7 Tips for Living with Sleep Apnea ...

Diana

7 Tips for Living with Sleep Apnea ...
7 Tips for Living with Sleep Apnea ...

Sleep apnea can be deadly if you don't have enough knowledge about it. Guest contributor Diana shares some important pointers on how to live with this potentially hazardous condition. Thanks Diana!

Sleep apnea can be a very dangerous disease. There are two types of apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common form that occurs when throat muscles relax. Also Central Sleep Apnea, which occurs when your brain doesn't send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. There are many symptoms to look for. Here are just a few: loud snoring, waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat, morning headaches and attention problems. If you think you may have sleep apnea, please get it treated. Once treated, you will be given a CPAP machine.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Please subscribe for your personalized newsletter:

1. Listen to Your Doctor

It has been two years since I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I was seeing a Physiatrist for my back pain. My entire body ached and I was falling asleep at work. I thought I was not sleeping due to the pain in my back. This had been going on for two years. He wanted me to do a sleep study. I really did not want to go to a sleep Doctor. I tried some special «sleepy tea» and going to bed at the same time every night. I also made sure I did not take a nap, thinking I would be so tired I would fall asleep. It did not make a difference at all. I made an appointment and went. The first time you go to the sleep Doctor they hook you all up with a lot of wires and belts. There is a nurse in a room next to yours and she watches what happens on the computer. They called me after the first test and told me that I had stopped breathing 96 times in a five hour period. I finally listened to my Doctor then!

2. CPAP & Masks

You go for one more appointment and you sleep with the CPAP and mask. The machine pushes out air into the mask. It goes down your throat as you breathe and helps you to keep breathing. CPAP means Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. I did not stop breathing at all that time. There are many types of masks. They have some with nasal pillows that fit into your nostrils. They have the type that covers your nose only and ones that cover your nose and your mouth. If you are a mouth breather you will want the latter. Then you have headgear that keeps them on. Some of them are comfortable and some are not. My biggest struggle has been with the masks. I have gone through 5 different types in two years. They were not comfortable, they leaked air and they hurt my nose. I would get so frustrated with them that I would take them off in the middle of the night and throw them across the room.

Frequently asked questions

3. Don’t Think That You Can Go without It

I have learned that if I want to sleep, I need the CPAP. My aches and pains are much better. My head is clearer and I do not fall asleep during the day at all. There are permanent side effects of not using it. One is arrhythmia and the other is congestive heart failure.

4. Lose Weight

Most people that have sleep apnea are overweight. You lay down and your extra fat causes your throat to close up. Not completely, just enough so you don’t get enough air in. This causes snoring and you wake yourself up due to that. Sleep apnea is more common among people with thick or large necks. It is also more common among people who have smaller airways in their noses, throats, or mouths. The small airway could be related to the actual size and shape of the airway. Even a 10% weight loss can reduce the number of sleep apnea events for most people.

5. Exercise

Even a short walk every day is helpful. It stimulates various brain chemicals. It also makes you tired, so when you do go to bed, you fall asleep faster. It also gives you more energy and can help you lose weight.

Related Videos about

6. Get out of Bed

Don’t lie in bed if you wake up. Get up, do something quiet. Don’t do anything stimulating, otherwise you will never get to sleep. Once you feel tired, go back to bed.

7. Take Medication

Your doctor can recommend a medicine that can help you sleep. Some people need it to relax. It also helps some to fall asleep faster so they are not so aware of the CPAP machine and mask being on.

I still hate wearing my CPAP mask and using the machine. But I do! The long and the short of it is that it is necessary. Unless you want to have your loved ones worry every night that you will stop breathing. And that breath may be your last.

Feedback Junction

Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge

My husband has sleep apnea due to the back of his tongue being enlarged. Its TERRIBLE. Without his mask, he snores very loudly, he tosses and turns, he stops breathing for a moment then jerks/snorts and the cycle begins again. He\'s then exhausted during the day, his body aches, and he gained a lot of weight. Now we are getting him a new mask, and he has been tasked with losing weight. It is definitely a process.

Watching your alcohol intake is another great thing to help with sleep apnea, stop drinking at least 2 hours before bed

The girl looks like hermoine

I\'m confused. I thought sleep apnea is when someone ( animal/ human) randomly went to sleep any time in the day. When woken the person/ animal has no recollection. It sounds like here, Diana talks about it like you go to sleep normally than stop breathing a few times.

Basically, the signs that you have sleep apnea are: If you wake up fatigued & struggle with it all day, your body aches, your mouth is dry when you awaken, you become forgetful, depressed, or irritated more easily, or you wake up multiple times during the night. Talk to your doctor about it.

Also, without the mask, he becomes forgetful, and lazy due to the fatigue. Sometimes if he can he will literally sleep all day.

Related Topics

7 Foods to Help You on Sleepless Nights ... 9 Valuable Tips on Making It through the Day with Little Sleep ... 7 Benefits of Power Napping to Encourage You to Take Them ... 7 Steps to Take if Youre Tired All the Time ... 7 Ways Sleeping More Helps You Lose Weight Faster ... 7 Natural and Effective Ways to Combat Pregnancy Insomnia ... 7 Hidden Reasons Why You Might Be Tired All the Time ... 7 Reasons Sleep is Important for Weight Loss and Optimal Performance ... 9 Easy Ways to Perk Yourself up after a Bad Nights Sleep ... 7 Tips on How to Control Your Temper While Sleep Deprived ...