Living With Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea can be very serious.
However, following an effective treatment plan can often improve your quality
of life quite a bit.
Treatment can improve your sleep and relieve daytime
tiredness. It also may make you less likely to develop
high
blood pressure, heart disease, and other health problems linked to sleep
apnea.
Treatment may improve your overall health and
happiness as well as your quality of sleep (and possibly your family's quality
of sleep).
Ongoing Health Care Needs
Follow up with your doctor regularly to make sure
your treatment is working. Tell him or her if the treatment is causing side
effects that you can't handle.
This ongoing care is especially important if you're
getting continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. It may take a
while before you adjust to using CPAP.
If you aren't comfortable with your CPAP device or
it doesn't seem to be working, let your doctor know. You may need to switch to
a different device or mask. Or, you may need treatment to relieve CPAP side
effects.
Try not to gain weight. Weight gain can worsen sleep
apnea and require adjustments to your CPAP device. In contrast, weight loss may
relieve your sleep apnea.
Until your sleep apnea is properly treated, know the
dangers of driving or operating heavy machinery while sleepy.
If you're having any type of surgery that requires
medicine to put you to sleep, let your surgeon and doctors know you have sleep
apnea. They might have to take extra steps to make sure your airway stays open
during the surgery.
How Can Family Members Help?
Often, people with sleep apnea don't know they have
it. They're not aware that their breathing stops and starts many times while
they're sleeping. Family members or bed partners usually are the first to
notice signs of sleep apnea.
Family members can do many things to help a loved
one who has sleep apnea.
- Let the person know if he or she snores loudly
during sleep or has breathing stops and starts.
- Encourage the person to get medical help.
- Help the person follow the doctor's treatment
plan, including CPAP.
- Provide emotional support.
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