sleep apnea | C Aid Health Network

Lifestyle Changes to Deal with Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a condition that manifests itself by causing the affected people to stop breathing for short durations while they are sleeping. It may also be marked by shallow breaths while asleep. The condition interrupts sleep, causing poor quality of sleep and sleepiness during the day. For persons affected by sleep apnea and are always on trips, traveling with a CPAP machine is an appropriate way of dealing with the condition. The beauty of the device is that it is portable and helps the affected persons to get good sleep. Other than the CPAP machine, there are remedies to help alleviate the symptoms of sleep apnea that involve lifestyle changes. Here are some of the modifications to your way of life that could assist in dealing with the condition:

Minimize Alcohol and Quit Smoking

Did you know you can make your health better by making changes to your habits? Well, you can have better health and see your quality of sleep improve by reducing your alcohol intake and giving up smoking. Alcohol may cause you to snore and have interrupted sleep because it relaxes the throat muscles responsible for regulating your breathing. Besides, it may cause inflammation in your windpipe, interfering with the flow of air. In the same way as alcohol, smoking tobacco can as well bring about inflammation and the swelling of the air passages. The effect is snoring and higher chances of sleep apnea. While some studies have cited smoking as a potential cause of sleep apnea, they also noted that those with sleep apnea are more likely to smoke too. Treating sleep apnea, therefore, can be a way of helping to stop smoking.

Observe a Healthy Weight

Losing weight is one of the recommendations of doctors to persons with sleep apnea. When one is obese, more so in the upper body, there is a high likelihood of airway blockage and narrow nasal passage. With those kinds of issues in your breathing system, you can stop breathing abruptly or even over a duration during sleep. Keeping a healthy weight may help to minimize sleep apnea symptoms.

Performing Yoga

Performing your workouts regularly can have health benefits like a healthier heart, improved energy levels, and reduced sleep apnea symptoms. One way of exercising is doing yoga, and it can assist in promoting oxygen circulation and enhancing your respiratory system. Low oxygen concentration in the blood have been linked with sleep apnea. Fortunately, you can improve your blood levels through the different breathing exercises in yoga. That way, you will have sorted out your sleep interruption problems.

Causes of sleep apnea and the importance of addressing the underlying cause

Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that affects the breathing system. As such, one has frequent long pauses while breathing. What this implies is that there are moments there will be inadequate or lack of oxygen circulating in the brain and the body. This condition requires treatment. If the underlying cause of sleep apnea is no addressed it may result to some health complications or even fatalities. In some cases, sleep apnea may lead to death. Listed below are some causes of sleep apnea.

Major categories of sleep apnea

Sleep apnea can be categorized into three broad classes. Obstructive

sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, and mixed sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea results due to throat muscle relaxation or collapse when one is sleeping. On the other hand, central sleep apnea emanates from central nervous system complications. Mixed sleep apnea presents due to recurrent obstructive sleep apnea that resorts to central sleep apnea.

Causes of sleep apnea

Obesity

This is a leading cause of sleep apnea. Ideally, obesity is characterized by excessive accumulation of fat issues along the body. In case these fatty tissues align themselves along the lungs, they obstruct air passage. In return, this makes it difficult to breathe. In some instances, accumulation of fats may completely block air passage channels leading to frequent apnea events or even death. It is also unfortunate that sleep apnea increases the chances of one becoming obese.

Acid reflux

Acid reflux results when the esophageal tissue is damaged by acidic juices coming from the stomach. In extreme cases, this can completely destroy the oesophageal tissue and the voice box. If this condition is untreated, it may result in scars within the throat. Consequently, this deters the smooth flow of air as the airways are blocked. Thus, this increases the chances of suffering from sleep apnea.

Asthma

This is another top cause of sleep apnea. When one is sleeping asthmatic, an attack may result to convolutions of air passageways. Normally, this leads to the collapse of the airways hence causing sleep apnea. Additionally, individuals suffering from allergic reactions may have throat inflammations, which is also a fertile ground for sleep apnea.

Unhealthy lifestyle

Unhealthy lifestyle such as alcohol consumption and smoking may also contribute to sleep apnea. These practices lead to relaxation of the throat muscle that makes it difficult to breathe while resting. Furthermore, alcohol consumption may lead to acid reflux related heartburns that may contribute to sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea is common among drug addicts.