Sleep Apnea: Know What The Symptoms Are

There are millions of sufferers of sleep apnea. It can interfere with your life. In order to fight the problems of apnea, you have to learn a lot and find more information. Use the great advice in the following article and take a step towards better sleep.

Do you occasionally drink or smoke? Try to rid yourself of these horrible habits. They can do bad things to your airways. Smoking causes swelling in the airway. On the other hand, alcohol causes the airway to relax, much like sleeping pills. Eliminate drinking or smoking before bedtime if you can't avoid them entirely.

If you're having a problem with sleep apnea and are a smoker or a drinker, you may find that quitting can help you immensely. Both of these habits are bad for the muscles in your air passage and can worsen apnea. Remember that surgery and medications are expensive. Correcting bad habits is free.

If you want to beat your apnea and get a healthy dose of sleep, roll onto your side the next time you go to sleep. Sleeping on your back does not allow enough air to get into your airways. Give sleeping on your side a try, and see if your symptoms improve.

Try out other options besides sleeping pills. The muscles in your throat relax too much when you use a sedative like sleeping pills, (or alcohol) and your airway is much more likely to collapse during sleep. They may also have other negative effects as well. Ask your physician about sleep aids that won't also affect your breathing.

If when using a CPAP machine your mouth still falls open, use a chin strap. It's simply fabric that keeps your chin up and mouth closed. Try this out to keep your mouth closed.

If you have a CPAP machine, carry your medical ID. If anything happens where you require medical attention, those assisting you need to know about both your sleep apnea and the CPAP. This identification card should tell caregivers that you suffer from sleep apnea, and that you make use of a CPAP set to a specified pressure level to sleep.

Take your CPAP anywhere you go, even if you make a trip to the hospital. If your stay is planned or an emergency, you will need your CPAP device either way. While they may have a machine for you to use, your machine is already preset for your specific settings and has the mask you are already accustomed to wearing. Having your own familiar equipment eases the strangeness of being in the hospital, and helps you sleep more restfully.

One sure-fire way to combat the problems posed by sleep apnea is proper weight management. Symptoms of sleep apnea are completely resolved by many once they drop a few pounds. Just losing a little bit of weight can go a long way in improving the symptoms of sleep apnea and opening up breathing passage ways.

People with sleep apnea agree the condition results in difficult living conditions every day. Fortunately, taking the time to educate oneself about all of the options and treatments can really help to manage this condition. Take the tips in the piece above to heart, and you will soon reclaim the peaceful slumber that has been so elusive.

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