How to Deal with Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea, also referred to as OSA or obstructive sleep apnea, can interrupt your breathing, sometimes hundreds of times a night. It can be very brief every interruption and they are often not enough to make you awake. Nevertheless, all these stoppages are sufficient to deprive your brain, heart and other organs of chronic oxygen. Over time, there is a significant increase in the risk of a serious complication.

Sleep Apnea Symptoms and Reducing Risks

No Smoking and Limited Alcohol Intake

Smoking can make your airways inflamed, and it will also increase the retention of fluid in the upper respiratory system — both of which may interfere with normal breathing as you sleep. In fact, the Mayo Clinic reports that cigarettes are three times more likely to cause sleep apnea than people who do not smoke. Other studies have shown that you can also increase your risk of apnea if you drink more than one drink a day, maybe because alcohol is interfering with the sleep cycle or makes your throat muscles relax more than normal.

Weight Loss

If you're overweight or obese, your neck and throat will more likely have excessive in the fatty tissue and narrower in the nose, which can cause sleep apnea and other respiratory problems. Moreover, your throat fatty tissue may descend during sleep and block the respiratory ways and cause snoring. Research shows that even a modest weight loss can help lower the symptoms of apnea in many overweight men and women.

CPAP Device

CPAP means constant positive airway pressure, and it is a sleeping treatment. A mask provides a constant and continuous airstream in the CPAP to avoid a collapse of your airway. Many patients find the mask uncomfortable when it comes to the sleep apnea treatment, while others say that the air stream interferes with sleep. But air flows at two different pressures, one stronger when inhaling, and the other low when you exhale. BiPAP uses a similar approach than CPAP. BiPAP is good for some patients who experience problems adjusting to CPAP.

Do Yoga

Regular exercise can improve your heart's energy and enhance sleep apnea. Yoga can improve your breathing strength specifically and encourage the flow of oxygen.

Sleep apnea is linked to lower blood oxygen saturation. Through various breathing exercises, Yoga can improve your oxygen. Yoga therefore decreases the number of sleep breaks you can suffer.

Change your position of sleep

Although a slight change can reduce symptoms of sleep apnea and improve your night's rest. In a 2006 study over half of obstructive sleep apnea cases were found to be position-dependent.

A few studies have revealed that sleep on your back – known as your supine position – may make symptoms worse. Sleeping sideways can help some adults to get breathing back to normal.

Use of a Humidifier

The humidifiers add moisture to the air. The body and respiratory system may be irritated by dry air. With a humidifier, airways can be opened, congestion reduced and breathes clearer.

Consider adding lavender, peppermint, or eucalyptus oil to a moisturizer for additional benefits. The anti-inflammatory and relaxing benefits of these three essential oils are known. Contact at OKOA for sleep apnea treatment. Here we will guide you for this problem apart from allergy troubles or ENT problems.

**Disclaimer: The information on this page is not intended to be a doctor's advice, nor does it create any form of patient-doctor relationship.