Quit thinking, worrying, dwelling on sleep; these only build anxiety and push sleep further away.
You will help solidify your sleep by going to bed and getting up at the same times each day.
Not everyone needs 8 hours of sleep. Some people can get by with only 4 hours, while other may need as much as 10 hours.
Get up at your regular time regardless of how little you slept during the night. Sleeping in late disrupts your body's natural sleep/awake cycle, and may lead to insomnia the following night.
Reducing your weight is likely to make a difference to your condition. Certainly, increasing weight will make your snoring and sleep related breathing irregularities worse. It is important that you try to reach an ideal body weight and maintain the weight loss. Reducing your weight will also decrease the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Remember to be more physically active as well as eating less.
Alcohol is a potent sedative that can induce irregular breathing apneas in healthy people. Alcohol will not only increase the number of apneas but will make them longer and cause the oxygen level in the blood to become reduced. It is very important that alcohol be avoided within four to six hours of bedtime.
The stimulating effects of caffeine may last for up to 12 hours in some people. Caffeine is found not only in coffee and tea, but in many soft drinks, and in some medications.
Sedative medications include pain medications such as narcotics, sleeping pills, antihistamines, anti-allergy pills, some cold medicines, some anti epilepsy drugs, and some medications used for psychiatric conditions. As with alcohol, sedative medications are likely to worsen your breathing irregularities. Consult your physician before taking sedative medication. Definitely do not use any sedative medication with alcohol as the effects will be potentiated several times.
Try to maintain a regular sleep pattern with a full 8 hours of sleeping time. Any loss of sleep will increase your sleep drive the next night and your breathing irregularities are likely to become more severe.
Sleeping on your back is likely to increase the amount of breathing irregularities as your tongue tends to obstruct the back of your throat resulting in a decrease in the size of the upper airway. Controlling your position during sleep is not easy. You may like to try placing a tennis ball in a sock pinned to the back of your pajama jacket to prevent you from rolling onto your back. A marble sewn into a pocket on the back of your pajama may also work.
Elevate the head of your bed 4 to 6 inches to take some of the pressure off your diaphragm. This will ease breathing during sleep. You can put bricks or wood blocks under the legs of the head of your bed so it will be on a slight incline.
Any infection affecting your nasal passages or throat will cause swelling and tend to worsen breathing irregularities. Treat nasal allergies or infections promptly and keep in close communication with your physician.
Large meals should be avoided at least two hours before bedtime. A large meal will increase the pressure on the diaphragm and worsen your breathing. It may also predispose you to regurgitation of stomach contents during sleep which will provoke irritation of the upper airway. Eat your large meals at least three before hours before bedtime.
Nicotine and other substances contained in cigarettes when inhaled will provoke irritation of the upper airway and worsen your breathing irregularities. Try to stop smoking altogether.
It is important to wear your CPAP while taking naps during the day.
People with sleep apnea are at a much higher risk of being involved in automobile accidents than those not afflicted with the disorder. Some warning signs that should tell a driver to stop and rest are difficulty focusing, frequent blinking or heavy eyelids, trouble keeping your head up, yawning repeatedly, trouble remembering the last few miles driven, missing exits or traffic signs, drifting from your lane, tailgating or hitting a shoulder rumble strip. IF YOU ARE SLEEPY DO NOT DRIVE.
It is generally not advisable to use a sleep aid for longer than three to four weeks, since the effectiveness wears off over time.
If you are having surgery it is important to let your surgeon and anesthesiologist know that you have sleep apnea and that you wear CPAP. If you will be staying overnight in the hospital you should bring your CPAP with you to the hospital.