What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep Apnea — a condition in which your tongue and soft palate collapse onto the back of your throat during sleep. This blocks your airway and, when your oxygen level drops low enough, it forces your brain to move out of deep sleep to partially awaken you. You awaken repeatedly with a loud gasp and return to sleep.
If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea you can get follow advices:
1. – Tell a spouse or responsible persons the details of your diagnosis and treatment so they can inform the physician in an emergency situation
2. – Avoid narcotic (opioid) pain medications such as morphine, which can lead to life-threatening hypoxia (low oxygen), even in patients with mild sleep apnea
3. – Avoid alcoholic beverages (or use with moderation) within 3 hours of bedtime
4. – Avoid (or use with ca
5. – If you smoke, quit. You are three times more likely to have sleep apnea if you smoke than if you never smoked or stopped smoking. – Improve your nasal breathing. f you suffer from a ‘stuffed up’ nose, then try using a nasal spray to help open up your nasal airway. Nasal sprays should not however be used regularly or for prolonged periods, as they can cause damage to the tissues of the nose.
6. – Avoid sleeping at high altitude. Altitude can make the loss of oxygen that occurs with sleep apnea worse
7. – If your sleep apnea causes you to be sleepy, avoid operating a motor vehicle or other machinery potentially dangerous to yourself or others until you are adequately treated
8. – If you are being treated with CPAP, always take your CPAP machine with you if you are being admitted to a hospital.
9. – If you are overweight, lose weight. Sleep apnea is strongly linked to obesity. For more information or to get help with weight loss, visit
10. – Sleep on your side. you’re typical of the majority of sleep apnea sufferers you sleep on your back, making it far easier for the tissues in your throat, and for your tongue, to block your airway. Even if you go to sleep on your side, you probably roll onto your back shortly after falling asleep.
The following lifestyle changes habits can control sleep apnea:
- Lose weight.
- Minimise your intake of alcohol, anti-histamines and tranquilisers.
- Get treated for allergies and colds, or sinus problems.
- Gargle with salt water to shrink your tonsils.
- Develop regular sleep habits.
- Sleep on your side rather than on your back or with your body elevated from the waist up. You can use foam wedges to raise your upper body.
