went out, and your CPAP will not work without electricity. Whenever you have to sleep without the benefit of CPAP therapy, sleeping sitting up will help to keep your airway from collapsing. 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. 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. Be sure to treat allergies and sinus issues right away if you suffer from sleep apnea. You might have trouble breathing during the night because of sleep apnea. You don't need to deal with anything that will affect your breathing when you sleep. Addressing nasal problems ensures you a better chance at sleeping from dusk until dawn problem-free. Sleep apnea is a serious condition that can be improved by losing weight if you are obese. Losing about 25 pounds can dramatically improve this condition. For some people that will cure the problem, for others it may just help improve the symptoms that you are experiencing. Try to eat healthy and make sure to get enough exercise every day. If you find that your CPAP machine is too drying, your physician can prescribe a humidifier for your mask. Sticking with a course of CPAP therapy is a lot easier (and your overall sleep quality will be better) if you're getting a supply of air that's properly heated and moisturized. A lot of CPAP machines come with built-in humidifiers, so ask your doctor to prescribe that type for you. If simple changes in your lifestyle, such as regular sleep hours and losing weight, have not eliminated your sleep apnea episodes, it is time to consult with a sleep specialist. The specific causes of your sleep apnea can be evaluated, and an individual treatment plan can be designed for you. If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, do not be shy about telling your friends and family. Sleep apnea is an extremely common condition. It is very possible that someone you know and love has it too and has not been diagnosed yet. By sharing your experience, you could help someone else realize they have a problem and encourage them to seek treatment. One way to reduce problems with sleep apnea is to start playing a wind instrument. These types of instruments will actually train your muscles in your upper airways, which are the muscles needed to control airway dilation while you are sleeping. Not only will you sleep better, you will also have a new skill to show off! A sleep apnea diagnosis is definitely not the end of your happy little world. In fact, it might just be the start of a whole new healthier chapter in your life. Take the tips you learned in this article, and start to make positive changes in your life that can help you to rest easier.

Struggle To Get A Good Night’s Sleep? Follow These Tips

Obstructive Sleep Apnea - Getting Treatment Is Key If you have sleep apnea, you understand how troublesome it can be. Good sleep each night is important for an efficient life. Thankfully, there are many steps you can take to cope with it. The information below will help you learn how to deal with your sleep apnea. Try losing some weight. Getting into shape has many benefits. If you are on the heavier side and suffering from sleep apnea, you may find that slimming down helps with that as well. Studies have found that overweight and obese individuals are more likely to find relief from sleep apnea by getting themselves to a healthier weight. 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. 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, be sure to ask your doctor every five years if you should have a follow-up sleep study. As your weight and health change, your CPAP pressure may need to be adjusted. The most accurate way to reassess your needs is to have another sleep study with CPAP so the appropriate pressure can be determined. If you have sleep apnea and cannot break the habit of sleeping on your back, try sleeping in a t-shirt with two tennis balls sewn into the back. Making this sleep shirt is a simple project to do at home, and it can help to break you of sleeping on your back. Every time you try to roll over on your back in your sleep, the tennis balls will remind you to roll back onto your side. If you feel tired every day, you may have sleep apnea. Some of the common signs of sleep apnea include, chronic snoring, pauses in breathing, daytime sleepiness, and choking or gasping during sleep. If your partner notices that you have these symptoms while you are sleeping, you should go to a doctor for an assessment of your condition. If you do not know if your snoring is from sleep apnea or just simple snoring, try using a sleep diary. In this diary, you will need to record how much time you spend in bed, the number of times that you awaken each night, and how tired you feel when you arise in the morning. Anyone who suffers from sleep apnea should avoid using sleeping pills. It can be tempting to try to use them to help you sleep better, but these pills can relax your throat muscles and make your sleep apnea worse. They also have a number of other side effects that can be unpleasant. At bedtime, elevate your head using pillows. This will allow your airways to remain open as you sleep, and will reduce sleep apnea. Just make sure that your neck and back are comfortable so that you are not causing any pain in these areas while you are trying to help your sleep apnea. If you consume alcohol or smoke, this could be the underlying cause of your sleep apnea symptoms. Meanwhile, smoking causes the swelling of the airways; alcohol does the complete opposite and relaxes them too much. If you want to be able to sleep well each night, limit or quit smoking and/or drinking. Many people simply lay down whenever they feel about it, and then complain when they aren't sleeping well. The human body is based off of routine, so it is greatly beneficial to go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day. This can even help with snoring and apnea issues. Now after reading the above information, you should be aware of some helpful solutions to deal with sleep apnea. Use the advice from above to start sleeping better. When you are able to get the sleep that your body needs, you will notice a difference in how you feel during the day.

How Sleeping Position Affects Your Health

Why You Should Sleep On Your Left Side