Tuesday, August 7, 2012

What You Need To Know About The Sleep Disorder Sleep Apnea

Goodnight Moon
Goodnight Moon (Photo credit: ckaiserca)
What You Need To Know About The Sleep Disorder Sleep Apnea

If you suffer from sleep apnea, you know how elusive a good night's sleep can be. Unfortunately, you also know how difficult it is to go through life without sufficient sleep. Help is here, with good advice on how to overcome the symptoms of sleep apnea, in the tips of the following article.

Snoring

The major signs of sleep apnea are loud snoring, choking or gasping while sleeping, significant lapses in breathing, and daytime tiredness. Other common symptoms are morning headaches, restless sleep, irritability, waking with a sore throat or dry mouth and even having more frequent runs to the bathroom at night. If you exhibit these, then you should see your doctor promptly.

What You Need To Know Tips

Avoid drinking alcohol. Getting buzzed or drunk causes your airways to relax too much. If someone goes to sleep in a drunk state, you can hear the effects from their deep snoring. In someone who already suffers from sleep apnea, it can be very dangerous. Avoid alcoholic drinks to sleep safer.

Try using nasal strips to ease your snoring. Nasal strips can open up your nasal passageways making it easier for you to breath all night long. These strips can be found in almost any pharmacy and grocery store near you, so it's worth a shot to see if they can make your night more restful.

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.

If you are concerned your snoring may be sleep apnea, try keeping a sleep diary. You would keep a record of the hours you sleep, how many times you wake at night, and whether you feel refreshed the next day. Also, if you have a bedmate, ask them if your snoring is loud and frequent and if you exhibit any gasping or choking sounds.

For people who are using a CPAP machine, you need to take notes to give to your doctor. If you experience any symptoms, like snoring, that were eliminated when you started using the CPAP machine and they come back, you need to let your doctor know. Only your doctor can properly assess any problems.

If you have think you might have sleep apnea or already suffer from snoring, try using some over the counter nasal strips. These small strips attach to your nose with adhesive, lifting open your nasal passages. If your sleep apnea is related to a nasal obstruction, the strips may improve the quality of your sleep.

The first thing to do when you think you are dealing with sleep apnea is to discover if it is really apnea or just advanced snoring. If you have a loved one sleeping with you this can be done alone at home, but if not you may need to visit a sleep clinic.

Sleep deprivation is an awful sentence to suffer through, but that's what sleep apnea gives you. Hopefully, this article has given you some helpful ways in which you can deal with the symptoms of sleep apnea, and start getting the much needed quality sleep you are in need of

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