If making fun of your loud snoring from the night before has become a staple of conversation at your family’s breakfast table, maybe it’s time to consider being tested for sleep apnea.
Loud snoring night after night is a common symptom, but it’s certainly not the only one. You might wake up feeling as though you didn’t sleep much at all. Other symptoms include daytime fatigue, inability to focus, and waking up with a sore throat, just to name a few.
You can find diagnosis and treatment for sleep apnea at Rod Gleave, DMD in Salt Lake City. We can help you get the rest you’ve been missing out on.
But what can you do to find relief from sleep apnea symptoms without the help of a professional? Before we talk about natural solutions, let’s explain what sleep apnea is.
The Two Types Of Sleep Apnea
As you probably already know, it’s a sleep condition. It’s a dangerous health pattern where your airways become blocked while you sleep. After a few seconds without air, you’ll jerk yourself awake, start breathing again, and then fall back asleep.
There are two types, central and obstructive sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea is where the part of your brain that controls your breathing malfunctions while you sleep. Messages aren’t sent to your lungs and diaphragm, so you stop breathing off and on throughout the night, often as much as a couple of hundred times! This will keep you from falling into a deep sleep and make you feel exhausted the next day.
Obstructive sleep apnea is when your airways become blocked for some reason while you sleep. The reasons for this could be due to excess fatty tissue that blocks your airway or because your throat muscles become too relaxed, sag, and close the airway. The same pattern that occurs with central sleep apnea happens in this case, leaving you quite exhausted day after day.
Treat Your Sleep Apnea The Natural Way
If you’d like to test out some natural solutions for sleep apnea before you seek our help, give these suggestions a try!
Get Moving!
Sleep apnea can affect people of all sizes and weight. A skinny person can have sleep apnea, although if you’re overweight, you are at a higher risk for developing it. To shed pounds and help relieve sleep apnea, you could:
-Take a brisk walk for about 30 minutes several days a week.
-Find a workout buddy, buy a gym membership, or hire a personal trainer for extra accountability and support.
Improve Your Diet!
-Set yourself up for success by planning out your meals ahead of time so you aren’t tempted to reach for unhealthy convenience foods.
-Clear your kitchen of highly processed foods and opt for healthier choices like fresh fruit and veggies, as well as calcium and protein-rich foods.
Change Your Sleeping Position
-Try sleeping on your side to decrease the pressure on your airways that lying on your back can create.
-Limit your pillows so your head isn’t tilted forward as much.
Increase Your Vitamin C & D Intake
-Studies show that vitamin D and vitamin C can both reduce the effects of sleep apnea, or get rid of it altogether.
-Include more milk and fresh fruit into your daily diet, and use supplements as needed.
When Sleep Apnea Persists, Trust Rod Gleave, DMD!
Sleep apnea is much more serious than just a few annoying symptoms. It can have many dangerous effects on your overall health. That’s why it helps to know the kind of lifestyle changes you can make to improve your symptoms or get rid of them for good.
But it’s equally important to not wait too long before you seek a proper diagnosis from a trained professional. That’s what you can find in our Salt Lake City dental office with Dr. Gleave. He has years of experience helping patients treat their sleep apnea safely and effectively.
Don’t let your exhaustion, loud snoring, and irritability continue when you have someone as skilled as Dr. Gleave who can help you! Make an appointment so you can find answers, solutions, and much needed rest!
Give us a call at (801) 590-7947 or fill out our online form to request an appointment today!
