Eating and its effect on your sleep problem

Many people like to eat. You eat when you are tired. You eat when you are stressed. You eat when you want to get away from worries. You eat while you watch television. And you eat some more because your mom tells you that you need to eat a lot to be healthy.

However, if you do not watch what you eat, then you will be obese before you reach the age of 40. If this happens, you are at high risk of serious medical illnesses. Before this happens, look at you current condition. Are you snoring? Are you snoring loud enough that you drive your bed partner to the next room? Do you experience daytime sleepiness? You feel depressed and fatigue even after waking?

If you experience any of the above, you could be suffering from sleep apnea. It may be worthy to tell you at this point that sleep apnea has claim lives especially on the road. Road accidents due to sleep driving and slow reaction time due to sleepiness could put your life and that of other drivers at risk.

To avoid this, your lifestyle needs to change. I know that it is hard to give away, smoking, alcohol and eating. Thus, I lined up below some useful tips you may follow to help you avoid snoring and other sleep problems.

Advice on how to avoid sleep apnea:

· Control your weight. It is hard to stop eating because your body needs the energy, however, check what you eat. Eat well-balanced incorporating all the food groups but never overeat.

· Avoid eating just before bedtime. You will not be able to digest your food well and you may have hard time breathing while you sleep.

· Avoid alcohol, if you cannot at least minimize and avoid drinking just before bedtime.

· Minimize smoking if you cannot avoid it entirely. Always remember the warning on every cigarette pack. It is not there for nothing.

· Exercise. We live a busy life, finding time to exercise could be hard but I may need to tell you that you need this. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day three times a week. Not possible? How about 15 minutes for 6 days in a week? Okay, still hard? Go for brisk walking or park your car farther and this could be an exercise for you. Just may sure you complete walking at least 15 minutes within a day. Anything is possible if you are just willing to try. I know you can do it.

Sleep apnea and other sleep disorders stem from sedentary lifestyle and the food we eat. Watch your diet and develop a sleep pattern. This will help avoid snoring and other sleep problems.

Your life is important, your family depends on you and you therefore need to take care of yourself.

Avoid dreadful sleep apnea

Do you experience sleep problems such as loud snoring, insomnia and sleep apnea? Do you have the tendency to loose concentration, slow reaction, daytime sleepiness and you get irritated easily? If so, your relationship with people at work and even your immediately family will suffer.

Often, if your relationship with your co-workers gets affected, your performance is diminished to a level which your employer may not be willing to endure for a long time. Lost of job is creeping in your door.

In your house, tarnished relationship may lead to rebellious children and cheating spouse.

All of these however can be avoided if you focus on how to avoid sleep problems including sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea will rob you of your normal routine, relationships and even your life if left untreated. Breathing stoppage during the night will cause deprivation of oxygen from your system will make your organs collapse. To avoid this, please read below for some useful tips to help you sleep well and prepare for happy, active and long life with your family and friends.

What to do?

This will not be a lot but surely will be helpful.

Go to bed exactly the same time every day. This will help you develop a sleep pattern and sound sleep.

Eat a well-balanced diet and add fresh fruits and vegetables in your meals.

Drink 8 glasses of clean and fresh water a day. This will help you digest your food well and avoid dehydration.

Exercise at least 30 minutes every day. I know it will be hard to find the time to exercise especially for busy individuals. However, this is a prerequisite for a sound sleep so make sure you exercise. Brisk walking is a form of exercise. It may be worthy to park your car farther to be able to walk further and deduct that time from the 30 minutes I have asked you to exercise.
Control your body weight. Being 20% overweight will risk you to sleep apnea and other health hazards.

What to avoid?

You may not be prepared of this but please consider.

Alcohol, if avoiding it entirely is not acceptable, then minimizing it and avoiding it immediately before going to bed will definitely help.

Cigarette, again, if avoiding it is not an option, minimizing will be helpful.

Overeating especially before going to sleep.

Sleeping in your back. This causes you to snore because your throat narrows. If you have throat problems including sinus have it treated by your doctor immediately.

Exercising at night. Exercise is useful in developing a sleep pattern but if you exercise before going to bed, your system is still active and you will find it hard to sleep.

There may be other advice your doctor can give you if you have the tendency to develop sleep apnea such as loud snoring and narrow airway, but following the tips mentioned above will surely help you avoid sleep problems and sleep apnea as well.

Understanding Sleep Apnea

Do you annoy your bed partner because of loud snoring? Do you feel fatigue upon waking up? Do you feel sleepy during the day? If so, there is a possibility that you are above 40 years old and at least 20% heavier than what is normal in your age.

If any of the above is true to you, then you could be suffering from sleep apnea. It may help to know what sleep apnea and the symptoms of this sleep disorder to avoid more serious health problems that accompany sleep apnea.

What is sleep apnea?

This is a sleep disorder accompanied by loud snoring and sudden awakening coupled with grasping of breath. You will need to grasp for breath because there is sudden breath stoppage during your sleep. You need to wake up to breath again. This could be due to blockage in your airway.

Common sleep apnea sufferers:

1. Men over 40 years old are at high risk of sleep apnea. Clinical studies show that snoring and daytime sleepiness are rampant in men of this age. This is true both in the U.S. and U.K.

2. People considered obese or 20% heavier than their usual weight are ate high risk as well.

Signs and symptoms of sleep apnea

Aside from the symptoms mentioned above, here are some additional signs and symptoms you need to look for to avoid sleep apnea:

• Daytime sleepiness, even after sleeping long hours at night.
• Headache and sore throat
• Depression
• Personality changes such as irritability
• Short attention span

What to do if you recognize any of the above symptoms in yourself or your bed partner?

• Immediately visit a health care professional and consult your problem.
• Avoid sleeping in your back. This will help avoid blockage in your airway.
• Avoid alcohol before you sleep.
• Avoid sleeping immediately after you eat.
• Exercise

These are just some of the useful tips on how to avoid sleep apnea. Your doctor could give you more advice on how to avoid this but start with those you can control.

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Josie P. de Dios is a freelance writer from the Philippines. She has written tons of articles on health and travel articles published both online and in print. She is the author of an e-book on Antioxidant entitled “Be Healthy for Success”.