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.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, you should use a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine while sleeping. This will help you treat your sleep apnea and get you on the path to having a full nights sleep. This machine uses either a face or nasal mask to pump air while you sleep.
Improve your sleep apnea by slimming down a bit. Recent research showed dramatic improvements in overweight men who shed 25 pounds over a period of one year to reduce sleep apnea symptoms. In some cases, the weight loss resulted in a cure of sleep apnea where no further treatment of the condition was necessary.
There are three different types of sleep apnea. Obstructive, central, and complexes are all forms of sleep apnea. You need to go to the doctor and have a professional assess which type of sleep apnea you have, so they can offer the best treatment and advice for your specific condition.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, it is vital to avoid consuming alcohol before bedtime. Alcohol acts as a sedative, therefore, it will naturally slow down your breathing. In addition, it will relax all the muscles in your body, including those in your throat that help to keep your airway open.
Children can suffer from sleep apnea, also. Symptoms may include mouth breathing, hostility, irritability, bad grades, hyperactivity and inattentiveness. This may mimic ADHD, so be sure your doctor is investigating all the causes before making a diagnosis.
Keep your bedroom in prime shape for sleeping. Insomnia and sleep apnea are often connected. This makes keeping an environment in which you sleep at the right temperature, lightness level and sound level important for helping you get a good night of rest. The right environment also means leaving your stresses outside the bedroom to ensure you are relaxed enough to fall asleep.
Remember to keep your medical ID upon your person if you make use of a CPAP for your sleep apnea. You don’t need people questioning you and your device all the time, so it makes it easier when you bring your medical ID. Your ID should clearly inform medical personnel of your sleep apnea condition. Include the fact that you’re using a CPAP machine and indicate the proper pressure level it operates at.
If you have to use a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine, you may find it hard to get used to at first. It is important that you do not quit using the machine, though. Focus on the benefits of the machine rather than the inconvenience. It will make life safer for yourself and others. Daytime sleepiness caused by sleep apnea is a major risk factor for car accidents, for instance.
An excellent way to reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea is to prop up your head and body. If you can get your head at least 4 inches off of the mattress or elevate your torso from the waist up, you will reduce your symptoms. Try using a foam wedge or cervical pillow when sleeping to do this.
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.
