Sleep is a magnificent thing, but to those who find it elusive, life can be brutal. We need quality sleep to have productive and healthy lives; sleep apnea causes severe interruptions in breathing that diminish sleep quality and your ability to function. Check out the following helpful tips to overcoming this serious problem.
You should know that using a CPAP machine can cause certain side effects, including snoring, congestion, irritation or dryness in your mouth and airways. If this occurs, you should go to your doctor and make sure you are using your machine properly. Consider using a different mask or a different machine.
For people who smoke, the best way to correct a sleep apnea condition is to quit smoking. Smoking is one of the biggest causes of sleep apnea. When people stop smoking their risk of sleep apnea is reduced and they can get a full night sleep within days of quitting.
People who use alcohol, sedatives, and sleeping pills are far more likely to suffer from sleep apnea. This is because these drugs will relax the throat and cause their breathing to be impaired. Using these drugs before bedtime is more likely to cause sleep apnea than using these drugs during the day.
On easy way to help limit your sleep apnea is to stick to regular sleeping hours. When you stick to a sleep schedule that is steady and consistent, you will be more relaxed and sleep much better. Apnea episode frequency will be greatly reduced if you can get plenty of sleep every night.
One way to help with sleep apnea is to quit smoking. Smoking aggravates air passages. To quit, try using nicotine replacement treatment or a cessation program. Usually the first 30 or so days is the hardest part. Then you get less cravings as more and more nicotine leaves the body.
Although there are many things, you can do yourself regarding sleep apnea, don't forget the help of the medical community. When dealing with a problem as serious as sleep apnea, you need to seek the help of a doctor as well as a sleep clinic in order to avoid any serious medical problems.
If you have sleep apnea and use a CPAP machine to sleep at night, consider buying a marine battery as a backup power source. When you have sleep apnea, it is important that you use your CPAP any time you sleep. If your power should go out for any reason, you will still be able to use your CPAP at night using the battery hook up.
If you plan on taking the plane for a long trip, contact the airline company and let them know you will need to use your CPAP machine. As long as you let them know ahead of time, many airlines will make an effort to seat you in an area where you can use your machine. Make sure you bring a power adapter if you fly on a foreign airline.
Deprivation of sleep makes a person miserable and reduces their ability to handle just about anything. Don't suffer with sleep apnea any longer than you have to; put the advice of this article to work for you and start getting higher quality sleep that your body and your life really need.