How to Cure Sleep Apnea Naturally: Proven Home Remedies for Adults
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leep apnea is a widely known but severe illness that affects sleeping; it is a disorder that results in temporary cessation of breathing during sleep. Sleep apnea is estimated to affect millions of adults globally; characterized by disturbed sleep, daytime fatigue, and various other complications in case the condition is not addressed. CPAP machine and surgery are some way to treat sleep apnea But many people would prefer non-medical methods to deal with or even eliminate the condition. This article specifically explores sleep apnea home remedies for adults that are effective in reducing the signs of sleep apnea, thus acting as a guide to enhance the quality of your sleep.
Understanding Sleep Apnea
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder what entails that an individual experiences disruption of breathing while asleep. These interruptions are called apneas and may range from brief, lasting several seconds, to somewhat longer, lasting a couple of minutes, and may happen 30 or more times per hour. The nominal form of sleep apnea is the Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) which happens when the muscles in the throat relax thus leading to closure of the airway temporarily.
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
It is very important to identify signs of sleep apnea so as to be in a position to seek early treatment. Common signs include:
Loud Snoring:
Sometimes, snoring is the first sign and the first thing that one recognizes especially when one accompanies it with choking or gasping.
Episodes of Stopped Breathing:
Such episodes are usually watched by another individual or partner, most commonly a husband or a wife.
Gasping for Air During Sleep:
This happens in case the body assumes that you are in a state of oxygen deprivation and hence WAKES you up in the process.
Morning Headaches:
Due to circulatory problems as a consequence of reduced oxygenation at night.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness:
Often even after eight hour’s sleep, people feel very tired throughout the day.
Difficulty Staying Asleep (Insomnia):
The countless interferences mean that one can hardly achieve a comfortable night’s sleep.
Ways to Stop Snoring Naturally and Cure Sleep Apnea
Although medications, continuous positive airway pressure machines, and surgeries work for patients with sleep apnea, most of them will not go for it because of the complications that arise along with the treatments. Most people look for home remedies that they can take to without having to think of them as odd. Below is a list of some home remedies for the treatment of sleep apnea that might solve your problem of breathing difficulty at night.
1. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Obesity is also unhealthy as it causes one to have extra fat around the neck and the chest making it difficult for the airways to remain open at night.. The fat deposits in the upper airway cause narrowing of the airways hence reduced passage for air to travel through. Researchers have also found that if a person loses as little as five percent of their weight they experience reduced symptoms of sleep apnea. However, even a weight loss, which means a decrease of the body weight by only 10%, can decrease the number of apneic events by up to 26%.
Natural Weight Loss Strategies
Maintaining a healthy weight is not just about counting calories; it’s about adopting a balanced lifestyle that includes Losing weight and consequently controlling the calorie intake is not a simple process of counting the number of calories we consume. It means living a healthy life style which involves:
Balanced Diet:
They should also eat dishes most of which are not refined or processed food products or the minimal processed foods of real value. Make sure that they consume foods that include fruits, vegetables, and whole grain, lean meat, and healthy fats. A person should not consume foods that are rich in carbohydrates, sugars, or bad fats as these will contribute to increase in weight and inflammation.
Regular Exercise:
Moderate intensity activities: at least 30 min, at least 5 days per week – walking briskly, swimming or cycling etc. Exercise lowers the amount of fats in the body, which is a good thing for weight loss and next to this, sleep apnea patients’ cardiovascular system is built up to help handle the pressure of the apnea.
Portion Control:
Passions are to he restrained and one should not eat to his/her full this food or eat just before going to bed. This is an indication that; eating little quantities of foods at intervals is more beneficial to the body than chewing large quantities of foods in between the day.
2. Sleep on Your Side
The Impact of Sleep Position on Sleep Apnea
Positional association with sleep apnea is believed to be the general reason as to why sleep apnea may be worsened by the position one takes while sleeping. Laying on the back is especially dangerous as the position makes it easy for the tongue and the soft tissues at the back base of the tongue to fall backward down the throat making the airway to close. It also increases one’s vulnerability as a snorer and someone who is likely to have sleep apnea episodes. On the other hand side positioning of the body makes the air way easily available and this leads to reduced snoring and apneic episodes.
