Our Surrey and Langley dentists understand how challenging day-to-day life can be for patients dealing with the negative effects of sleep apnea. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of each day, and sleep a little better each night.
Tips To Help You Reduce Sleep Apnea Side Effects
Sleep apnea is a serious condition that requires professional diagnosis and treatment. If you think that you may be suffering from sleep apnea, it's important to visit your doctor for diagnosis and a treatment plan. Sleep apnea is unlikely to clear up on its own, and can have a number of negative side effects on both your metal health and overall physical health.
If you have been diagnosed with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) you are likely familiar with the variety of ways that disrupted sleep patterns can effect your day to day life. For many sleep apnea patients, making a few changes to their lifestyle can help them to feel better while awake, and improve the quality of their sleep each night.
Here are a few things that you may want to try in order to help reduce your sleep apnea symptoms, and help you to feel better throughout your day. (Note: Lifestyle changes may not work for everyone, be sure to speak to your doctor or dentist in order to find out if these changes may be right for you).
Weight Loss May Help Reduce Sleep Apnea Symptoms
If you're carrying a few extra pounds you face an increased risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Losing as little as 10% of your body weight could significantly reduce sleep apnea symptoms. This is because people who are overweight are more likely to have extra tissue in the back of their throat, which can fall down over the airway and block the flow of air into the lungs while they sleep. Reducing the amount of extra tissue at the back of the throat can help to keep your airway open, and your breathing more regular.
That said, we all know that losing weight is easier said than done. However, many patients find that losing weight becomes easier once their sleep apnea has been diagnosed and treatment begins. This may be due to getting a better night's sleep thanks to treatments such as C.P.A.P. and other oral devices. The better the sleep you get, the brighter and more optimistic you are likely to feel the next day.
Losing weight may help to make your treatment more effective, and will also bring with it a number of other health benefits that will make living with sleep apnea a little easier.
Avoiding Alcohol May Help You To Sleep Better
Alcohol can disrupt sleep for anyone but for those with sleep apnea, alcohol may make their symptoms even worse.
Alcohol not only has the power to help you relax after a long day at the office, it also relaxes the muscles in your throat. Relaxed throat muscles increase the likelihood of your upper airway collapsing, causing snoring or obstructive sleep apnea.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, why not try abstaining a couple of nights a week to see if your symptoms decrease? Improved sleep quality may make skipping that glass of wine a little less of a chore.
Increasing Daily Exercise Might Help to Improve Your Mood
Exercise is a simple and inexpensive way to help improve your sleep apnea symptoms, your mood and your overall health. If you have sleep apnea and don't tend to get much exercise, you may be pleasantly surprised at how good a little exercise can make you feel. Many studies have shown a link between weight loss and exercise, but exercise can do much more than just burn calories!
Benefits of increased exercise include:
- Reduced feelings of depression and anxiety
- Faster weight loss
- Increased energy
- Improved endurance
- Less tension
- Reduced risk of heart attack and stroke
- Better muscle tone
- Lower blood pressure
- Improved circulation
- Improved sleep quality
Quitting Smoking May Help To Improve Effectiveness of CPAP Therapy
While there are no proven direct links between smoking and sleep apnea, quitting smoking may help to improve your breathing overall, and help to prevent nasal congestion which can prevent you from getting the most out of your C.P.A.P. treatment. If you smoke, you are already aware of the countless health reasons to quit, helping you to breathe more easily each night might be another good reason to add to the list.