Sleep Apnea Natural Remedies
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea refers to a very common disorder in which a person has short pauses in his breathing process while sleeping. The pauses might last from a few seconds to minutes and can occur five to thirty times in an hour. Due to these breathing pauses, the sleeping pattern is disrupted. Sleep apnea often results in poor sleep quality resulting in daytime fatigue and drowsiness. Sleep apnea may be caused by a blockage in the upper airway or by the failure of the brain to send signals to the lungs to breathe or by a combination of these two problems. Symptoms of sleep apnea include loud, irregular snoring, daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, depression, inability to concentrate and possible impotence or high blood pressure (IMC, 2000). Drugs for the treatment of sleep apnea carry some undesirable side effects and hence it is better to opt for sleep apnea natural remedies.
Conventional Remedies
Simple changes in lifestyle can help. It is first of all important to lose weight and then, minimize the intake of alcohol, antihistamines and tranquilizers. Allergies, colds and sinus problems must be medically treated. Regular and sufficient sleeping hours should be maintained. It is best to sleep on the side or sitting up rather than on the back. To ensure sleeping on the side, a good idea would be to sew a couple of tennis balls to the back of the sleepwear or put pillows behind the back (IMC, 2000). An air humidifier at night can be used to counter sleep apnea. Care must be taken to avoid exposure to smoke, dust or other irritants. The head of the bed must be raised by placing bricks under the headboard (Woods-Lavoie, 2001). People suffering from sleep apnea must work out early in the day rather than later. They can take a warm bath, listen to soft music and take milk and a herbal decongestant before going to bed (Woods-Lavoie, 2001).
Diet and Nutrition
In the context of nutrition, it is best to eliminate mucus producing foods such as dairy and bananas and later find out if they are truly trigger factors by reintroducing them in the diet and observing. Essential fatty acids must be part of the diet. Chromium helps in the regulation of insulin and decreases insulin resistance and hence it must be included in the diet (IMC, 2000).
More Natural Remedies
There are many sleep apnea natural remedies available, ranging from throat lubricants and nasal sprays to nose strips. Almost all the throat lubricants are oil based and they work by coating the throat area. Herbs such as ginger and wild yam are helpful in preventing sleep apnea. Ginger promotes the secretion of saliva while wild yam is anti-inflammatory in nature (Woods-Lavoie, 2001).
References
IMC (Integrative Medicine Communications) (2000). Quick access patient information on conditions, herbs & supplements. Thieme Publishers
Woods-Lavoie, P. (2001). Silent Night. Better Nutrition, August 2001, 63 (8)
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