Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder in which the quality of your sleep undergoes through pauses of breaths. Sleep apnea disrupts your sleep due to bouts of shallow breathing. You will move from deep sleep to light sleep.
This makes you feel sleepy during the day, and that is why sleep apnea is one of the leading causes of excessive day time sleeping. It can turn into a life threatening condition. A long term management in terms of lifestyle changes and use of various home remedies can help to get rid of sleep apnea. In some cases you may require to use breathing devices and go for surgery.
Once you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, then take action. You will recover from it with proper treatment.
Sleep apnea usually is chronic but remains un-diagnosed for a very long time as it happens during sleep. Usually the bed partner notices it or your doctor finds it out during one of your routine checkup.
Chronic snoring is one of the most common signs of obstructive sleep apnea. There may be intermittent pauses, choking or gasping. The snoring is louder when you sleep on your back as compared to sleeping on sides.
Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. But everyone who has sleep apnea will snore. If you are fighting sleeping during the day and you snore as well, then together they are clear symptoms of sleep apnea.
Mood swings, memory problems, unable to concentrate, frequent waking up for urination, dry mouth and sore throat are also some of the other common symptoms of sleep apnea.
3 Remedies to Improve Breathing to Manage Sleep Apnea by Lifestyle Changes
Objective of any type of sleep apnea treatment are to improve breathing, eliminating snoring and stop day time sleeping.
Treating sleep apnea will also help you get rid of your high blood pressure and other heart related conditions and diabetes.
Following are the things you can do at home to get rid of your mild sleep apnea.
1. Yoga and Meditation
Learn to improve your breathing techniques with the help of yoga and meditation. Practice deep breathing exercises several times a day.
2. Sleep on your side
Sleeping on your back restricts your breathing if you have physical restrictions in your air passage. Your tongue and soft palate rest against the back of your throat, blocking the airway while sleeping on the back.
Consciously try to sleep on your side. There is no guarantee that you will remain in that position throughout the night, but at least for some time as long as you can, it will help you to have proper breathing.
Wrap your hands around a pillow and throw more pillows in you bed to act as props to keep you in the side position of sleeping. Keep a pillow between your legs while sleeping on your side. This will help you keep in the side position longer.
3. Change you Eating, Drinking and Smoking Habits
All the recommendations below are to improve your sleeping by removing all the other causes of sleep disorders so that the impact of sleep apnea is reduced on you sleep.
- Do not eat heavy dinners. Dine at least 3 hours before sleeping time. Go to bed every day at the same time.
- Stop drinking alcohol particularly during the evening and night time. Alcohol keeps your mouth dry which increases breathing difficulties.
- Stop smoking. Smoking weakens your lung capacity
- Reduce weight to improve breathing
- Wear night guard on your teeth if you have bruxism or teeth grinding habit.
Do not take sleep apnea lightly. it requires consistent and long term management. If you manage it well, you will get rid of it completely if it is mild sleep apnea. If it is moderate or heavy sleep apnea then these lifestyle changes will help you to reduce the impact. However, in such cases of sleep apnea you will require more corrective action in terms of surgery etc., so see your doctor.