Four Lifestyle Remedies for Treating Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a disorder symbolized by brief, repetitive periods where someone stops breathing while sleeping. As a result, people with sleep apnea do not take in enough oxygen, making them gasp while sleeping and often wakes them up. Unfortunately, people around are not always aware that they have stopped breathing and believe that they are sound asleep because it sounds like snoring.

Types of Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is mainly of two forms, central and obstructive. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common and affects approximately 20 million of the American population.

It is difficult for someone to know if they have sleep apnea, but a roommate or someone you share the same room during the night might hear your chronic snoring. But other things that you may feel include sleepiness during the day, feeling tired all the time, inability to focus or concentrate, or having trouble with your learning and memory.

Besides leaving you tired in the morning, it can cause the following health complications if left untreated. It can:

• Lead to poor functioning of the immune
• It can trigger mental health issues
• Increase the risk of heart failure
• It can also lead to memory loss

Sleep apnea treatment near Spring is available at The Smile Designer of Spring. It is treated by using breathing devices, medications, and surgery as a last resort. However, some lifestyle home care remedies can improve your sleep and the quality of your life.

Sleep Apnea Lifestyle Remedies

The doctor at our sleep apnea treatment near you will recommend the following home remedies to help reduce the sleep apnea symptoms:

• Maintain a healthy weight

Most doctors advise people who experience sleep apnea symptoms to lose weight. Obesity, especially in the upper part of your body, increases the risk of obstruction of oxygen as it passes through your narrow nasal passages. The obstruction causes you to stop breathing suddenly while sleeping.

Maintaining a healthy weight keeps your airways clear and reduces the symptoms of sleep apnea. Weight loss can do away with sleep apnea, but the condition might return when you regain the weight.

• Change your sleep position

Altering how you sleep can reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea and improve your rest at night. A study conducted in 2006 found out that more than 50 percent of the cases of obstructive sleep apnea were dependent on sleeping position.

Another study also showed that sleeping on your back, supine position worsens the symptoms. However, in some adults sleeping on your side will help your breathing change to normal. Children with sleep apnea, on the other hand, can sleep better in supine positions.

Therefore, it is important to discuss body positioning with your doctor at our sleep apnea treatment in spring, TX, to evaluate your options.

• Use a humidifier

A humidifier is a house device that adds moisture to the air. Using a humidifier helps open your airways, encourages clearer breathing, and decreases congestion while sleeping. However, dry air can irritate your respiratory system and the whole body. Therefore, you can add some essential oils like peppermint, eucalyptus oil, and lavender to the humidifier. These oils have soothing and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Make sure to clean the humidifier by following the manufactures instructions as they may harbor bacteria and mold. You can get the humidifier online or at our dentist near Spring.

• Avoid smoking and alcohol

If you seek sleep apnea treatment at 77379, your doctor will advise you to quit smoking or limit the amount of alcohol you take to reduce the sleep apnea complications. Alcohol makes the throat muscles that control your breathing relax, leading to snoring and an interruption to your sleep cycle. It can also cause inflammation in your airways which thus blocks the flow of air.

On the other hand, smoking is similar to alcohol; it leads to swelling and inflammation of your airways. This thus worsens your snoring and also your sleep apnea. A study conducted in 2012 showed that smoking is a risk factor for worsening sleep apnea. It also noted that people who have sleep apnea tend to smoke, so quitting smoking will help increase the chances of successful treatment.