Living with sleep apnea can be a nightmare. Day after day the headaches return with the daytime sleepiness, and the utter feeling of exhaustion. These are just some of the symptoms of sleep apnea. Others include poor mood, snoring, dry mouth, weight gain, and even depression. While a CPAP machine can drastically improve the quality of your sleep and therefore your life, there are some other things you can take into consideration if you are living with sleep apnea.
Lifestyle Changes to Improve Sleep Apnea Symptoms
Believe it or not, there are many lifestyle changes that you may be able to implement in order to improve your quality of life, and some of them are not all that difficult!
Avoid food that leaves your body sleepless.
One example of this is red meat. It is packed with proteins and can be difficult for your body to digest. This hard work for your body can be noticed because it could actually keep you awake at night and make it difficult to fall asleep. Another food to avoid is dark chocolate close to bedtime. While it is healthy, it also contains significant amounts of caffeine which can make falling asleep a chore.
Shed some pounds.
This is potentially the most important lifestyle change you can make to improve your sleep apnea. Less weight means less fatty tissue that can obstruct your airways. Typical sleep apnea sufferers are overweight and can dramatically reduce their symptoms by shedding some pounds.
Get Our Dental Sleep Apnea Appliance
Stop by our office for a sleep apnea appliance made just for you. It is comfortable to wear and is designed to open the airways so that you can breathe and sleep soundly at night. If you have any questions or want to set up an appointment with us, please give us a call today!