Tips for Side Sleeping
If you’re not naturally inclined to sleep on your side, here are some tips that can help. However, if sleeping on your side is not in your DNA, here comes a few tips that you could try out:
Use a Body Pillow:
A body pillow may provide support for the back, and prevent a person from moving to the back during the night. It can also help perhaps to align your spine to a better position and hence reduce pressure on the neck or the shoulder.
Elevate Your Head:
Some techniques regarding clearing of the airway include positioning the head and upper part of the body two to four inches above the rest of the body using pillows or placing a wedge pillow under the head and shoulders. This position can also help prevent the manifestation of acid reflux which is a widespread problem to those having sleep apnea.
Sew a Tennis Ball into Your Pajamas:
This old school trick is carried out by sewing a tennis ball on the back side of your pajamas. The ball will make you uncomfortable when sleeping hence you will be forced to maintain the side position throughout the night.
3. Practice Good Sleep Hygiene
The Role of Sleep Hygiene in Managing Sleep Apnea
Sleep hygiene is therefore those activities or states of being which are favorable to the sleeping process in terms of frequency and duration. Here are some guidelines which will help you to maintain proper sleep hygiene:
Implementing the following practices can make a significant difference in your sleep quality:
Establish a Regular Sleep Schedule:
Some of the examples of its importance include; Sleeping and waking up at the same time even during the weekends.
Create a Relaxing Bedtime Routine:
One should create some time before going to bed to specialize in a program that will make him or her to relax for instance, reading a book, listening to music, breathing or even taking a warm bath. This teaching assists your body and the mind to know that is the right time to sleep and it will assist in having a good night’s sleep.
Limit Screen Time:
It should also be explained that under no circumstances should one work on the gadgets like a Smartphone, tablet, or computated for at least one hour before going to bed. Blue light is emitted to brighten the screen and this has an impact on the secretion of melastamines which is a sleep regulation.
Make Your Bedroom Conducive to Sleep:
Ensure that the bedroom environment is friendly for a good night sleep as he or she sleeps. The temperature of the room should be low, so too should the light and should be no noise at all. light should be avoided all together possible, one can cover the windows with a curtain that blocks out light or use ear plugs to minimize sounds or even better use a white noise machine to make the room the equivalent of white noise.
4. Try Throat and Tongue Exercises
Strengthening Airway Muscles
This is because some muscles that are involved in speaking such as the muscles in the throat an tongue may collapse during sleep and this will lead to blockage of the airway. These exercises are easy to perform, and can be done on one’s own, thus they help in the decrease of the severity of sleep apnea in the long run.
Employable Exercises for Sleep Apnea
Incorporate these exercises into your daily routine:
Tongue Slide:
Put your tip of tongue, against your palate and try to move backward. Try this exercise for 10-15 times daily to effectively build the strength of the muscles tucked at the back of your throat.
Throat Exercise:
Funny vowel articulation exercises include: Saying ‘ah, eh, ee, oh, oo’ loudly for 5 minutes at least three times a day. It helps to tone up the muscles in your throat, an important bonus as it can help to reduce snoring.
Mouth Exercise:
This is done by extending one’s lips and closing them tightly then inhaling through the mouth with the lips still touching. This position should be held for about 5 seconds and the exercise should then be repeated ten times. This exercise focuses on the muscles in the face area especially around the mouth and may help in enhancing stability of the airway.
5. Use a Humidifier
The Benefits of Moist Air for Sleep Apnea
Dry air also is destructive to the respiratory system of the human body thus can also aggravate the symptoms of apnea by causing blockage of nasal passages, and irritation of the throat lining. An increase in the utilization of a humidifier helps in adding the right level of moisture in the air thus being one of the best home remedies for sleep apnea.
The following are the procedures of how to use a humidifier:
Add Essential Oils:
It is advisable to pour into the humidifier few drops of such essential oils as lavender or eucalyptus. Some of these oils can provide added comfort and therefore enable easier breathing at night if for instance one has breathing issues.
