Patients with OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) experience frequent breathing interruptions caused by relaxed throat and tongue muscles that obstruct the airways while sleeping. Doctors may suggest using a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine and other dental sleep appliances to achieve optimal hours of rest.
It is important to keep your anti-snoring apparatus and other CPAP alternatives sanitized adequately at all times. If you don’t clean your system regularly, there are many problems you might face, including health issues as a result of bacteria and machine failure. The average CPAP machine typically lasts for between 3 and 5 years, but improper cleaning can reduce this dramatically.
Several health problems can arise if you inhale warm and moist air containing bacteria, mold, yeast, and different pathogens. Here are some of the health symptoms you might face if you will not regularly clean your CPAP machine:
Sinus infections, pneumonia, and pneumonitis are frequent results of poorly cleaned machines. If you are falling sick more frequently than usual, you should check to see if it’s because of your dirty CPAP machine.
A dirty mask might easily cause acne, soreness, and peeling skin. It’s time to thoroughly disinfect your mask once you notice that your skin is red, itchy, or covered by acne or breakouts.
Sneezing, irritations of the eyes, or nose irritation might be signs of an allergic reaction. It also means that this reaction might be caused by dirty CPAP equipment.
Even a common cough can be extremely annoying sometimes. You cannot sleep well or perform your everyday tasks because of a cough that could last up to 6 weeks.
Seek Help From Experts
You can easily avoid all these health problems. Follow all the critical CPAP hygiene practices, so you don’t have to worry about even more respiratory issues caused by bacteria, mold, or other pathogens.
At Sleep Better Wisconsin, we offer various CPAP alternatives through snoring treatments and other programs designed to help you improve your slumber and your health. For more details, feel free to contact our team of experts directly. We look forward to hearing from you.
Driving when tired can lead to serious consequences. Studies have shown that the majority of car accidents are caused by inadequate or disordered sleep. Other possible reasons include taking medicine that causes sleepiness, driving long distances without taking a rest break, and drinking alcohol.
Falling asleep while driving is very dangerous for you, your passengers, and other road users. This may also be hard to avoid, especially during a long trip. Here are some tips to help prevent you from falling asleep while driving on a motorway.
If you have a long drive planned the next day, you should get a good sleep the night before. Getting a good night’s rest will help you feel refreshed the next day and in a better place to tackle the roads safely.
It is highly recommended to stop for a quick stretch during a long trip. When you’re sitting in the same position in your car for a long time, you may start to feel tired, so it’s important to recharge and take regular breaks.
Putting some music on while driving can be helpful to keep your mind active and focused. Ideally, you want to be listening to upbeat and lively songs that will make you feel energized, instead of something slow and relaxing since you might feel even sleepier.
Foods that contain high levels of carbohydrates and fat can make you feel more sluggish and drowsy, and therefore tired during a long drive. It would be best if you eat some high-energy snacks such as nuts, protein bars, and bananas while driving to boost your energy and prevent you from nodding off.
Let the professionals at Sleep Better Wisconsin help you prevent drowsy driving that may lead to fatal mistakes. We offer various programs that are designed to help you improve your sleep and your health. For more information, feel free to contact our team of experts at your convenience. We are more than happy to assist you with your needs.
What you eat affects the quality of rest you get because different food groups either keep you awake or make you drowsy. Concurrently, a good night’s sleep helps lower stress hormones that cause cravings and stress eating, allowing for more mindful food consumption. Understanding the link between the two allows you to be careful of what you eat, which can help during obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) treatment programs.
When it gets dark, your brain produces a sleep hormone called melatonin that tells the body it’s time to wind down. Things that expose you to artificial light, like phone screens and brightly lit rooms, affect your ability to fall asleep naturally because it hinders that process.
