If you are feeling tired during the day and wake up repeatedly at night, you may have sleep apnea. Apnea is a sleeping disorder which causes you to stop and start breathing throughout the night. You might snore loudly or wake suddenly in the night short of breath.
You may also experience a dry mouth or sore throat when you wake up in the morning. Some people experience headaches and attention problems. Thankfully, there are plenty of sleep apnea remedies you can try that will allow you to sleep well at night.
The first place to start is by examining your lifestyle. Lose weight if you are overweight. Extra weight can cause your throat to tighten up while you sleep and cause symptoms of sleep apnea. Many people have cured themselves of sleep apnea just by losing weight. Exercise can help you lose weight and ease your symptoms. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise five days a week.
An effective remedy that you can easily do at home is changing your sleeping position. Never sleep on your back. It can make your tongue block your airway. Always sleep on your side, or even your stomach. You want to keep your airway as clear as you can so you can breathe easier. Use saline nose spray before you sleep to help keep your nasal passages moist and open. Many people find humidifiers helpful as well.
Lifestyle changes aren’t the only effective remedies to try. Continuous positive airway pressure therapy devices are effective treatments for sleep apnea. CPAP devices use air pressure to keep your airways open. You wear a mask that is attached to a CPAP machine, and the slight air pressure keeps your airways open and stops apnea from occurring. The machine also prevents snoring.
Other remedies include expiratory positive airway pressure devices. You put EPAP devices over your nostrils before you go to sleep. You breathe air in like normal, but when you breathe out, the air travels through small holes that increase pressure in your airway, keeping it open and preventing snoring. Many people find EPAP devices easier to wear, as they are smaller and more portable than CPAP machines.
Oral appliances can be an effective solution to help you to breathe better at night while you are sleeping. These devices help keep your airway open by adjusting the position of your jaw. These mouthpieces are made from plastic. They also help keep your tongue facing forward which further increases your airflow. They can also help you stop snoring. Just insert the plastic mouthpiece before you go to sleep. They fit comfortably over your teeth and work well for mild cases of sleep apnea.
Try these sleep apnea remedies and watch your symptoms improve. If these remedies don’t seem to be working or you are so sleepy during the day that you fall asleep at work or while driving, see a doctor immediately. Sleep apnea can lead to heart disease, and falling asleep while driving can put you or others in danger.