For many people, there are often times where we find it difficult to sleep, so it’s safe to say we all know what it’s like to battle with our own bodies with the urge to sleep, yet for some reason or the other, we just find it almost impossible to do so. Now imagine having a condition where every time you sleep, you continuously stop breathing, snore a lot, and never get a full restful night’s sleep – this is what sleep apnea is like for many people who suffer from it.
If you don’t know much about this condition, then read on to understand what the hard realities of living with sleep apnea are.
Position Matters
People who suffer from sleep apnea need to be aware of the position that they are in as they go to sleep. This is important because a person with sleep apnea has an issue with certain muscles relaxing too much, which leads to blocked airways. Sleeping on your back means that you risk your tongue going lax and blocking it more severely than it already does. Another precaution that needs to be taken is that the pillow should be a bit raised to allow for easier breathing and less risk of the airways getting blocked. This can be initially very awkward and uncomfortable for people who are not used to sleeping in these positions.
Sometimes Sleeping With An Aid is Necessary
For many people who have sleep apnea, the only way to finally get a restful sleep is to resort to using tools that will help with breathing and keep the airways open. The most common being the mouthguard, which you can get custom-made by a sleep apnea clinic in Calgary. In order to find the right one for you, it’s important to go online and find reliable reviews. You’ll find that these great reviews will go a long way in helping you get the exact mouthguard that’s right for you so that you’ll be comfortable wearing it. Of course, it’s going to feel a bit foreign at first, but you’ll get the hang of it. In more severe cases, people with sleep apnea have to resort to using the best CPAP machine. These vary from full face, mouth and nasal pillow masks, and work in a way that opens up the airways, allowing for more restful sleep. It’s not easy getting the hang of using them whilst going to sleep, and it’s something that people with sleep apnea will probably have to continue using if they want to be able to sleep well.
Your Lifestyle Is A Factor You Will Have To Change
Along with sleep apnea comes the fact that you have no choice but to change your lifestyle altogether if you want to make the situation not get any worse. Easy fatty food is out of the question, so you need to ensure that you stick to a healthy diet. Smoking and drinking excessively are also out of the question because it only aggravates the situation.
It Affects Social Life
Living with sleep apnea means you have to come to term with a couple of things. Travelling is not going to be the same- you have to make sure that you have the right equipment with you as you travel so that you can ensure that you sleep well, and also so that you don’t cause any panic with people around you. It can be difficult for people who suffer from sleep apnea to accept that this is something that is a part of their lives – the masks and the mouth guard and the lifestyle changes – it can be difficult, but not impossible to share with someone they are truly comfortable with.
While sleep apnea brings along with it a couple of hard realities that you have to live with, the fact of the matter is that all of these things are adaptable. If you accept that this is your condition and you need to take certain measures to overcome it, then you will be able to adapt at a much faster rate. You will also have to come to terms with the fact that people have to accept that you sometimes wear a mouthguard when you travel and that when you have a partner, they need to be aware that you need to wear a Philips sleep apnea mask at times. You might think of it as embarrassing or awkward, but you’ll soon come to realize that the people that care and love you the most will support you and help you to feel better as you live with this condition.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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