Sleep Apnea is a sleep disorder involving abnormal pauses in breathing or low breathing during sleep. An apnea or pause in breathing can last a few seconds to minutes and can occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour.
Treatments can involve surgery, medications and oral appliances developed to treat apnea. One such treatment involves a machine worn at night designed to increase air pressure in the throat. Medications that lower blood PH and encourage respiration are another treatment for apnea. For patients with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea oral appliances (Oral Appliance Therapy) involving the use of a custom-made mouthpiece that shifts the lower jaw forward, opening up the airway can provide relief from apnea. However medications often have unwelcome side-effects and devices worn at night can be uncomfortable.
For some natural apnea treatments consider the following alternatives:
Avoid alcohol before bedtime
Apnea can lead to a drop in oxygen levels within the blood (desaturation). Taking alcohol before sleep increases the severity of these drops in oxygen and can result in increased carbon dioxide levels in the body, a condition called hypercapnia. If you continue to drink alcohol you should avoid its use several hours prior to bedtime.
Sleeping pills
Sleeping pills and other sedatives not only affect the quality of sleep they can relax the throat muscles, contributing to the collapse of the airway during sleep. Although rare apnea can be fatal and sleeping pills only increase the chance of a severe episode.
Sleeping on your side
The best sleep position for sleep apnea is on your side rather than your back as this improved breathing for central sleep apnea with Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSA-CSR). To prevent yourself rolling on your back when your asleep try propping yourself up with pillows or cushions so that you sleep on your side or sew or stick a tennis ball into the back of your pajamas.
Tongue and Throat Exercises
According to a 2007 study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Clinical Care Medicine 30 minute a day Tongue and throat exercises designed to strengthen the muscles around the upper airway showed a marked decline in sleep apnea after three months.
To perform tongue and throat exercise for apnea:
1. Slide your tongue to the back of your mouth and keep it there for about 30 minutes and then relax.
2. Push your tongue firmly against the back of your front teeth and hold for 30 seconds and then relax
3. Close your lips tightly and tense up your throat muscles and hold for 30 seconds
3. Move your lower jaw to the right for thirty seconds and then back to the left for another thirty seconds.
Practice the didgeridoo
According to a British Medical Journal study in 2005 practicing the didgeridoo helps reduce snoring and sleep apnea as well as daytime sleepiness. Practicing the didgeridoo strengthens muscles in the upper airway thereby reducing their tendency to collapse during sleep.
Loosing Weight
According to Michael Myers, M.D. upwards of 95% of individuals who suffer from sleep apnea are obese. Losing weight can be an effective cure for sleep apnea.
Quite smoking
Smoking can irritate, inflame and enlarge tissue in the throat contributing to obstruction and apnea. Smoking can also result in greater cardiovascular risk and reduce respiratory function thereby compounding the problem
Change your Pillow
Buy a pillow that provides adequate support and keeps your spine straight thereby helping to prevent tossing and turning. A therapeutic contoured pillow can encourage side sleeping thereby reducing sleep apnea.
Maintain regular sleep intervals
Try and go to bed and wake up at the same time every day as this will help maintain a normal body clock and lower the chance of you waking through the night.
Yoga
Try practicing a yoga technique called kapalbhati, a series of bellows breaths performed by exhaling forcibly through the nose, daily. These breathing exercises help tone the upper airway and improve breathing.
