As professionals better understand the problem, there are more and more solutions being offered.An option might be a sleep apnea pillow as they are becoming more well known.
You’ve probably already heard the term sleep apnea, which refers to the stoppage of breathing during sleep.There’s different reasons why this can happen but similar to snoring it may happen if a person sleeps on his/her back and his/her mouth falls open.The tongue may fall over the throat and cause the airways to become covered or fatty tissue along the back of the throat has the same effect. A sleep apnea pillow is designed to keep a person from sleeping on their back so that these conditions don’t occur.
In the past patients that snore or are affected by sleep apnea were told to put a tennis ball on their back so that if they roll onto their back they will feel uncomfortable forcing them to roll back to their side. But imagine how uncomfortable and downright painful this is!A sleep apnea pillow is capable of holding the head and back in a comfortable position since it is a large foam type pillow. There are many different varieties from which to choose; some are like regular pillows and wrap around the head and neck to keep it from turning.
Another type of sleep apnea pillow is one that wraps around the midsection and back to keep a person sleeping on their side. This works something like the tennis ball trick but of course it’s much more comfortable. Ask yourself what you would rather have propping up your back as you sleep, a cold hard tennis ball or a soft and firm sleep apnea pillow. Obviously the pillow is preferred by most!Your sleep won’t be disturbed and you will be more comfortable all evening.
There is also another type of sleep apnea pillow that works with a CPAP machine. This pillow has inserts in which you can nestle the hoses for the CPAP machine, making it easier and more comfortable to use. If you use a CPAP machine you may want to consider a sleep apnea pillow with it as well to keep you comfortable and the hoses out of your way.
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