Do You Have Sleep Apnea?
Do you find yourself waking up after a full night of sleep only to feel as if you never really slept at all? Does your partner accuse you of snoring so loudly that they think the roof is coming off? Are you frequently a back sleeper? It sounds as if you might have sleep apnea and that could be the cause of your constant tiredness. Sleep apnea happens when the muscles in the mouth and throat relax too much, which causes them to press on your airway when you are sleeping. This can be a potentially dangerous condition, because often, the sleeper doesn’t wake up in time to change sleeping positions, so they can wind up suffocating.
Many people who suffer from sleep apnea find they require a CPAP machine. Other people struggle with their problem so that they don’t have to use a machine whenever they sleep. The thing is that there are other treatments you can also try for sleep apnea that don’t include CPAP machines. It’s just a matter of finding the right treatment for you. The first thing to consider, though, when working to ease the symptoms of sleep apnea is what your risk factors are. Some of the risk factors for sleep apnea include being overweight, as it is thought that extra weight in the neck and face area can increase your chances of suffering with this condition.
Another risk factor for sleep apnea includes your alcoholic beverage consumption. It is thought that if you consume alcohol before you go to bed, you might be at greater risk for sleep apnea, as your muscles are likely to over relax when consuming alcohol. You also might want to consider the way you sleep. For instance, people who sleep on their sides often have less of an occurrence of snoring and sleep apnea problems, since the tongue and throat muscles don’t press on the airway even when they are relaxed.
Once you have considered your risk factors, it’s time to decide on how you will treat your condition. One of the quickest fixes you can make is to start sleeping on your side and, if you cannot do that, elevate your head slightly when you sleep. This can help to alleviate the pressure that the tongue and throat muscles can put on the airway when sleeping flat and will help to keep the airway open. Sleeping on your side or stomach is preferable to elevating the head, as you’re still on your back.
The other major change you can make when suffering with sleep apnea is to lose weight. The less you weigh, the less extra weight will settle in the neck and face area, which means that there will be much less pressure on the airway at any time and especially when you’re sleeping. You can also do exercises that are thought to help strengthen the tongue and throat muscles and prevent over relaxing that typically occurs in people who suffer with sleep apnea.
If you do drink alcohol before you go to bed, you should make efforts to break this habit most of the time. Until your sleep apnea is under control, the only thing you are doing when you drink before bed is encouraging the problem. Cutting back or eliminating the amount of alcohol you drink before you go to bed is the best option when you’re working to get control of sleep apnea.
When you know what causes sleep apnea, you can better treat your condition on your own so that you not only cure your sleep disorder, but you also feel better rested and healthier overall with your new lifestyle changes.
