If you find that you often feel grouchy,
tired, and irritable in the morning, this may be a sign of some serious
condition. You may be suffering from sleep apnea, a common sleep disorder
caused by your airways becoming blocked at night. To find out more about this
condition, keep reading this article.
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.
You should know that getting a CPAP machine
is not going to make your symptoms go away for good. These machines will help
you sleep better and perhaps reduce your symptoms on the long term. Keep in
mind that you really need to use your machine every night for this treatment to
work.
You really need to do your best to lose
weight if you have sleep apnea. Those who have sleep apnea typically have a
neck circumference of 17 inches or more. This excess weight around the throat
causes the airway to collapse more easily during sleep. Reducing your weight by
even ten pounds can have a beneficial impact on your sleep apnea.
If you have just been diagnosed with sleep
apnea and prescribed a CPAP, join a CPAP support group. It can be quite
difficult to get used to sleeping with a mask on your face every night. Sitting
in a room full of other people going through the same thing can be very
empowering. You can learn from others who have had the same issues you are
having and made adjustments to make it work.
Eating healthily can help you shed weight
and relieve sleep apnea. Despite what you may think, diet plays a major part in
the ability to sleep. It's been proven that poor diets can contribute to the
severity of sleep apnea.
It is best to have your sleep apnea
diagnosed and treated by a doctor. If left untreated, you won't be getting the
needed rest you need, which will leave you feeling tired and unable to
concentrate the next day, and may even lead to serious health problems down the
road.
If you are taking a great deal of medicines
on a regular basis, sit with your doctor and discuss how they can be reduced.
Side effects from prescription medication can be making your sleep apnea worse.
Keep a dialog open with your doctor and make sure he is up to date on all your
symptoms.
Get a mouth guard made especially for
sleep. If you have a recessed chin, overbite or a small jaw, they way your jaw
sits while you sleep may be causing the breathing problems while you sleep by
narrowing your airways. A mouth guard can correct this and help you sleep
better.
The two main pieces of information used to
diagnose sleep apnea are personal medical histories and a physical work-up.
Also, there may be a sleep study performed and even a sleep specialist
recommended if the doctor treating you feels that your condition is severe
enough to get it looked at further.
If you have sleep apnea and were just
prescribed a CPAP, keep trying different masks until you find the one that fits
you just right. Some masks may not be the right size or shape for your face. If
your CPAP mask is leaking air into your eyes all night or rubbing the skin on
your forehead raw, ask your sleep center to prescribe a different mask for you.
Exercising your tongue can help with your
sleep apnea. Press your entire tongue up inside your mouth, and hold it there
for at least a few minutes. This will make your throat stronger and prevent the
muscles from relaxing too much during sleep and causing apnea.
Sleep apnea affects millions of people,
causing them to snore, feel tired, and even suffer from more serious health
problems. If this affliction is causing problems in your life, you need to seek
treatment right away. Try using the tips you have read in this article, and
talk to your doctor about your problems.
