Sleep Longer And Better With These Tips On Sleep Apnea!

Have you or a loved one recently had a sleep apnea diagnosis? If so, then you’ve probably been considering your options. How will you know how to tailor this advice to fit each situation?

Learning the right information means continuing to thoroughly read this article.

Do you smoke or drink alcoholic beverages? If you suffer from sleep apnea, quit smoking and cut down on your alcohol consumption. Smoking and drinking have negative effects on your airways. When you smoke it causes swelling in your airways, and when consuming alcohol, your airway muscles tend to relax.

That causes the symptoms of sleep apnea to worsen. If you must continue with these habits, avoid doing them before bed.

You may be able to address your sleep apnea by simply changing from back sleeping to side sleeping. By sleeping on your back, you’ll notice that your throat and nasal passages may become obstructed. See if sleeping on your side doesn’t help your sleep apnea condition.

• Try sleeping on your side. Sleeping on your back is more likely to cause snoring and apnea. If you sleep flat on your back you are only exasperating your breathing problem by allowing your throat muscles to relax and move down. Sleeping sideways facilitates breathing. If you move around at night and tend to always wind up on your back, try propping yourself up with pillows.

• Try and get someone you know to tell you how you sleep through the night. You can always set up a camcorder to make a video of a typical night’s sleep. You need to include audio in your video because the doctor needs to hear the noises you make.

• If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, avoid sleeping pills. The muscles in your airway may become too relaxed. Sleeping pills can actually really harm you and prevent any air from coming through your body, so stay away from them as much as possible.

• Make sure you have something with you at all times that explains that you suffer from sleep apnea and you use a CPAP. The reason for this is because if you must be taken to the hospital, the staff assisting you needs to understand that you’re using the CPAP machine for your sleep apnea. This ID should state that you’ve got sleep apnea, that you’re using CPAP therapy, and that your machine has a specific pressure level that it must be set to.

• If you suffer from sleep apnea, do not underestimate the power of losing a few pounds. Being overweight and large around the neck are often indications of sleep apnea. If you shed some pounds you will see that your airways will not be as constricted.

• Always discuss your sleep apnea problem with your doctor, but also try some self-help treatments. If you lose weight and quit smoking you will be able to combat sleep apnea. You will also want to avoid alcohol, caffeine or heavy meals within a couple hours of going to bed.

Power is gained through information. When you understand what each of the options for sleep apnea are, you can begin making steps toward the best solution more easily. Information about sleep apnea is abundant, so use this and other online resources to start sleeping well again.