More than 6% of Canadians were diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2016 and 2017 by a healthcare professional, but many sleep apnea cases are still undiagnosed.
Sleep apnea can cause restless nights and can be associated with serious health problems.
Along with standard treatments, like a CPAP device or surgery, you might be wondering what else you can do to help ease your sleep apnea symptoms.
For instance, you might be wondering are adjustable beds good for sleep apnea.
What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a condition where you have disruptions in your breathing while you're sleeping. This condition impacts men more than women but, sleep apnea's consequences are very real and nobody is immune to this condition.
Along with pauses in your breathing that last for several seconds, there are other negative effects of sleep apnea that could help you identify it, such as:
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Heavy snoring
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Fatigue upon waking up
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Headaches upon waking up
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Memory issues
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A feeling of suffocation in the nighttime
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Excessive daytime sleepiness
One of the best ways to help deal with sleep apnea is to elevate your upper body.
An adjustable bed makes the ideal solution for this since lying down flat can encourage your airways to collapse, which often occurs with the common subtype of sleep apnea - obstructive sleep apnea.
What is an adjustable bed?
Adjustable beds provide the support that individuals with sleep apnea require, staying in partially or fully upright positions during the night.
They use a multi-hinged structure, allowing you to move the upper and lower half of the bed separately from one another, using a remote control.
Having control over your sleep position like this offers you a way to alleviate your sleep apnea symptoms, limit your snoring and ensure a better quality of sleep.
How do adjustable beds work?
The base is one of the components of adjustable beds. The base is the part that controls your sleep position.
There's also the sleep surface. This part of the frame is where your mattress goes. The joints are the other part of the frame.
An adjustable base has an array of joints that enable the base to freely move from the mattress, helping you adjust your sleeping position.
Each joint rotates a certain percentage, allowing you to get into position.
For instance, you could raise just the head part of the mattress to keep your head elevated, which can help with sleep apnea symptoms.
Or you can raise your legs above your body, which might not be great for sleep apnea symptoms, but it's great for other issues like water retention or swelling.
The adjustable bed's joints are motorized. You'll use the remote control to get the bed into your perfect position.
Are adjustable beds good for sleep apnea?
So, if you're wondering are these types of beds helpful for sleep apnea, the answer is yes, they certainly can be.
They keep your head, body, and neck elevated.
When you raise your upper body above your torso, it decreases the likelihood of your throat muscles becoming relaxed, which can obstruct airflow.
Sleep apnea doesn't just impact the individual with the condition either. It can also impact their sleep partner.
In fact, with an adjustable bed, both individuals in the bed are able to become comfortable. If one of you is waking up often because the other snores due to sleep apnea, you'll appreciate having a bed you can adjust to make it simpler to get comfortable and stay asleep.
What types of mattresses can you use with an adjustable bed?
An essential thing to take into consideration when choosing the type of mattress you want for your adjustable bed is the durability and flexibility of it.
You don't have to settle for the mattress that comes with the bed either.
You have the flexibility to choose a different mattress, but you'll just want to ensure it's compatible with the adjustable base.
Basically, you'll need the mattress to bend with the base, while it sits flat on it despite the bending. This isn't an easy task, which is why choosing the proper mattress for the job is essential.
One suggestion is to choose a hybrid foam mattress like a Polysleep mattress. This is because it shapes to the base, but still contours your unique body shape.
Many mattresses don't return to their original shape once they've been left in a certain position for too long. With the hybrid foam mattress, you'll be able to keep the mattress's integrity intact.
Polysleep tips for sleep apnea
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Choose the best mattress for sleep apnea.
As mentioned above, a hybrid foam mattress, like the Polysleep mattress works well with adjustable beds, which are good for sleep apnea.
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Opt for the best pillow for sleep apnea.
Not only do you need a good mattress to support your upper body and neck sufficiently, but you also need a good pillow that will provide you with the right support as well.
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Select the best sleeping position for sleep apnea.
Learn more : Best sleep apnea pillow
Not only does elevating your head with a hybrid viscoelastic pillow help with sleep apnea, but you'll also want to ensure you're sleeping in the ideal position.
Instead of sleeping on your stomach or back, sleep on your side which has been shown effective in mild to moderate sleep apnea cases.
It's important to note when wondering if adjustable beds are good for sleep apnea, that adjustable beds may help reduce some of your symptoms of sleep apnea, but they're not a cure for it.
So, you'll need to talk with your doctor about treatment options.
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