If you suffer from sleep apnea, chances are you have either ‘obstructive sleep apnea’ or ‘central sleep apnea’. The most common form, which is obstructive sleep apnea, occurs when the throat muscles relax and breathing is impaired, or sometimes even halted in the middle of sleep.
It’s important that you address and deal your sleep apnea problem as soon as possible, so you can get back to restful sleeps. Here are some common ways to get to the bottom of the problem:
Weight Loss
You don’t have to be obese to suffer from weight-related sleep apnea, and often you don’t have to lose an excessive amount of weight to fix it. If you need to lose some weight, get on a reliable program and get to work, and you may notice your sleep apnea issue disappear for good.
Avoid Certain Medications
Making a medical problem worse is never any fun, so if you struggle with obstructive sleep apnea, try to avoid sleeping pills or other medications that might relax the back of your throat. Be sure to check side effects thoroughly before you take anything, and if your problem is consistent you may want to avoid alcohol, too.
More Exercise
Sometimes, boosting your activity levels each day will help to eradicate sleep apnea symptoms. If you’re unfamiliar with exercise, start with brisk walking and build from there.
Keep Nasal Passages Open
If someone were able to hold your nasal passages open at night as you slept, your sleep apnea problem might go away. Of course, that isn’t likely to happen using a saline nasal spray or little breathing strips can help. If you want to use a spray, make sure you check with your doctor first.
Stay Off Your Back
When you sleep on your back, it’s possible for your tongue and soft palate to rest against the back of the throat and block your airway. Try sleeping on your stomach or your side to prevent this from happening. Some people even go so far as to sew something into the back of their pajama top so they won’t stay on their back.
CPAP Machine
Sleep apnea machines are another way that many patients end up treating their obstructive sleep apnea. CPAP stands for ‘Continuous Positive Airway Pressure’ and sleep apnea machines like the CPAP help you breathe smoothly and clearly all night.
You’ll have to wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose, and your airway is kept open while you sleep. A chin strap ensures that most of your breathing is done through the nose, and this is one of the ways your snoring is reduced. Not everyone needs sleep apnea machines to fix their obstructive sleep apnea, but if nothing else has worked, they can be quite effective.
This post is brought to you by Matt Andrews. Diagnosed with sleep apnea for over 8 months, he looks to http://www.cpapmachinescanada.com/ for quality CPAP machines and masks to help him with his sleeping dilemna.
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