Solutions For Sleep Apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea occurs when the muscles around the rear part of the throat relax, when you are asleep. The muscles are responsible for holding and supporting your tonsils, tongue and soft palate. If these relax too much during sleep, the airway narrows, causing a reduced amount of oxygen to the body. This makes your brain lift you from deep sleep temporarily, so that the air passage is reopened.
If your case of sleep apnea is not severe, you may find that some sleep apnea solutions that can improve it. If you are overweight, then losing weight can reduce the occurrences. Also, try not to drink alcohol at night time. Smoking can also be a contributory factor, so giving up cigarettes can also help. Anything that relaxes the muscles medically, such as tranquillizers or sleeping pills can also have a detrimental effect on the throat’s muscle system. Some people find that sleeping on one side, instead of on their back lessens the symptoms too.
For more severe cases, sleep apnea treatments such as Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is a possible treatment. This is a mask which you wear over your mouth when sleeping. It sends compressed air into your throat, ensuring that the airway does not get blocked. Many people find this strange to wear to begin with, and some stop using it because of this. However, patients who persevere with it report that it works very effectively, despite their initial misgivings.
Amazingly, several medical studies in respected journals, such as the British Medical Journal have suggested that regularly playing the didgeridoo can also reduce snoring, daytime sleepiness, and other symptoms of sleep apnea. The study suggested that this was due to the patient training themselves to control their upper airways, and becoming more aware of how the muscles work. The study used 25 patients suffering from moderate obstructive sleep apnea. They took a random selection of these patients, and asked them to practice the didgeridoo every day for four months. After four months, the didgeridoo players reported significant improvements, compared to the control group.
Tags: air passage, airway pressure, CPAP, daytime sleepiness, deep sleep, medical studies, obstructive sleep, obstructive sleep apnea, sleep, Sleep Apnea, Sleep Apnea Solutions, sleep apnea treatment, Sleep Apnea Treatments, snoring, symptoms of sleep apnea, tonsilsRelated posts
Natural Sleep Techniques
How wonderful it is to wake up after a good night’s sleep! Ah, the body feels refreshed, the mind renewed. Say goodbye to nights of tossing and turning, instead wake up with a smile! Irrespective of your reasons for insomnia, here are some simple and natural tips on how to fall asleep fast:
Instead of resorting to popping those sleeping pills (which can be addictive in itself and will require you to take more and more as you become increasingly dependent on it), you can go at it the natural way. Here are some quick and easy ways to fall asleep. Although some of these will not work immediately, keeping at it will eventually reap the benefits of good sleep.
1. Keep away from heavy and late meals at night or during the wee hours of the morning. An empty stomach will actually help in quieting your mind so that it is geared towards sleeping.
2. Get rid of caffeine in your diet. Or, if you really can’t avoid coffee, drink this in the mornings, and not before you need to go to bed to sleep.
3. Read. This habit can relax you.
4. Remember that the bedroom is for sleep and sex only! This will help condition your mind that once you are in bed, you should already fall asleep. Eliminate distractions – such as the television, the phone and the computer.
5. Take a warm and scented bath. Sprinkle chamomile or lavender oil into the bath to thoroughly relax and soothe your body and sense. The warmth and the steam will make you feel drowsy an hour after the bath.
6. Get comfortable – wear the night clothes you are comfortable with. Be willing to spend money on a good and comfy bed – it should not be too hard nor too soft. A memory foam pillow would be another wise investment.
7. Use a fan to get rid of surrounding noises. It can also serve to distribute the air throughout the room.
8. If it helps, listen to relaxing music – such as the sound of the waves or birds chirping.
9. Eliminate distractions in the bedroom – turn the TV off, put away magazines and fliers, if you’re sleeping beside someone, request that they be quiet as possible.
10. Shun coffee at least 3 hours before you go to bed. The same goes for candies and chocolates.
11. When you have to exercise, don’t do so before bedtime. The exercise will give you an energy boost and will certainly not help you fall asleep.
12. Don’t go to bed when you are not sleepy. This will increase your struggle to sleep and condition your mind that getting some sleep is a struggle.
13. Fake it until you make it. Pretend to be sleepy.
14. Picture yourself doing something in the house, like painting the walls with slow up and down motions.
Tags: daytime sleepiness, insomnia, REM, rem sleep cycle, sleep, sleep deprivation, types of sleep disordersRelated posts
Do You Have A Sleep Disorder?
Are you someone who has been struggling to get a good night of sleep and want to find a better way of getting the eight hours that you need? If you have sleep apnea or other types of sleep disorders it can be difficult to get all of the rest you need and will make you feel very sluggish the next day. Waking up in the middle of the night not being able to breathe correctly is also a very scary feeling. For most people just trying to fall asleep is a challenge in itself. If you are one of those people there are a few things that you can do that will help with this problem. Help is available with a variety of sleep apnea treatments that you can choose from.
Some people with sleep disorders find that listening to relaxation music while they are lying in bed helps them to fall asleep faster. When you lay down if you have a lot of things running through your head and find it difficult to take your mind off of them long enough to get the sleep that you need you are not relaxed. By listening to soothing noises while you are trying to rest you may find that you do not think all of the stressful thoughts that you usually do and are able to fall asleep faster.
There are several other sleep apnea solutions that you can use to help you to get the rest that you need. If you have to wake up and go to work early in the mornings then you will want to make sure that you get the sleep that you need the night before or you will be in for a very long day. If a sleep disorder is causing you to wake up or to stay awake at night then you may need to have your doctor prescribe some medication that will help with those disorders and will allow you to get a better night of sleep.
Tags: sleep, Sleep Apnea, Sleep Apnea Solutions, sleep apnea treatment, Sleep Apnea Treatments, sleep disorder, sleep disorders, types of sleep disorders