Introduction
Most people have their favourite sleeping position. You may like to lie on your side or your back with your arms and legs spread out. You might feel best when you’re lying on your back. What you do with your body while you sleep may not seem important, but it can significantly affect your health. Consider exploring the best sleep positions for sleep apnea in the comfort of your own home with the assistance of a home sleep center in the USA.
Let’s talk about how your sleep at night might affect your sleep apnea.
Understanding Sleep Apnea
People who stop and start breathing during the night may have sleep apnea, a potentially dangerous sleep disorder. Snoring loudly and tired in the morning are signs of sleep apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA) are the two main types of sleep apnea. OSA is the most common type; about 22 million Americans have it.
When someone has obstructive sleep apnea, their mouth closes or gets blocked while they sleep. This happens when the muscles and tissues in the throat relax too much and block the airway. Snoring is common with OSA because the tissues are vibrating. It is widespread among middle-aged people, who are more likely to have it.
Having central sleep apnea—If your brain doesn’t tell your muscles to breathe while you sleep, you have CSA. That particular version is less common and could be a sign of more severe health problems, like heart failure. Being overweight doesn’t affect OSA.
Sleeping position is significant for people with OSA. If you sleep on your back, the problem can worsen because gravity pulls down on the tongue and throat tissues, blocking your mouth.
Best Position to Sleep For Sleep Apnea Survivors
Sleeping on Your Left Side
You could already be lessening some of the sleep apnea symptoms if you sleep on your left side. Sleeping on your left side also relieves conditions like acid reflux and heartburn, which can aggravate sleep apnea.
Sleeping on Your Right Side
Sleep on your side is the best position to help reduce your sleep apnea symptoms. Snoring can be diminished, and blood flow can be enhanced by sleeping on your right side.
Solution for Sleeping on Your Side
Extend your body to enhance your lung capacity when sleeping on your side capacity. Additionally, keep yourself from curling up to lessen the possibility of additional issues like acid reflux, which may worsen sleep apnea.
Sleeping on your Stomach
People with sleep apnea should sleep on their stomachs instead of their backs or sides. It makes the airway wider by pulling down on the tongue and soft muscles. You are also less likely to snore if you sleep on your stomach.
If you want to keep your head in place without giving your shoulders pain, try using a soft pillow. Try sleeping with your head on the mattress instead of your side to ensure your breathing isn’t blocked.
Sleeping on your Back
Being on your back while you sleep is the worst position for people with sleep apnea. When the tongue and soft tissues are in this position, they can easily loosen up and fall back, blocking the mouth. When there isn’t enough oxygen in the blood, the brain wakes the body up quickly, waking the person up screaming for air.
The Best Way to Sleep on Your Back
Put a pillow under your knees and sleep on a hard mattress. A firm mattress will support your spine, and you will be in the best situation to avoid apneas while you sleep.
Best Head Position For Sleep Apnea
Another way to manage Sleep Apnea
Experts usually tell people with sleep apnea not to sleep on their backs, but they also offer other methods. What kind of sleep apnea a person has, how bad it is, and other health factors affect how they treat their condition. Sleep apnea can be treated in several different ways.
CPAP Machine
continuously positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine pumps air into a face mask at a steady pressure. This squished air helps keep the mouth open. CPAP treatment may help people with both OSA and CSA at times.
Some other types of PAP treatment
Other types of positive airway pressure (PAP), like auto-adjusting PAP (APAP) or bilevel PAP (BiPAP), are sometimes used to treat sleep apnea. These machines work like CPAPs, pushing pressurised air into the mouth. However, they set and change the air pressure in different ways.
Mouth Appliances
Mouth appliances help people with OSA keep their airways open by moving the jaw or tongue. Oral tools are often the next best thing if CPAP therapy is uncomfortable.
Surgery
Different surgical choices exist for some types of OSA and CSA. Different kinds of surgery are needed to treat different types of sleep apnea. Some examples are removing the tonsils or adenoids, changing the structure of the nose or throat, or stimulating the phrenic or hypoglossal nerve.
Getting Rid of the Root Causes
Heart failure or long-term drug use can cause or make CSA worse. People with CSA may feel better or have no symptoms if they fix these illnesses.
In addition to these treatments, doctors may suggest changing your lifestyle to help with sleep apnea.
Experts say that people with OSA or who snore shouldn’t drink alcohol before bed because it can slow down the nervous system and make it more possible for tissue to get in the way of breathing.
Change Medicines
Some medicines can change the signs of OSA or CSA. If you have sleep apnea, cutting back on or stopping these drugs may help your symptoms. Before changing or stopping a drug, you should talk to your doctor or nurse.
The best way to address sleep apnea and change your living can depend on the person. Because of this, it is essential to talk to a doctor about treatment choices. The doctor can explain the pros and cons of each method and offer a personalised treatment plan.
Tips for Proper Sleep Position
If you don’t have sleep apnea, your position can still make sleeping hard. Depending on what works best for you, here are some of the best ways to sleep:
Neck and Back Pain
According to Jennifer So, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland, patients with back and neck pain may feel better if they sleep on their back. This position helps your spine stay in its usual position, which lowers back pain.
Pregnancy
Dr So says sleeping on your side might help you if you are pregnant, especially in the second or third trimester. The placenta gets more blood flow when you sleep on your left side.
Heartburn and Reflux
Sleeping on your back can help. When you lie down on a pillow, your head is raised, which keeps your stomach contents from going up your oesophagus.
People who snore a lot but don’t have sleep apnea may sleep better and quieter on their sides. When you sleep on your side, your lungs stay open, making you snore less.
Conclusion
Sleeping on your side is best if you have sleep apnea because it lets more air into your lungs. When you sleep on your back, your tongue and other parts of your body fall. Sleeping on your back makes breathing more complicated and worsens your symptoms.
If you seek personalized guidance on managing sleep apnea, consider consulting a telehealth sleep apnea doctor. These experts can provide valuable insights and recommendations and even prescribe treatments – all from the comfort of your home. Priorities your health and embrace the convenience of telehealth services for a more peaceful and restful life.