Sleep Apnea Advice That Can Work For You

Living with sleep apnea can be tiring, miserable and terrifying. It can ruin your days and possibly end your life. When you live with this condition, you want to do anything you can to lessen the danger. Use the helpful advice contained in the following article to help you treat your sleep apnea.

One way to improve your sleep apnea is to shed excess weight that you are carrying. Being overweight or obese places pressure on your neck, which can compress your windpipe as you sleep. Losing just 25 pounds can make a difference in your symptoms, and losing enough weight can eliminate the disorder altogether.

A common reason for sleep apnea to occur is increased weight. Should this be the reason, weight loss should be the rule of thumb. They should follow a sensible weight loss plan, usually involving a restricted calorie diet combined with exercise. Reducing carbohydrate intake can help greatly, as well.

If your narrow airways are causing sleep apnea, get a mouth guard designed for sleeping. Devices like these can align your airways properly to allow you better sleep. Talk to your physician about a mouth guard you can wear during sleep to help you control your condition.

Get a CPAP mask that fits your face perfectly. If the mask that comes with your CPAP machine is too narrow or too loose, you will probably experience discomfort when you sleep and the machine might not work properly. Get a customized mask if you need to: the expense will be worth it.

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.

Exercise your neck and throat. Sleep apnea is caused by your throat becoming obstructed as you sleep. By strengthening the muscles in your neck, throat, and jaw, you can help your muscles withstand the pressure. Spend a few minutes every day performing exercises designed for the jaw and neck area.

Always get enough sleep. When you fail to get a decent amount of sleep on a regular basis or fail to follow a normal sleeping pattern. Insomnia and sleep apnea go hand in hand. So, when you can successfully sleep regularly, your symptoms are less pronounced because you are well rested.

Exercise

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.

Learn how to play a wind instrument. Studies have found that playing a wind instrument like the flute or the didgeridoo can help with sleep apnea. Wind instruments exercise your breathing and help your body get accustomed to taking in sufficient amounts of air. Your throat will be able to better control airway dilation.

Exercise your throat. Make faces. Stick out your tongue. Rotate your jaw. It might feel a bit silly, but it can actually help people who suffer from sleep apnea. Doing these things exercises the muscles your body needs to moderate its breathing. Studies have shown that doing these exercises a few times a day can make a huge difference.

As stated in the introduction above, sleep apnea can cause a lot of hardship in your life, especially when left untreated. But, luckily there are many things you can do to reduce the occurrence of this condition. Use the advice above to get your sleep apnea under control and sleep easier.