If you have sleep apnea, you need to know that you are not alone. Sleep apnea is fairly common and millions of people around the planet have it. If you have been wondering what a sleep apnea diagnosis means for your life, read on to learn what you need to know about it.
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.
Getting a CPAP machine is probably the best option for your sleep apnea. These machines will keep your airways open and help you breathe. You should talk to your doctor about CPAP machines and figure out which model would be the most adapted. This machine should work if you use it properly.
If you are carrying a few extra pounds, it may be time to lose them. Research has shown a clear link between sleep apnea and obesity. So, you can actually find substantial relief from your symptoms just from shedding even twenty or thirty pounds.
Do throat and tongue exercises daily to reduce your apnea symptoms. The results of recent research suggest that jaw exercise, and tongue exercises can greatly reduce the presence of sleep apnea symptoms. Doing just a few of these exercises every day can help you get a good night of rest.
You must be careful not to use sedating medications if you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. Anything that sedates you will slow down your breathing, especially when you go to sleep. When you are sedated by medication, your throat muscles will relax and collapse more quickly as you sleep.
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.
People who do not have a partner sleeping with them may not know they suffer from sleep apnea. If you wake up with a dry or sore mouth, wake up out of breath, have morning headaches, insomnia, and/or go to the bathroom frequently during the night, you may have sleep apnea and should talk to a doctor.
Consider putting yourself on a strict bedtime schedule and routine, if sleep apnea is keeping you from a good night’s sleep. Doing the same things at the same time may help condition your mind and body to better sleeping, and if you suffer from sleep apnea, you need all the help you can get!
You may have to maintain a sleep log for your doctor to diagnose your condition. You will write down how many hours you sleep throughout the night, and any other symptoms you experience. Ask your partner for more specific information on how loud your snoring is, the quality of your breathing and even how restful you were. These pieces of information are key to helping your doctor diagnose your sleep disorder.
Learning more about sleep apnea is important because knowledge can help put your mind at ease. Take the information you have learned in this article and talk to your doctor about it. He or she can then better help you more easily when you know more about this disorder yourself.
