Does Sleeping with Head Elevated Help Sleep Apnea?

For some of the people sleeping with head elevated is not a great option at all because as the signs are worse for few patients, by elevating the head, it can get even worst. But according to the recent research, it is suggested that by elevating the head, it is indeed helpful in improving the symptoms of facing the sleep apnea.

Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-white-tank-top-sleeping-on-bed-3807624/

On the basis of your sleep apnea level and the factors which are contributing to this condition, you can choose to sleep in any position which is comfortable for your sleep apnea treatment.

Why sleeping with head elevated help sleep apnea ?

Well, you are not the first person who is still thinking that how sleeping with elevated head can treat the sleep apnea. More than 18 million in US are suffering from sleep apnea or sleep deprivation condition.

It is a miserable experience for many people and they are desperate to get enough sleep in their daily routine. Personally speaking, many people have tried to sleep in the upright over a recliner many times but they did not get much success. But fortunately, CPAP is working for you now.

Even though, CPAP setups are available in different varieties, but still for some of the people it is not a comfortable experience to talk about.

Is your sleeping position responsible for the sleep apnea?

Upon this question, we will first discuss about two types of sleep apnea which are obstructive and central.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is known to be a mechanical problem. It generally occur when the muscles in throat relax itself during the course of sleep and hence cause the airway to collapse and yet interrupt the breathing.

Central sleep apnea is known to be a major communication problem. It occurs when the brain has completely failed to send the accurate signals to muscles that are controlling the breathing.

It has been a known fact that sleeping on the back can make the condition of sleep apnea to be the worse one. This is because the tongue is relaxing back towards threat which is leading to cause obstruction.

It is an interesting fact to know that more than half of the OSA sufferers are the “position-dependent”? They might make their symptoms extra worst if they start sleeping on the back.

One major treatment is the positional therapy which is encouraging the people even more to sleep on their sides more. This will let the throat to stay less obstructed and will give them a restful sleep.

In the studies, it is clear that it do reduce the symptoms by using the special sleep-positioning pillows or the vibration alarms which are attached to the neck or the chest. Patients prefer to stay on the side even more so they can cause lesser breathing issues and a better sleep.

What are the three ways to sleep head elevated with sleep apnea?

You should always consult your doctor before you try with any sort of strategy to improve your sleeping cycle. According to the research, the head elevation is much more useful in case:

• You can overweight
• The severity of the OSA signs are mild to moderate in level
• You have slightly elevated your head

There are some tricks which you can follow to elevate the head which are presented in three ways below:

Pillows

It will be best to double up the couple pillows in which our top recommendation is to choose the foam wedge pillow which is effective and comfortable. They are hence designed to elevate the head with the great body alignment.

Recliner

Sleeping on the chair has no direct link with the sleep apnea. If but you are having a recliner, then this option is worth to consider.

Try to look for the recliner which is supporting the whole body against the neck and back pain issues.

Adjustable bed

You can also find some adjustable beds which are great to elevate the head on them for treating sleep apnea. Make sure that the bed mattress is supporting the body at a premium level.

Conclusion