Even though you fall asleep without trouble, if you wake up in the morning and feel tired, you probably have a sleep disorder. Sleep apnea is a disorder that others can notice it better than you. A common sign of this sleep disorder is snoring during sleep.
Symptoms of sleep apnea should not be ignored. Studies show that sleep apnea can result in high blood pressure, heart problems, weight gain, type 2 diabetes, asthma, acid reflux and lapses in concentration.
Particularly in children, snoring may be a signal of enlarged tonsils or other disorders in the airway anatomy. considering the breathing habit effect on the shaping of your jaw and teeth, sleep apnea can deform children teeth and jaw.
What causes snoring?
Snoring happens when the soft tissue in your throat relaxes during sleep. It blocks the airway and results having difficulty to breathe. The snoring noise is produced by vibrations of the soft tissue in the airway.
People with apnea disorder usually wake up several times at night and fall asleep again. Although this process may occur a dozen time in a night, sometimes the person may not notice it. Those who have sleep apnea disorder have to take much more effort to breathe during sleep. This leads to becoming unable to have sufficient sleep to restore the energy needed for their body in the daytime, so they will always feel fatigued and sleepy.
Snoring common treatments
Sleep apnea and other sleep disorders should be treated as soon as possible. Although it looks like it doesn't trouble you, chronic fatigue and daytime sleepiness lead to serious problems such as weight gain, heart and lung disease, high blood pressure and insulin resistance.
Losing weight
Obesity is the major factor for snoring and the best way to manage it is losing weight.
CPAP
The most common treatment is using nasal positive airway pressure. The method for this treatment is that the patient wears a mask over the nose during sleep, and the air pressure from the air blower prevents the closure of the throat and nose. This treatment is not efficient because it doesn't treat the disorder, and it returns if the patient does not use the device.
Surgery
Removing excessive tissues of the throat by lasers. because it has seen that the problem returns after a while, and it may make the problem worse.
Treatment for sleep apnea other than CPAP
Change your breathing habit
Breathe through your nose in the daytime. Before taking any steps, make sure your breathing habit is correct. Humans are designed to breathe through the nose. Retraining your daytime breathing makes enhances night breathing. Take attention to your breathing in the day to make sure you breathe properly.
If it is difficult for you to breathe through your nose, try to find the problem by consulting with a doctor.
Try to not sleep in the supine position
The supine position is sleeping on your back, lying horizontally in a way that your face is up towards the ceiling.
As snoring tends to get worse in the spin position try to sleep on your side. Put a tennis ball on your back to avoid lying in the back.
Try to not consume alcoholic drinks before bed
Alcohol and sleeping pills increase the frequency and duration of breathing pauses. Avoiding alcoholic drinks or sedative medicines before bedtime can help in many cases.
Bottom line
To avoid so many side effects of sleep apnea, try to find the root cause of the problem. If you snore mildly, raising the head of your bed, sleeping on your side and losing weight can help you to stop snoring. Otherwise, consult with your doctor about possible problems in the anatomy of the airway.
Suggested Reading: Strong Link Between Irregular Sleep Time With Obesity, Diabetes, High Cholesterol
