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Can Exercise Improve your Sleep Apnea?
wp:paragraph Did you know that exercise has numerous benefits for your overall sleep cycle? This is especially true if you suffer from sleep apnea. /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Not only can proper exercise help you to fall asleep faster, but it can improve your quality of sleep overall. If you suffer from sleep apnea, many studies have made numerous connections between weight loss (which includes diet and exercise) and an improvement in sleep apnea symptoms. Most severe cases of sleep apnea will still require further medical treatment such as a CPAP machine and exercise is not a cure for sleep apnea, however, a healthy change in lifestyle can certainly lessen the severity of your symptoms. /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph If you find you are sitting more and more these days and want to pick up some healthy exercise habits, here are a few tips to get started: /wp:paragraph wp:list Start small and low impact: all you need to do is get moving! Start with a short walk or maybe do a short exercise routine online, then you can build up the momentum afterwards to do something that challenges you a little more. Stick to something you enjoy: it’s easy to fall off track if you are doing an exercise routine you are not enjoying. Maybe the treadmill is not your thing but if you enjoy another sport or activity that gets you moving then stick to that. Ask for support: having support from a friend, family member or partner can be extremely beneficial in your journey and can motivate you to stick with it. Avoid high intensity activity within 1-2 hours to bedtime: all those endorphins that get released during exercise are great, but not at the end of the day when you are trying to slow down and get into a sleeping routine. Don’t skip out on healthy eating: diet, sleep and exercise are all important parts to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Stick to your CPAP treatment: while exercise can improve your sleep apnea symptoms, it is not a cure, and not using your CPAP machine can only make your symptoms worse. /wp:list
Learn moreSleep Apnea and your Relationship
wp:image {"id":3646,"sizeSlug":"large"} /wp:image wp:paragraph So you’ve been snoring for months, probably driving your spouse crazy, and you have now been diagnosed with sleep apnea. While you both may feel relieved that there IS a treatment to the snoring problems, now a whole new challenge lies ahead. /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph In situations like these, there is a lot more that affects your relationship than just your sleeping patterns. The National Sleep Foundation has reported that 23 percent of couples sleep separately due to snoring and other sleep-related issues. When couples have trouble in the bedroom, it can affect many aspects of their relationship, including intimacy, communication, and irritability towards your partner. Now that you are being treated with a CPAP machine, your partner may be concerned about the noise of the machine and trying to be intimate with a big mask on your face. /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph These are all just worries though, and there are ways that you can overcome your sleep problems that will not interfere with your relationship. /wp:paragraph wp:list Take some time for you and your partner to sit down and discuss the issues you are having. Communication is an important part in any relationship and the only way to start to solve the problem is if you actually talk about it. Seek each other out for support in your frustrations: being angry or upset with your partner for snoring or not understanding the need for a CPAP mask will not do any good. Instead, try to understand your partner’s point of view and WHY they are frustrated or upset, and try to work through it. Do not let your partner’s apprehensions with your CPAP treatment let you stop using the mask all together, as things will only get worse. Research has indeed shown that people who follow through with their CPAP treatment have a better sex life than those who do not If all else fails, there is nothing wrong with having the two of you sleep in separate rooms temporarily. Sometimes a bit of a break can actually do some good for relationships, and leave you both feeling well-rested and happier throughout the day. However keeping this up for too long may put even more of a strain on your relationship as the intimacy, or the “spark” in your relationship could fizzle out Don’t be afraid to seek the help or advice from your doctor, or even a therapist about the problems with your relationship. /wp:list wp:paragraph Shop now and save up to 50% off our entire inventory! /wp:paragraph
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