Great Sleep Apnea Tips for All Ages

Sleep apnea often goes undiagnosed, and it varies in intensity from one sufferer to the next. This is a condition that occurs whenever a person's airway slightly collapses while sleeping, which interferes with his or her ability in breathing. For more information about this terrible condition, continue ahead to the article below.

Regular practice on a wind instrument can minimize some of your sleep apnea symptoms. Researchers in Germany have found playing a didgeridoo can make your throat muscles stronger. These muscles are responsible for opening and closing your airway, as well as controlling the stiffness of the airway. Therefore, getting involved with an instrument like this can help you sleep better.


Refrain from consuming alcoholic beverages as much as possible, especially at bedtime. When drinking alcoholic beverages, it will relax your muscles. Drinking alcohol will make it hard for you to get through the night if you have sleep apnea. Your throat muscles relax too much from alcohol, which means trouble of your body to manage breathing. If you're not going to give up alcohol, then just don't do it right before bedtime.

It can be a very serious issue when you have sleep apnea. If you see any signs, go get yourself an opinion right away. In the process of fully diagnosing your condition, you may be able to consult with a sleep specialist. Home sleep tests with portable monitors are also often used to pinpoint sleep apnea.

In an effort to get a restful night of sleep, sleep on your side if possible. When we sleep on our backs, the nasal and throat passages are more prone to obstructing the air-ways. If you have trouble staying off your back, sew a tennis ball into the back of your pajamas to help you stay on your side. You may see a big difference in the quality of your sleep.

Sleep in a prone position. It's not uncommon for many with sleep apnea to sleep while laying on their back. Your airway can become obstructed if you sleep on your back. It is best to sleep on one of your sides or your stomach. If you roll on your back when you sleep, try using pillows to stay on your side.

Try and get someone you know to tell you how you sleep through the night. Try setting up a video camcorder to record yourself while you are sleeping at night. You need to include audio in your video because the doctor needs to hear the noises you make.

Your physician may suggest that you start recording your sleeping habits in order to zero in on your sleep apnea symptoms. Here, you will track your hours of successful sleep, when you awaken through the night and other problems you may encounter. If you have a partner, you can find out about snoring issues, breathing issues or flailing limb issues. These pieces of information are key to helping your doctor diagnose your sleep disorder.

A medical ID is a must for those being assisted by a CPAP machine. Should something happen to you that requires medical attention, this will alert others of your condition. This ID should state that you've got sleep apnea, that you're using CPAP therapy, and that your machine has a specific pressure level that it must be set to.

Don't forget to bring your CPAP along when you need to stay in the hospital. Be it an intended or emergency room stay, you must always have access to your CPAP and the mask when you suffer from sleep apnea. This is because it is already customized to the pressure you need, and the mask won't be awkward. This will make continuing your CPAP therapy much more tolerable.

After reading this article, you should now know what sleep apnea is and how it affects people's lives. If you or someone you know may have sleep apnea, it is vital that you consult with your doctor about it.

How to Use a Sleep Apnea Mask

The sleep apnea mask allows an uninterrupted sleep period of seven or even eight hours per night, which is the normal rest period of an adult person. The benefits of the device will also be felt in the overall state of well being, since once the sleep quality improves, daily activities are more easily carried on without the excessive tiredness that would usually follow a disturbed night's sleep.

The model of the sleep apnea mask can be chosen according to personal preference and the severity of the condition; some patients prefer the oral form, some others the nasal one, whereas, the popularity of the combined oral-nasal mask is also remarkably high.

The sleep apnea mask may cause skin irritation for some people too. There are moisturizers that can be used that are specially made to be used with a sleep apnea machine. Other types of moisturizers can damage the mask. You should ask your doctor to recommend which moisturizers are best used with the sleep apnea mask.

The oral and the nasal mask both take some getting used to. A lot of people can not wear one all night. However, it is better for the patient's health if they do and you can slowly work up to wearing it all night. Each type of mask also has head gear that must be worn with it as well.

If your sleep apnea mask feels uncomfortable, the size and fit might be the problem. A sleep apnea mask comes in sizes small, medium, large and extra large. One rule when it comes to buying sleep apnea mask is: when in doubt, choose the smaller size.

A smaller sized mask is the safer choice to ensure that the fit would be snug. This is important to prevent leaks. However, sometimes, even a smaller size just won't fit. The problem might be that the contour of your face really doesn't fit the mask.

A sleep apnea mask can easily breed germs and bacteria. That's why it is very important to wash it daily and thoroughly clean it once a week. You can use warm water to rinse it daily. For your once a week thorough cleaning, don't use harsh chemicals to clean it. Do not use alcohol based product. There are special cleaning solutions for sleep apnea masks available in the market. You can also use a very mild liquid soap and warm water. Let it air dry in a very clean area. You can also try getting a sleep apnea pillow. It effectively prevents leaks by keeping your mask in place even if you change sleeping position.

Although the sleep apnea mask should be fitted by a respiratory therapist or other expert, there are other steps that can be taken to ensure a snug and tight fit around the nose. These strategies can keep a sleep apnea custom fit mask functional, safe and comfortable.

Remember, Your Doctor is the first place to start to discover your best sleep apnea mask options.   In most cases, he or she will refer you to one of the 15,000 Home Medical Equipment Companies that are located throughout the United States who specialize in providing CPAP equipment.  A good local Home Medical Equipment company should be able to show you the different apnea masks options and be able to give you samples so that you can determine which mask is best for your situation.