Our Vancouver dentists at South Granville Dentistry understand how challenging day-to-day activities can be for patients dealing with the negative effects of sleep apnea. Here, our dentists share some tips to help you live life well if you are suffering from sleep apnea.
Living With Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a serious condition that requires professional diagnosis and treatment. If you think that you may be suffering from sleep apnea, it's important to visit your doctor for a professional diagnosis.
If you have been diagnosed with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) you are likely familiar with the variety of ways that disrupted sleep patterns can effect your day to day life. For many sleep apnea patients, making a few changes to their lifestyle can help them to get a better night's rest.
Here are a few things that may help reduce your sleep apnea symptoms, and help you to feel better throughout your day. (Note: Lifestyle changes may not work for everyone, be sure to speak to your doctor or dentist in order to find out if these changes may be right for you).
Losing Weight to Reduce Sleep Apnea Symptoms
People who are overweight face an increased risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). For some people, losing as little as 10% of your body weight could significantly reduce sleep apnea symptoms.
It may sound counterintuitive but often patients find that losing weight becomes easier once their sleep apnea has been diagnosed and treatment begins. See your family doctor or Vancouver dentist to have sleep apnea diagnosed, so that appropriate treatment can begin. You deserve a good night's sleep.
Avoid Alcohol & Caffeine Near Bedtime to Sleep Better
Caffeine and alcohol can disrupt sleep for anyone but for those with sleep apnea, caffeine and alcohol may make their symptoms even worse.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, avoid alcohol and caffeine for at least 4 hours before going to sleep to help improve the quality of your sleep.
Increase Daily Exercise to Improve Mood and Sleep Better
Exercise offers a number of benefits that can help to improve your overall health and the quality of your sleep.
Benefits of increased exercise include:
- reduced feelings of depression and anxiety
- faster weight loss
- increased energy
- improved endurance
- less tension
- reduced risk of heart attack and stroke
- better muscle tone
- lower blood pressure
- improved circulation
Quit Smoking to Improve Effectiveness of Therapy
If you smoke, you are already aware of the countless health reasons to quit, reducing your sleep apnea symptoms is yet another.
Not only do smokers face an increased risk of developing sleep apnea, smoking may also interfere with the effectiveness of CPAP therapy. This can happen because smoking often causes the nose to become irritated and stuffy.
To get the most out of your sleep apnea treatment and improve the quality of your sleep, it's time to quit smoking.