Natural Remedies for Sleep Apnea
You know how disgusting it feels to find out that you make that snoring sound when asleep that undoubtedly and without any deliberate intention, destroy the pleasures of your partner’s sleep. But even more sickening, is having to spend your entire nights with the robotic breathing gargets just so to make sure that collapsed throat muscles do not block your airway.
Sleep apnea is sleep-disordered breathing that causes periodic breath pauses as a result of blockage of the airway when asleep. It is not only a disgusting disorder but also a life-threatening complication that helplessly takes away all your relished sleep to shallow or no nap resulting in fatigue during the day and high chances of contracting heart-related diseases. More worrying is that most people don’t even realize whether they suffer from this disorder, it is not easy to notice unless you have a partner who can tell by the choking sounds and snoring. Fortunately, this article shall vividly elaborate on the hows of diagnosing and treating the same.
One thing worth noting about treatment for sleep apnea is that there is no one comfortable medical treatment for it that is known. That, however, should not cause nervousness to anyone trying to seek the cure or suffering from this disorder because, following the typically natural causes for this disorder, they can be easier reverted and treated by natural means, which is cheaper, efficient, and useful. Most people, after being diagnosed with the disease start the treatment with the medical treatment methods only to fall back to the natural remedies after facing the discomfort of the CPAP device and other devices used. Most people don’t prefer surgery either, and per se, its no need complicating treatment of a disease that can be controlled or treated by natural means.
This article will keenly take you through some of the best natural remedies of this disease. There are several natural resources for sleep apnea, so this article allows you to evaluate and find out which suits you the best. You will also find out some that can work together for maximum efficiency. But before we look at the treatment, let’s have a look at the symptoms and diagnosis. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Symptoms
Like I said earlier, sleep apnea is such a sneaky disease, and so one ought to be keen to notice it. It is a disease that most people live with for years unnoticed since even its side effects can, at times, be confused for daily natural defects until they get critical.
On that note, I highly recommend that you visit your health provider to be diagnosed anytime you notice the following symptoms.
- A morning headache
- Feeling dizzy and fatigue during the day
- If you snort or making choking sounds during the night
- Frequent urge to go to the washroom when asleep (insomnia)
- Difficulties paying attention during the day.
- Poor performance or decreased performance at work.
Once you identify yourself with such symptoms, it is good you start your treatment. One good thing with these natural remedies is that they are both as good for control and treatment measures, meaning that they help you stay safe from the disorder if you are not affected too.
- Maintaining a healthy body weight.
The number one cause of obstructive sleep apnea is excessive weight or overweight. When one is overweight, there are a lot of loose body tissues and muscles. Such are the contributors to obstruction of the airway. When the tissues around the neck and throat are too loose, there are high chances that during the night when the body tissues are relaxed, they can collapse, blocking the air passage. The number one remedy for apnea, therefore, is to observe and maintain a physically fit body. People with a large neck of a diameter of 17inch for men and 15 for women are at an elevated risk of sleep apnea.
Have a trainer or visit the gym regularly, or if that’s a lot to afford simple workouts or exercises such as morning runs routines will significantly help. Also observe your diet, because it’s one thing to work out, it’s another to eat healthily, you should try to balance the two. Try ketogenic diet; it helps a big deal by reducing the intake of fatty foods as well as accelerating the rate of burning body fat.
Having a healthy body doesn’t only make you look attractive and eliminate the risk of sleep apnea but also acts as a control of other heart-related diseases. Besides, obesity, sleep apnea, and blood pressure have a sequence of mutual interdependence. If you are the kind of person, who won’t choose surgery as a cure for sleep apnea, cutting fat to reduce the excess muscles is a sure and safer way.
- Avoid alcohol, smoking, and sleeping pills.
Other than an overweight body, relaxed body muscles can be caused by taking too much alcohol or smoking before bed. Taking such substances before bed and sleeping pills have been discovered to cause over-relaxed body muscles and tissues. When the muscles, especially throat muscles, are way so over-relaxed, they are at a high chance of collapsing or the tongue falling back, blocking the airway. Therefore be advised not to take too much alcohol before bed. Smoking before bed may also result in drying out to the airways, which again may cause snoring. Sleeping pills have the same effects as alcohol as well.
- Change your Sleeping position.
Sometimes our lifestyle, such as sleeping positions, maybe the one standing between our relished sleep paths. When you sleep facing up, you attract a higher risk of causing an airway blockage. With this position of sleeping, there are higher chances that the tongue may fall back when you are dead asleep, and the muscles are relaxed, blocking air entry through the throat. In most cases, when one is sleeping, we breathe through the mouth, now when such an incidence of tongue obstructing the throat happens, you are not able to breathe, and therefore that’s when you jump off your sleep choked by your tongue to suffocation.
Such incidences though they are very uncommon, are pretty dangerous and worrying. Such cases can be prevented by a mere change of sleeping position. Try sleeping on your side instead, this position has been proven to have zero effects on your sleep.
- Mouth and throat exercises (oral-facial)
Oral-facial exercises are exercises that involve the mouth, throat and the face formation. These exercises are prime in strengthening the entire nose and mouth breathing system as well as get them to get used to working mutually. Blockage of the airway is caused by either loose or swollen tissues of its wall. Doing exercises that can help reinforce the entire upper respiratory tract by herding the muscles, therefore, can help cure sleep apnea. This is one sure way to help people especially that are prone to throat collapsing or tongue falling back. Practices such as;
- Blowing balloons forces you to take deep breaths, this exercise helps to strengthen your throat muscles and allow air through the nose.
- Regular practicing of open vowel sounds such us; bee, see, tree, during the day helps build the habit of inhering through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.
- Reciting poems or singing is another sure way of strengthening the walls and muscles of our respiratory tract. When vocalizing, you are forced to open your mouth wide, during this time; you force open the back of your mouth and the airway.
These exercises, however, ought to be done regularly and repeatedly to work effectively.
- Yoga and Breathing Exercises
The periodic breath pauses of apnea results in inadequate oxygen into our blood which is the result of some of the side effects of sleep apnea. Practicing breathing exercises and yoga is one great remedy for such effects. Yoga helps reinforce our breath by taking in enough oxygen into our blood. These exercises are also known to positively impact our body factions by building our diaphragm, calm down our mind, and attract deeper sleep as well. This is a natural all-time practice that is simple to apply and effective for anyone.
- Treating Other Cause Diseases and primary causes
Sleep apnea could at times be as a result of other preventable primary causes and diseases. Most times, the choking or snorting is caused by irritation or swelling of the throat. It could be a result of swollen tonsils due to allergy or irritation from acid coming up the voice box due to heartburn, congestion, or severe coughing. Treating those root causes, therefore, can help eradicate the disorder. Try using humidifiers as well to reduce dust in the room more so for people who are allergic to it. Other than lowering dust, humidifiers also help by maintaining relative room humidity, which helps in making sure that the mucus in the nose and throat is well humid, which are essential for ample breathing? Dry throat and nose are one cause of snoring and the horrible throat chocking during the night.