Home Remedies: Sleep Apnea Treatments to Try Today
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Sleep apnea is far more common than many people realize. In fact, the National Institute of Health (NIH) estimates that nearly 1 billion people have at least a mild form of sleep apnea. Many victims of sleep apnea do not even know they have it.
The good news is that there are home remedies to help you get better sleep. Read on to learn about home sleep apnea treatments that you can try today.
Explore other relevant topics such as sleep apnea symptoms and how to improve your night.
What Are the Symptoms of Sleep Apnea?
Before diving into home remedies for sleep apnea, it is important to identify the symptoms. Because you are sleeping, it is sometimes difficult to recognize these symptoms. Your spouse or significant other may be helpful in this area.
Your partner may notice that you are loudly snoring at night. Some people who suffer from sleep apnea wake up gasping for air in the middle of the night. Others may stop breathing momentarily.
There are a few symptoms that can be self-identified. These include waking up with a dry mouth or having a headache in the morning.
Other self-identified symptoms include insomnia and irritability. You may have a hard time focusing while awake or be overly tired during the day.
What Are Home Sleep Apnea Treatments?
Now that you and your partner can identify symptoms of sleep apnea, it is time to treat it. You can improve sleep apnea symptoms with general lifestyle changes.
- For example, losing weight is known to help sleep patterns. Extra fat around the neck area may inhibit breathing during sleep.
- There are certain foods to avoid as well. Processed and fast foods should be limited. Also, you should cut out beverages with high sugar content.
- Exercise is also highly recommended. Not only does it help with weight management, but it also improves sleep quality.
- Several vices need to be eliminated from your daily routine. Smoking and excessive alcohol content are two vices to avoid. Smoking causes swelling in the airways, while alcohol consumption leads to snoring.
- Besides lifestyle changes, there are a few simple adjustments or purchases you can make. For example, adding a humidifier to your bedroom yields a positive impact.
A humidifier adds moisture to the air making it easier for you to breathe at night. There are herbal products that you can add to reduce inflammation and further support clear breathing. Supplements like eucalyptus oil and lavender fall in this helpful category.
- Sleeping on your back is proven to bring on symptoms. You can easily adjust by sleeping on your side instead. There are also oral appliances that adjust your jaw and tongue to improve nighttime breathing.
Your Guide to Treating Sleep Apnea
You are now ready to fight back against the symptoms of sleep apnea. The most encouraging news is that you can try all of these things without professional help. Things like improving your lifestyle choices and adjusting your sleep position are cheap and easy to do.
If you want to discuss home sleep apnea treatments, contact us today to schedule an appointment.