Clean Regularly:
Make sure not to cause yourself to short breathe because this could have been caused by mold, bacteria or any other form of dirt which has developed on your humidifier, make sure that you clean it often.
6. Incorporate Herbal Remedies
Natural Herbs for Better Sleep
Some herbs are natural sedatives that may assist in getting better sleep and those suffering with sleep apnea. Even though these herbs do not treat sleep apnea, they are something that would be beneficial in the overall goal of treating the condition and enhancing your sleep quality.
Recommended Herbs
Consider incorporating these herbs into your nightly routine:
Chamomile:
Chamomile has a mild sedative on the body making it famous in uplifting a feeling of relaxation and even encourage sleep among the users.
Lavender:
Lavender is one more herb that has a lot of positive effects on a human body and which is mostly used for calming. Lavender can be ingested in form of essential oil or come in form of tea that has benefits such as reducing anxiety and helping on get a good sleep.
7. Stay Hydrated
The Role of Hydration in Sleep Apnea
Such effects of dehydration include dryness of the mouth and the nostrils which facilitates snoring and increase the severity of sleep apnea. Making sure one takes sufficient amount of water in a day pays adequate attention to the fact that the airway is always moisturized to prevent blockage.
Hydration Tips
Maintain proper hydration with these tips:
Drink Water Throughout the Day:
Try as much as possible not to drink less than 2500 milliliters of water per day. On the other hand, it is also wise that you should avoid taking much water at night for instance, it may make you continue going to the bathroom at night.
Avoid Caffeinated Beverages:
As mentioned earlier Caffeine has been known to have the merits of being a diuretic and for this reason the users of the drug will urinate a lot and thus will get to the state of dehydration. Third, caffeine may affect the quality of night sleep; as result, in order not to experience negative consequences of caffeine consumption, no foods containing caffeine should be consumed in the second part of the day.
8. Consider Weight Training and Aerobic Exercise
Exercise as a Natural Remedy for Sleep Apnea
The overall health of the physical fitness through fixed exercise activities especially the aerobic training decreases the symptoms of sleep apnea. In particular, if fat is deposited around the neck, weight training will reduce the tissue bulk, thus minimizing the risk of airway constrain.
To optimize the benefits of exercise for sleep apnea: In order to get the most about exercise for sleep apnea:
Aerobic Exercise:
Do activities that are of a moderate intensity such as walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, and such like for a total 150 minutes for the week. These are good for the heart and they are quite beneficial for the lungs too I would say.
Yoga:
I have learnt that yoga is the premier form of exercising that strengthens as well as improves flexibility of the respiratory muscles. The yoga exercises and breath control can let a person widen his chest cavity thus facilitating breathing during sleep. Also, yoga assists to relieve and eradicate stress that has a positive impact on the quality of sleep.
What to Avoid
Avoid Alcohol and Sedatives
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How Alcohol and Sedatives Worsen Sleep Apnea
Drinks and drugs that contain alcohol and sedatives also ease the muscles at the back of the throat, which increases your likelihood of having your airway shut down during sleep. These substances also affect the central nervous system and also decrease the Bodies sensitivity and responsiveness to apneic events. This implies that by avoiding or minimizing these substances in the system, one can be able to have better sleep and hence cut short the instances of sleep apnea.
Conclusion: Embracing a Natural Approach to Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a chronic condition which has many adverse effects with regards to the general well-being of an individual. Despite the wide range of treatments this article concentrates on using natural cures in addition to daily routines so as not to aggravate the symptoms and to improve the quality of the sleeping pattern. Sleep apnea however can be cured if you are overweight, do not follow a standard sleep pattern, allow yourself to indulge in unhealthy food and rarely exercise; it recommends that you shed some weight, put efforts into exercising and be more conscious with the type of foods to eliminate this sleeping problem.
It is also worth mentioning that sleep apnea is a medical condition and although these remedies are helpful, they should be used in conjunction with the doctor. One should also remember that before testing any of these methods or implementing any change in one’s life, one must consult a doctor to know whether such methods are right for your situation or not.
