15 Jun Should I Drink Alcohol If I Have Sleep Apnea?

There are millions of people today who are struggling with sleep apnea. While this condition is common, it is a very difficult condition to live with. While many people think of sleep apnea as a condition that is primarily characterized with heavy snoring, it is about so much more than that.

With sleep apnea, your air passageways close while you are sleeping and actually cause you to wake up in order to breathe. Some people don’t even realize that they are waking up briefly over and over again throughout the next. This obstructive sleep is why so many people with sleep apnea often feel so tired the next day even if it appears as though they slept through the night.

Most people with sleep apnea are instructed to sleep with a CPAP machine that will help them sleep more soundly through the night by keeping their airways open. However, even if you have one of these machines, one of the things that you should be aware of is alcohol use.

There are many people with sleep apnea who ask, “should I drink alcohol if I have sleep apnea?”

The simple answer is “no.” Or you should at least limit your alcohol consumption as much as possible. Alcohol use actually exacerbates your risk for sleep apnea symptoms and makes it harder for your body to breathe while sleeping. Alcohol can actually relax the muscles in your throat making it more likely for your airway to collapse causing an obstruction while you are trying to sleep at night.

If you are planning on drinking alcohol, do your best to consume it earlier in the day, and try to avoid alcohol use in the hours before trying to go to bed.

Alcohol use is unfortunately common in people with sleep conditions as some people find that alcohol use is the only way they can “relax” enough to get to sleep at night. However, even if you are “falling asleep” it doesn’t mean that your alcohol-induced slumber is actually the type of restful and restorative sleep that you need. This is particularly true if you have sleep apnea.

The best thing you can do is attempt to cut alcohol out of your routine. You may be surprised to find just how much better you feel after a night of sleep.

If you have questions about what you can do to help with your sleep apnea symptoms then contact the experts here at LT Men’s Clinic. You can call our team directly at 817-369-3605 to schedule an appointment with us today. In addition to helping you get outfitted with a CPAP machine that will help you, we can also help you implement healthy lifestyle changes that will help manage these symptoms and help you continue to ensure that sleep apnea doesn’t impact your overall quality of life.