Managing Sleep Apnea at Home: A Family Guide
Sleep apnea is a common disorder that affects millions of people around the world.
Characterised by pauses in breathing or shallow breathing during sleep, it can not only lead to a variety of health problems in the sufferer but also negatively impact the lives of their family.
Should you exhibit the symptoms of sleep apnea, it is always advisable to contact a medical professional, as there are several medical treatments available for it. Or, it is worth keeping in mind that managing sleep apnea in a retirement home can make things easier, whether you are retiring in the Gold Coast at a village like this or elsewhere. However, despite this, many people prefer to manage their sleep apnea condition at home.
If you are one of these people, there are several strategies you can adopt to help you do this, including lifestyle changes and self-care techniques.
To give you some pointers, in this article, we will outline some of the ones that are recommended as being the most effective.
What is Sleep Apnea?
As touched upon, sleep apnea is a disorder that results in a person suffering from pauses in breathing or shallow breathing during their sleep.
These pauses can occur multiple times throughout the night and can last for between several seconds to a number of minutes. When a person’s breathing stops or becomes shallow, the oxygen levels in their body decrease. Instinctively, this triggers the brain to wake the person up to restore a normal pattern of breathing. This can result in fragmented sleep.
The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat fail to keep the airway open during sleep. It can be caused by a variety of factors, including obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and certain medications. As a rule, OSA is more common in men, people over the age of 40, and those with a family history of the condition.
Central sleep apnea (CSA) is a less common form of sleep apnea that occurs when the brain fails to send the proper signals to the muscles that control breathing during sleep. It can be caused by certain medical conditions, such as heart failure or stroke, and is more common in older adults and people with underlying health problems.
A third type of sleep apnea is referred to as complex sleep apnea syndrome (CompSA). A combination of obstructive and central sleep apnea involves a person experiencing both types of sleep apnea.
If left untreated, sleep apnea can have serious health consequences. It has been linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and depression.
It can also lead to daytime fatigue, poor concentration, and reduced productivity. However, with the right treatment, most people with sleep apnea can manage their symptoms and greatly improve their quality of life.
Ways To Manage Sleep Apnea at Home
If you are suffering from sleep apnea and want to manage your condition at home, here are some of the best things you can do.
- Maintain a Healthy Weight
Being overweight or obese can significantly increase your risk of suffering from sleep apnea.
So, it is important that you try and maintain a healthy weight. The best way to do this is by eating a balanced diet of healthy food options and exercising regularly.
It is not a quick fix by any stretch of the imagination. But doing this should help to reduce the severity of your symptoms in the long run and provide you with several other health benefits.
- Avoid Alcohol, Smoking and Sedatives
Alcohol, smoking and sedatives can all exacerbate your sleep apnea. So, it is a good idea to avoid them if you suffer from this condition.
Both alcohol and sedatives can relax the muscles in the throat, which can result in your airways collapsing and therefore making it more difficult for you to breathe during sleep.
Smoking, especially excessive smoking, can cause an inflammatory response in your airways which in turn makes it harder to breathe when you sleep.
By refraining from drinking, smoking and taking sedatives, you will go some way to lessening the chances of your sleep apnea kicking in at night.
- Sleep On Your Side
For some sufferers, sleeping on their backs can be a major cause of their sleep apnea. That is because doing so can pull the tongue and soft tissues in the throat backwards, therefore narrowing the airway and making it more difficult to breathe. This, in turn, can increase the likelihood of you snoring, gasping for breath and suffering from pauses in breathing.
One way to counter this is to try sleeping on your side, as gravity should keep your tongue and soft tissues open in your throat, thus making it easier to breathe.
In addition to reducing your chances of sleep apnea, sleeping on your side can also help to improve digestion and prevent acid reflux. If you have trouble sleeping on your side, try using a body pillow to support your back and prevent you from rolling onto it whilst you sleep.
- Elevate The Head of Your Bed
Another way to prevent your airways from collapsing while you sleep is by elevating the head of your bed.
Even doing this just a few inches can help to reduce any snoring and breathing pauses you usually suffer from when sleeping, because it raises the upper body enough to keep your airway open.
Elevating the head of the bed can be done using a wedge pillow, which is designed to keep the upper body elevated while sleeping. Alternatively, the entire head of the bed can be raised by placing blocks under its legs.
- Use a Humidifier
Another good way to counter sleep apnea is to use a humidifier.
When the air in your bedroom is too dry, it can cause the nasal passages and throat to become irritated, which in turn, can lead to you suffering congestion, coughing, and difficulty breathing.
Using a humidifier, however, will ensure that the air in your bedroom will moisten and therefore potentially reduce your symptoms. It can also help to lessen your snoring by lubricating your throat and nasal passages, thus making it easier to breathe during sleep.
When using a humidifier, it is important to maintain it properly to avoid bacterial growth infiltrating the air in your bedroom. For this reason, it is a good idea to choose one that is easy to clean and maintain.
- Use a CPAP Machine
One of the most common and effective ways of treating sleep apnea is to use a CPAP machine.
It involves wearing a mask over the nose and/or mouth during sleep, which delivers a steady stream of pressurised air to keep the airway open.
Doing this has been proven to reduce or eliminate snoring, improve the quality of a person’s sleep, and reduce the risk of health complications like high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke, which are associated with untreated sleep apnea.
If you already have a CPAP machine and are on the hunt for a new CPAP mask, then click here to see what CPAP masks are available.
- Wear Ear Plugs
The above strategies can help you significantly reduce your sleep apnea over the long term.
But in the time it takes you to get to that stage, it is a good idea for your partner and other family members in your household to wear earplugs when they sleep.
Doing this will help them get better quality sleep as they will not be woken up by your snoring or rasping for breath.
Subsequently, it should also result in them being less resentful of your condition.
Conclusion
While there is no better way to manage your sleep apnea than to visit a medical professional, there is also no denying that the strategies outlined above can help you too.
Of the ones outlined above, wearing a CPAP mask is undoubtedly the most effective. However, whichever of the ones you choose to adopt, it should go some way towards improving your condition overall.