What Is Sleep Apnea:
Sleep apnea is a severe health disorder, in which you stop and regain inhalation during your sleep.
In sleep apnea, you suddenly stop breathing, and remain in this condition for a few seconds – up to 100 seconds, sometimes.
When you cease breathing, your brain sends signals to your body to pull it out from the deep sleep and make you conscious of taking deep inhalations to pull you out of breathing cessation. In this cycle, your sleep is disturbed, and since you experience this episode many times during a night, your body fails to get enough sleep, and you do not feel fresh in the morning.
Sleep Apnea And Snoring:
Several people mistake sleep apnea as snoring, but snoring and sleep apnea are two different conditions. When you regain abrupt inhalation after a relapse, this sudden breathing produces snorting, chopping or gasping sounds.
What Are Different Kinds Of Sleep Apneas?
Obstructed Sleep Apnea (OSA) is the worst and the most common form of sleep apnea.
The air passage to your lungs is blocked entirely or partially by your tongue, throat, or tonsils, and the oxygenated air is unable to get through this passageway to reach your lungs.
OSA may be mild, moderate, or severe, depending upon the occurrences you experience during one night.
Central sleep apnea happens when your brain fails to send proper signals to your body to breathe when it is required. It is less frequent and less dangerous than Obstructed Sleep Apnea. Unlike OSA, CSA occurs due to a communication problem.
Mixed sleep apnea is a mixture of obstructed and central sleep apneas. Often the patients treated for OSA develop CSA, or the patients cured for one sleep apnea continue to experience another type of sleep apnea if they are suffering from both.
What Are The Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea:
What Are The Causes Of Sleep Apnea:
If you are overweight, the risk for sleep apnea increases many folds. Your fatness is directly linked to obstructed sleep apnea.
When you are obese, you gather fat deposits in your body, and also in your throat and neck muscles. The fleshy muscles of your throat and your uvula block your air passage during sleep causing OSA.
As you add up years to your age, your body muscles including neck and throat become feeble and loose. The weaker muscles of your throat are apt to fall into your air passage and obstruct it during your sleep, and causes obstructed sleep apnea.
Tonsillitis and adenoids may lead to obstructed sleep apnea in children, especially, if not cured at an early stage.
It is the primary cause of obstructed sleep apnea in children. Adults may also suffer from sleep apnea as a result of their tonsillitis and adenoids, if not cured properly.
Throat congestion or dry cough may also lead to sleep apnea
Smoking makes your throat irritated and swollen obstructing your air passage, which causes obstructed sleep apnea.
Use of alcohol makes your muscles to relax including throat muscles, and these loose to such an extent that these fall into your throat during sleep obstructing your air passage, and you experience obstructed sleep apnea.
Certain medicines like narcotics and painkillers can cause central sleep apnea.
If you have a family history of sleep apnea, you are more likely to develop this disorder at any stage of your life.
Who Can Be The Victim Of This Disorder:
How Sleep Apnea Affects Your Daily Life:
If you do not handle this disorder properly, it will lead you to:
How To Treat Sleep Apnea:
Antioxidant Supplements:
Sleep apnea is linked with oxidative stress which eats up anti-oxidant elements. Resultantly, the anti-oxidant ingredients are depleted in the body leading to endothelial dysfunction, which results in sleep apnea.
The three antioxidants are vitamins C, E, and N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) compound, and taking a supplement containing three components will help to ease your sleep apnea symptoms by improving endothelial function.
Vitamin D:
Deficiency of vitamin D in your body may be one of the factors causing you to sleep apnea, especially in sugar patients. Level of vitamin D plays a vital role in keeping your body healthy; therefore, you should check vitamin D level on a yearly basis. You should ensure an intake of 2000 IU of vitamin D daily if you are a patient of sleep apnea.
Omega – 3 Fatty Acid:
Omega 3 fish oil concentrated with a high level of fatty acid is helpful for treating your sleep apnea because these protect cells against stress.
In sleep apnea, the level of omega-3 is decreased because long-term oxidative anxiety demands more consumption of omega-3, which is made up by consuming more omega 3 fatty acids, and resultantly the same is depleted in the body.
High Fiber Diet:
High fiber diet includes fresh vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fruits, beans. You should take in 30 to 35 grams of whole grains in your daily diet to improve your sleep apnea.
Healthy Fats:
Eat healthy fats. Coconut oil is the best source of healthy fats, and it also improves your gut health. Organic olive oil is another source which will improve your appetite. Other sources of healthy fats are beef from animals fed on grass.
Herbs:
Ginseng and other herbs of the same family will improve your leaky gut, cellular toxicity, and adrenal fatigue. These herbs also help you to manage your stress and fatigue improving sleep apnea.
Honey:
Honey has been used for centuries as a home remedy. Honey possesses anti-inflammatory attributes, and it also lubricates your throat. Taking a tablespoon of honey in warm water before going to bed will improve your sleep apnea.
Cinnamon:
Cinnamon helps to ease your breathing problem. You can take a tablespoon of cinnamon powder in hot water before going to bed which will improve your sleep apnea.
