Prevention of Sleep Apnea: Ingredients for Restful Sleep.
Prevention of Sleep Apnea: Ingredients for Restful Sleep.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a medical condition in which the person stops breathing for a few seconds as many as hundreds of times during a single night sleep. The stoppage in breathing is caused by the obstruction in the airway. The obstruction of the airway may be complete or partial; both types have the same effect of interrupting normal sleep patterns. There are several risk factors which may caused a person to develop Obstructive sleep apnea; such as excessive weight gain, age, use of alcohol, sedative drugs, smoking, anatomic abnormalities and other factors such as Hypothyroidism, vocal cord paralysis, and Down syndrome.
Obstructive sleep apnea is potentially a life threatening medical disorder that may cause coronary heart disease, stroke and congestive heart failure. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) reduces the quality of life for an individual, because he/she continually suffers from sleep deprivation, chronic tiredness, crankiness and excessive day time sleepiness. The prevention of sleep apnea is possible by observing discipline in our everyday habits that can go a long way in saving us from the repercussions of this debilitating condition.
Prevention of sleep apnea is possible by avoiding the use of sedatives such as sleeping pills, especially before going to bed. The use of alcohol and cigarettes should also be reduced or stopped. Alcohol and sedatives slow down breathing and also relax the throat muscles. Prevention of sleep apnea can also be achieved through proper diet and exercise. You should try to maintain a proper body weight.
While sleeping, there are a number of precautions that you can take that may prevent sleep apnea. First you should sleep on your side as sleeping on the back facilitates snoring. Raise the head of the bed on which you sleep by about 4-6 inches. Do not ignore nasal congestions as they increase the incidence of snoring. Prefer to take decongestants rather than antihistamines as drowsiness aggravates the apnea attacks. The observance of these precautions definitely will aid in the prevention of sleep apnea.