The good news is that certain produce, meat, and drinks high in omega-3 and antioxidants can increase the sleep hormone, so you can doze off quickly. Consider including the following in your meals before bed:
If you’re having trouble sleeping, being more mindful of what you eat and how you prepare for bed will help immensely. Stay away from stimulants like food high in sugar and caffeine, as they trigger adrenaline and cortisol hormones that alert the whole body. These include:
Meanwhile, saturated fat found in meats and processed food can exacerbate indigestion and weight gain, causing other sleep disorders like night sweats and snoring. Avoid excess fat in the following foods:
At Sleep Better Wisconsin, we provide obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) treatment through oral appliance therapy. While on the program, consult your primary care doctor regarding a nutrition plan to best suit your condition and needs.
Children and adolescents require more resting time than adults so their bodies can develop and function at their best. But like most grown-ups, those who are 0-18 years old are also susceptible to conditions that affect their quality of sleep.
Kids with health conditions, such as asthma, obesity, and a deviated septum, are more likely to have sleeping problems. Multiple studies have shown that these sleep disorders in children can result in difficulties in academic, behavioral, social, and physical development. Some common conditions that impede a child’s ability to get proper rest are:
Everyday habits and existing medical conditions can become the reason why kids have trouble sleeping. If done routinely, watching videos, playing games, eating sugary food before bedtime, and staying up late can affect a young mind’s ability to calm down for sleep.
Stress can trigger insomnia, especially for school-aged kids that experience academic pressure, bullying, and family issues. Sleepless nights are also typical for those with health concerns like allergies, restless leg syndrome (RLS), and teens going through hormonal changes in puberty.
When a person’s airway is obstructed, it can cause a vibration in the back of the throat that sounds like heavy mouth-breathing combined with snorting and grumbling. Even though sometimes harmless in most adults, snoring in children almost always suggests an underlying health issue.
Young ones who struggle with colds, allergies, asthma, and obesity tend to snore because these conditions primarily affect air passage through swollen tonsils or inflamed sinuses. Children with respiratory difficulties because of second-hand smoke and contaminated air are also at high risk for mouth breathing and snoring.
OSA poses a more serious medical concern among pediatric sleep disorders because of how it restricts breathing at night. For a kid with OSA, the soft tissues of the throat relax and congest the upper airway causing abrupt awakenings resulting in little to no significant rest.
OSA in children also causes a drop in oxygen levels in the body and can manifest in behavioral and developmental issues, like lack of concentration and temper tantrums. Kids with OSA may also show signs like frequent snoring, mouth breathing, morning headaches, lethargy, and being over or underweight.
At Sleep Better Wisconsin, we offer an alternative to powerful drugs often prescribed to treat sleep disorders in children. Consult with us and learn more about The HealthyStart® System, an oral appliance therapy designed for kids.
When you go to sleep, the relaxed tissues in your nose, mouth, and throat can partially obstruct your airways, causing snoring. Although usually observed in men, the elderly, and overweight, loud obstructed breathing can still affect the average person. This is why learning how to stop snoring can come in handy.
Aside from lowering your quality of sleep, snoring has many negative impacts on your health. This condition often causes the affected person discomfort, while becoming a nuisance to anyone sleeping in the same bedroom. Chronic snoring also leads to higher risks of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
Different studies have used various techniques in stopping loud and obstructed breathing, including the five essential mouth exercises below that will help you learn how to stop snoring. For best results, make these mouth exercises a part of your everyday routine. They will help strengthen the tongue and throat muscles associated with snoring.
Stick out your tongue to its limit and try reaching the tip of your nose and chin with it. Then, try touching your left then right cheek. Repeat quickly 10 times.
Move the tip of your tongue backward in your mouth so it curls towards the soft palate. Stretch it as far back as it will go, and then bring it forward to touch the back of the upper teeth. Repeat quickly 15 times.
Clench the tip of your tongue gently between your teeth, and then make a humming sound. Start humming deeply, then increase the frequency until it is as high pitched as you can make it. Repeat this 10 times.
Just like what your doctor says when you’re there for a health check-up, open your mouth as widely as you can like a hippo, then say ‘ahhhhhhh.’ Do this for 20 seconds.
Close your mouth and breathe in sharply through your nostrils. Do this rapidly in four sets five times with a five-second break between each set.
Sleep Better Wisconsin is here to help you stop snoring naturally and enjoy better-quality sleep. Get in touch with us for consultations. We look forward to hearing from you.
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