Do You Think You Have Sleep Apnea?

Many people are under the misconception that just because they snore, they suffer from sleep apnea, but this isn’t necessarily the case and it should be understood that snoring can often be the result of many conditions, such as colds, the flu or allergies. Anything that causes your nose to be stuffed up can be a cause of your snoring.

Many people who have nasal conditions mistake their nose problems and stuffy nose for something far more serious than it really is. For instance, if you are one of the millions out there who suffer from allergies, then it’s far more likely that you are affected by something in your bedroom when you go to sleep which causes your nose to become stuffed up than it is that you suffer from sleep apnea. Snoring is a natural result, as you will be forced to breathe through your mouth. As the tissues in the mouth become dry, they swell up; this can often cause snoring in many people.

Another common problem which can cause snoring is when a room is too dry, such as in the cooler winter months. If the air is too dry, then nasal passages can become inflamed and begin to feel as if the nose is becoming stuffy. As a result, many people begin breathing through their mouths and this causes snoring. It’s important to consider what is going on in your nose before you decide to seek medical attention for sleep apnea when you may not have it.

Often, when the nose is stuffed up, and breathing through the mouth is necessary, it can make us uncomfortable, so we don’t sleep as well as we would like. This feeling of tiredness doesn’t always mean that sleep apnea is to blame; it could just be that you’re not breathing through your nose the way you would like.

If you think that you do suffer from sleep apnea, you should try a couple of different things before you rush out to seek medical attention. First of all, clean your room really, really well. You want to make sure that you don’t have any dust anywhere, so that means a good vacuuming and dusting is in order. You should also make sure that you move your bed and vacuum behind it and under it, as well. Often, the culprit to the stuffy nose that causes snoring is right underneath you.

If making sure the area where you sleep is clean doesn’t work, then you may want to try to use a vaporizer for a while to rule out sleep apnea. These little machines help to add steam moisture to the air and protect nasal passages from becoming so dry that they will swell up. You can also try a using a saline solution before you go to bed and see if that helps to lubricate the nasal passages.

Many people who think they suffer from sleep apnea actually find that there are just factors which are causing them to suffer from a stuffed up nose. The more breathing that is done through the mouth, the more likely it is that your sleep will be disrupted. By taking measures to determine what causes your snoring, you can find out if it’s more likely that you have sleep apnea and be able to seek medical attention should you need to.