As the year’s end approaches, what is your new year’s resolution? If making a change in your health is paramount, consider focusing on sleep health first that would gain the best overall well-being results, especially if it relates to obstructive sleep apnea and which affects more than 1 in 3 men and 1 in 6 women, some who have sleep apnea have no idea they are suffering from it.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the most common form of sleep apnea occurs when the throat muscles relax that causes the airways to narrow or close as one breathes, and the troubled breathing is detected by the brain causing one to respond by briefly waking up to reopen the airway which can happen 5 to 30 times per night and impact the ability of one to fall into deep sleep stages such as REM that we need. The most common symptoms of sleep apnea include loud snoring, awakening with a dry mouth, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), morning headaches, insomnia,
lack of energy, lack of concentration, forgetfulness, and breathing briefly stopped and most people would not realize it until their partner observed it. If left untreated, these symptoms can lead to serious health risks.
Making new year resolutions are easy but keeping them is hard as shown in research by the University of Scranton, 92% of people break their resolutions. Here are some tips to help be the outlier: eat healthier, lose weight, exercise, establish and stick to a bedtime routine, drink less alcohol, quit smoking, and travel more. Eating healthier will help to lose weight which leads to other positive health effects such as reduced neck circumference that take the pressure off the airway and easier for the body to keep it open, and give enough energy to exercise and stay active. On the same note having extra tissue in the throat muscles that falls over the airway and blocks the flow of air into the lungs while asleep, losing weight by just 10% of body weight can improve the condition and positive effect on sleep apnea symptoms. Together with eating healthier and losing weight, exercise on a regular basis of just 30 minutes improves the mind and body and a better night’s sleep as it increases the amount of slow-wave sleep or deep sleep one gets, and getting sufficient deep sleep allows the brain and body to rejuvenate so stick to an exercise that you like. Establishing
and sticking to a bedtime routine helps to keep a regular sleep wake-up time that allows 7 to 8 hours of sleep as sleeping better improves the symptoms of sleep apnea, try using the Bedtime feature in the iPhone app. Consider adding drinking less alcohol as part of your healthy sleep habits as it increases the frequency and severity of apneas and snoring that increases the risk for OSA, and it
alters the sleep cycle that disrupts sleep preventing one from getting deep sleep. We all know smoking is bad for the health but nicotine in cigarettes serves as a stimulant that increases alertness and heart rate and makes it difficult for one to fall asleep and increases the number of apneas one experiences deeper in the night with the rebound effect of nicotine withdrawal so consider consulting a doctor about methods to reduce dependence on it to quit smoking. Lastly, traveling helps to open up the mind but if your sleep apnea is keeping you from it, consider using ResMed AirMini, the smallest portable continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on the market that utilizes waterless humidification for convenience.
If you are at risk or suspect of suffering from sleep apnea, it is important to get a diagnosis early and not be defrayed by the cost. Consult the doctor to confirm the diagnosis early and the underlying issue of the cause of sleep apnea. Depending on your financial situation and sleep apnea condition, the doctor will work through with you the type of sleep apnea test in the comfort of your home or an in-lab sleep test to determine the precise nature of your condition and to avoid any long-term issues and early intervention such as CPAP OSA therapy with a sleep apnea device to stop snoring, get betterquality of sleep, and healthier overall well-being.
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