Tips On How To Care For Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Remember, sleep apnea is a serious illness and should be treated as such so don't try and treat yourself LIfestyle changes and home treatments like changing sleep position are great, but they should complement whatever the doctor recommends.
Losing weight, difficult though it is, is probably the best initial approach to treating sleep apnea. Experts say that 70% of people with sleep apnea are obese. The fat around the neck presses down on the tissues around the airways causing it to narrow. Losing weight effectively reduces the occurrence of breathing disruptions. The first thing the doctor might tell you is to learn to sleep on your stomach or side. Side sleeping makes it easier for your throat to open, but learning it can be difficult-usually a pillow or even a tennis ball sewn in your shirt will keep you from rolling on your back. We all toss and turn, but if we have deep sleep actually we don't move too much so if you find a position that allows you to breathe even with apnea, you might find you wake in the same postion you fell asleep in. But you have to retrain your body if you are a back sleeper. According to most experts, it can take 6 months of habit to become a side sleeper, and you may need more cushion under your side.
Other lifestyle changes should be considered if you have moderate to severe sleep apnea. And you might want to dramatically reduce your alcohol intake, it has been linked to narrowed airways. So this is another sleep apnea treatment to consider.Smoking increases swelling in the upper airway and therefore worsens the sleep apnea. And contrary to what you might think, don't take any sleep aids because if you stop breathing and you are on some from of sleep aid medication you simply might not wake up for good!
Stop smoking, drink less, lose weight and try a new sleep position are all things you can start doing now for your apnea.
The sleep apnea treatment that experts consider most effective is called the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure or CPAP. A constant pressure of air will be determined by a sleep study and your throat will be kept open by an air flow. The hard part is that you have to sleep with a mask and tubing that are very uncomfortable and hard to get used to-the mask can cover either the nose or full face. The most commonly used mask is the one that covers the nose only.
We've all heard about a deviated septum, but did you know it can exacerbate apnea? The cartilage between your nostrils can be misaligned by birth or development and surgery is required to fix ti if it interferes with breathing. A deviated septum can be corrected with nasal surgery. There is another surgery called UPPP where the uvula and some soft tissue in the back of the throat are removed to open the throat. Mandibular maxillar advancement surgery is a procedure that corrects facial abnormalities and throat obstructions that contribute to sleep apnea. A word of caution, though, the surgery doesn't have a high success rate.
If you have the slightest inkling that you have sleep apnea, see a doctor because it is a serious illness. Sleep Apnea Treatment, Sleep Apnea Treatment