Garlic:
Garlic possesses anti-inflammatory properties. It alleviates tonsillitis, open the muscles of your airways. Therefore, you can use garlic as a potential therapy for sleep apnea.
You should take three cloves of garlic with a glass of water on a daily basis, and also add more garlic in your daily diet.
Lavender:
Lavender has a calming nature and will remove muscle obstruction from your throat.
Add some drops of lavender oil in the boiling water and take steam of this water; it will open up your obstructed nose and throat. Put some drops of lavender oil on a towel and put this towel under your pillow. It will alleviate your sleep apnea.
Chamomile:
Chamomile has got a sedative effect, and it will improve your sleep by relaxing your nerves and muscles. For better rest, you should take a chamomile added glass of water before going to bed.
Epsom Salt Bath:
Epsom salt bath will relax your muscles, and you will enjoy better sleep. Soak Epsom Salt in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes, and then take a shower of this water before going to bed.
Peppermint:
Peppermint has got anti-inflammatory properties. This herb helps to prevent snoring. Use peppermint tea throughout the day. Gargle with water containing a few drops of peppermint oil before going to bed.
Almonds:
Almonds contain magnesium, which is a relaxant, and help you improve your sleep. Eat almonds to alleviate your sleep apnea.
Turmeric Milk:
Milk is sedative, and the turmeric possesses anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, turmeric milk will have two-fold effects – relieving your throat inflammation and giving you a sound sleep. Taking a cup of turmeric milk before going to bed will ease your sleep apnea.
GENERAL SUPPLEMENTS:
Apple cider vinegar, probiotics, and enzymes will help you to reduce your sleep apnea.
Home Remedies:
Weight Loss:
If you are overweight, reducing your weight will help you to manage your sleep apnea, especially, the obstructed sleep apnea. In many cases, a small reduction in your weight will eliminate the need for upper airway surgery or CPAP therapy.
Ginger, cinnamon, and grapefruit oil will help you to control your appetite. These oils will also help to improve your digestive system and hormones nourishment.
If you regain your weight, your sleep apnea will return.
Yoga And Physical Exercise:
Doing yoga or regular exercises will boost your energy level, and strengthen your heart muscles. Yoga will support your respiratory tract, which will facilitate oxygen flow through it.
Oro-facial Exercises:
These are the exercises of the tongue, throat, and soft palate. These tone up the muscles around the airway of your mouth, and open up upper airway passage eliminating your sleep apnea.
Looking in front of you, fold your tongue backward and place at the back of your front teeth, stretch it as far as you can. Repeat this exercise ten times.
Soft Palate Blowing Exercise:
Soft Palate exercise will strengthen your palate muscles, and firm and strong muscles will stop from falling into your throat while sleeping, thus treating your sleep apnea.
Close your mouth, inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth slightly opening it. In this way, when you release the air through your mouth, a whistling noise will be produced. While exhaling, tighten your abdomen and continue blowing for 5 to 10 seconds. Repeat this cycle ten times.
You should do this exercise 4 times a day.
Blow Up A Balloon:
Blow up a balloon taking a deep breath without taking balloon out of your mouth. Doing this exercise five times every day will facilitate airflow through your nose, and in turn, improve sleep apnea.
Tiger Yell Exercise:
Tiger yell exercise will strengthen muscles located in the back of your throat. You do not have to yell actually, but only to act as if a tiger is going to yell.
Wide open your mouth, stretch out your tongue as far as you can. As you stretch your tongue out, lift your uvula to stick to your palate. You should use a mirror to ensure if you do this exercise correctly.
Jaw Resistance Exercise:
Jaw resistance exercise strengthens your jaw muscles.
Put your one hand under your chin. Try to open your jaw, and at the same time use the force of your hand to stop this opening. Repeat ten cycles.
Do this exercise ten time during the day.
Change Your Sleep Position:
Changing your sleep position will improve your sleep apnea. Studies reveal that half of the sleep apneas are contributed to sleep positions.
Supine position – sleeping on your back – may worsen your sleep apnea. In this position, you may block your air passage. You will return to normal breathing when you change your sleeping position and lie on your side. This is true for adults only because children improve their sleep apnea while sleeping on their back.
Raising your head a little high using an extra pillow will improve your sleep apnea.
Another option is to lie on your stomach – opposite to that of spine position.
Avoid Alcohol And Smoking:
Quit alcohol and if you cannot, bring it to a minimum level to improve your sleep apnea.
Smoking contributes to swelling of your respiratory track blocking it, which in turn causes sleep apnea. Quitting smoking will ease your sleep apnea.
Use A Humidifier:
Dry air may irritate your respiratory tract. A humidifier augments moisture in the atmosphere and manages its dryness. You can add natural oil like peppermint, lavender, and eucalyptus in the humidifier as these oils are the best to treat inflammation and have soothing effects also.
Final Thought:
These are home remedies and improve your sleep apnea, but if you are facing severe sleep apnea, or do not feel an improvement in your disorder, you must consult your doctor to discuss this problem to circumvent any grave repercussions as a result of untreated sleep apnea.
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