Serving areas of Okemos, Lansing, and East Lansing, MI
Cooler temperatures are settling in, and with that comes sinus congestion and colds. For sleep apnea sufferers, this can exacerbate your condition, which may interfere with your ability to get a good night’s rest. While you can’t change the weather, certain lifestyle choices you make could affect how well you breathe at night. Dr. Christine Tenaglia, a sleep apnea dentist in Okemos, wants to provide you with some tips on how you can reduce your sleep apnea symptoms during cold and flu season.
Quit Smoking
Tobacco use, specifically smoking, isn’t healthy for you, and makes sleep apnea and breathing even worse. Smoking inflames the airways, and causes an influx of mucus, which could clog the sinuses, and cause drainage in the back of the throat. Neither of these are helpful if you are battling sleep apnea.
Reduce Alcohol Consumption
The holidays are quickly approaching, which means gatherings that usually are accompanied with alcohol and open bars. Some people think that enjoying an alcoholic beverage, or two or three, before bed will help them rest better. But, the opposite of that is true. Although alcohol might make you drowsy, and even fall asleep faster, it affects the quality and quantity of your sleep later on. Alcohol disrupts your circadian rhythm, blocks REM sleep (the deepest stage of the sleep cycle), causes you to wake up to make trips to the bathroom, and relaxes your muscles (even in the airway), which makes snoring more likely. It’s best to avoid alcohol consumption right before hitting the sack.
Exercise More Often
It may be cooling off, but that shouldn’t be an excuse to forgo exercising. It’s no surprise that exercise produces many health-related benefits, and it can even help you sleep better. Aim to get at least three hours a week of moderate to advanced exercise. The time of day doesn’t really matter, but choose a time that works best for you. Exercise helps relieve stress and stabilize your mood, which is helpful for restful sleep later on. Consider taking a stroll after dinner or on your lunch break. If it’s too cold outside, hit the local gym, or take the stairs occasionally.
Eat Healthy
As you prepare to cover your body in thick, sweaters and stretchy pants for the next few months, but that isn’t good reason to eat whatever you want and gain weight. We aren’t bears that hibernate during the winter! Instead, aim to eat a healthy, balanced diet that is low in sugar. Fresh fruits and vegetables are good for cardiovascular health and help you maintain a healthy weight, both of which are necessary for managing sleep apnea.
These lifestyle changes not only improve your overall health and curb your sleep apnea symptoms, but they also help you maintain a healthy immune system that can fight off infections, such as colds, which inadvertently impact your ability to get a good night’s rest. So this fall and winter, do your best to maintain an active, healthy lifestyle so that you can rest better and put your best self forward!
To learn more about sleep apnea or to schedule a sleep study in Okemos, contact Tenaglia Smiles by calling (517) 347-6733. Dr. Tenaglia offers a non-invasive method for sleep apnea treatment that uses a custom-made oral appliance to provide relief from snoring, without relying on a noisy CPAP machine. We offer sleep apnea screenings in Okemos, Lansing, and East Lansing.