Sleep apnea is a very common sleep disorder and a lot of people suffer from it, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t treat without going to a sleep apnea clinic. Here are some proven tips and tricks to help treat sleep apnea.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder which a lot of people suffer from. What happens mainly in sleep apnea is that during sleep, you will suddenly stop breathing. However, you will not feel it and it can only be observed by your sleeping partner. The duration of stoppage of breathing ranges anywhere from a few seconds to even 2 minutes. Afterwards, you will begin to breathe normally again.
However, if you wake up in the middle of sleep apnea, then you will gasp for air. This can cause you to lose your breath for some time. This sleep disorder is not fatal, it is just the contracting of your bronchial airways during sleep, due to change in pressure in the airways. The absence of pressure in your larynx can lead to blocking of the bronchial tubes and hence you can experience your breath stopping. Most people who suffer from sleep apnea don’t even realize until their sleeping partner brings this up.
Treatment Of Sleep Apnea At Home
To treat sleep apnea at home, here are some useful tips.
Throat And Tongue Exercises
Sometimes, the reason why your bronchial tubes can collapse under absence of pressure is because of their weakness. You can strengthen your bronchial tubes and airways by doing several exercises which are great for treating sleep apnea. You can try to blow a balloon with your lungs only, putting a lot of pressure on your tongue and mouth. Blowing balloons and doing tongue exercises can be quite beneficial for treating disorders like sleep apnea. You will feel the difference yourself when you try it. When your bronchial tubes are strong and the passage of air is clear without any hindrance, then your breathing will also improve. You can look up different tongue exercises, but simply wiggling your tongue left and right and back and forth will do the trick.
Lose Weight
One of the main reasons of sleep apnea is obesity. People who are overweight have a hard time falling asleep and they experience losing their breath a lot during sleep. If you are suffering from sleep apnea, then you should try to lose some weight. Losing weight will put less external pressure on your bronchial airways and they will less likely collapse under absence of pressure on the inside. Shedding a few pounds usually does the trick for most people and you can see significant differences in your mood and your sleep schedule once you are in shape.
No Smoking
Smoking is generally bad for the lungs, but for people who suffer from sleep apnea are more susceptible to damage from smoking. You should try to eliminate the habit of smoking completely if you wish to alleviate the symptoms and effects of sleep apnea on your body and your sleep routine. Smoking degrades the health of the lungs and bronchial tubes and this will cause difficulties in breathing and you will experience a lot more gasping during your sleep. This is a proven tip if you want to suppress your sleep apnea.
Change Your Sleeping Position
Sleeping position matters a lot in sleep apnea too. If you have a habit of sleeping on your stomach then this might lead to obstructions in the airways and you will experience more stopping of your breath. Sleeping in a comfortable position on your back gives your body freedom from obstruction and you will be less likely to experience blocking of your air tubes and you will also get a good night’s rest. Some positions which help in combating effects of sleep apnea are sleeping on your back or on either of your side with the head elevated.
There you have it! These tips are great to try out if you are having preliminary difficulty in sleeping because of sleep. This will help to alleviate the symptoms and help you get a good night’s sleep. For best results, talk to a sleep specialist for treating sleep apnea.
