Sleep apnea could be fatal, and increase your risk of everything from strokes to diabetes. Here's 6 natural sleep apnea treatments you can use.Symptoms, Causes, Types, Self- Help and Treatment Options. What is sleep apnea? Sleep apnea is a common but serious sleep disorder where your breathing is briefly interrupted when you’re asleep. If you have sleep apnea, you’re probably not aware of these short breathing pauses that occur hundreds of times a night, jolting you out of your natural sleep rhythm. All you know is that you don’t feel as energetic, mentally sharp, or productive during the day as you should do. Since sleep apnea only occurs while you’re sleeping, you may only discover you have a problem when a bed partner or roommate complains about your snoring. Though you may feel self- conscious about it or tempted to just make light of your snoring, it’s something you shouldn’t ignore. Sleep apnea can take a serious toll on your physical and emotional health. The chronic sleep deprivation caused by sleep apnea can result in daytime sleepiness, slow reflexes, poor concentration, and an increased risk of accidents. Sleep apnea can cause moodiness, irritability, and even lead to depression, as well as serious physical health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, liver problems, and weight gain. What is The Best Sleep Apnea Weight Loss Plan? What type of weight loss diet can help a patient with obstructive sleep apnea? Your answers are in this page.
With the right treatment and self- help strategies, however, you can control your snoring and the symptoms of sleep apnea, get your sleep back on track, and feel refreshed and alert during the day. Your brain responds by briefly disturbing your sleep enough to kick start breathing—which often resumes with a gasp or a choking sound. If you have obstructive sleep apnea, you probably won’t remember these awakenings. Most of the time, you’ll stir just enough to tighten your throat muscles and open your windpipe. In central sleep apnea, you may be conscious of your awakenings. Types of sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea. It occurs when the soft tissue in the back of the throat relaxes during sleep and blocks the airway, often causing you to snore loudly. Central sleep apnea is a much less common type of sleep apnea that involves the central nervous system, occuring when the brain fails to signal the muscles that control breathing. People with central sleep apnea seldom snore. Complex sleep apnea is a combination of obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. Signs and symptoms. It can be tough to identify sleep apnea on your own, since the most prominent symptoms only occur when you’re asleep. But you can get around this difficulty by asking a bed partner to observe your sleep habits, or by recording yourself during sleep. If pauses occur while you snore, and if choking or gasping follows the pauses, these are major warning signs that you have sleep apnea. Major warning signs. Loud and chronic snoring almost every night. Choking, snorting, or gasping during sleep. Pauses in breathing. Waking up at night feeling short of breath. Daytime sleepiness and fatigue, no matter how much time you spend in bed. Other warning signs. Waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat. Insomnia or nighttime awakenings; restless or fitful sleep. Going to the bathroom frequently during the night. Forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating. Uncharacteristic moodiness, irritability, or depression. Morning headaches. Impotence. Is it sleep apnea or just snoring? Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, and not everyone who has sleep apnea snores. So how do you tell the difference between normal snoring and a more serious case of sleep apnea? The biggest telltale sign is how you feel during the day. Normal snoring doesn’t interfere with the quality of your sleep as much as sleep apnea does, so you’re less likely to suffer from extreme fatigue and sleepiness during the day. Record yourself sleeping or ask your sleep partner to keep track of your snoring, noting how loud and frequent it is, and if you’re gasping, choking, or making other unusual sounds. Even if you don’t have sleep apnea, a snoring problem can get in the way of your bed partner’s rest and affect your own sleep quality and health. See How to Stop Snoring. See a doctor immediately if you suspect sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can be a potentially serious disorder, so contact a doctor immediately if you spot the warning signs. An official diagnosis of sleep apnea may require seeing a sleep specialist and taking a home- or clinic- based sleep test. Do you have sleep apnea? These questions can help you and your physician figure out if you should be tested for sleep apnea. Score. Interpreting the score: 0 to 5: Low probability of sleep apnea. You’re sleep problems are more likely to be caused by something other than sleep apnea. Consult your doctor for a diagnosis. It's uncertain whether you have sleep apnea. You and your doctor should decide the next step based on your medical history. You may have sleep apnea. You are a good candidate for a sleep study and should see your doctor immediately. This questionnaire is not intended to replace professional diagnosis. Source: Harvard Health Publications. Sleep apnea causes. While anyone can have sleep apnea, you have a higher risk for obstructive sleep apnea if you’re: Overweight, male, with a family history of sleep apnea. Over the age of 5. Black, Hispanic, or a Pacific Islander. Someone with a neck circumference greater than 1. Other physical attributes that put you at risk for obstructive sleep apnea include a deviated septum, receding chin, or enlarged tonsils or adenoids. Your airway may be blocked or narrowed during sleep simply because your throat muscles tend to relax more than normal. Allergies or other medical conditions that cause nasal congestion and blockage can also contribute to sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea causes. Like obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea is more common in males and people over the age of 6. However, unlike obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea is often associated with serious illness, such as heart disease, stroke, neurological disease, or spinal or brainstem injury. The first step in treating CSA is to treat the existing medical conditions that are causing it. Some people with obstructive sleep apnea can develop central sleep apnea when they're being treated with positive airway pressure (PAP) devices. Self- help treatments. While a diagnosis of sleep apnea can be scary, it is a treatable condition. In fact, there are many things you can do on your own to help, particularly for mild to moderate sleep apnea. Home remedies and lifestyle modifications can go a long way in reducing sleep apnea symptoms. However, they should not replace medical evaluation and treatment. Lifestyle changes to reduce sleep apnea symptoms. Lose weight. People who are overweight have extra tissue in the back of their throat, which can fall down over the airway and block the flow of air into the lungs while they sleep. Even a small amount of weight loss can open up your throat and improve sleep apnea symptoms. Quit smoking. Smoking contributes to sleep apnea by increasing inflammation and fluid retention in your throat and upper airway. Avoid alcohol, sleeping pills, and sedatives, especially before bedtime, because they relax the muscles in the throat and interfere with breathing. Exercise regularly. As well as helping you lose weight, regular exercise can have a major effect on the duration and quality of sleep. Aerobic and resistance training can help reduce sleep apnea symptoms, while yoga is also good for strengthening the muscles in your airways and improving breathing. Avoid caffeine and heavy meals within two hours of going to bed. Maintain regular sleep hours. Sticking to a steady sleep schedule will help you relax and sleep better. Sleep apnea episodes decrease when you get plenty of sleep. Bedtime tips for preventing sleep apnea. Sleep on your side. Avoid sleeping on your back which makes it more likely for your tongue and soft tissues to obstruct your airway. Some people only experience sleep apnea when sleeping on their back. The tennis ball trick. To keep yourself from rolling onto your back while you sleep, sew a tennis ball into a pocket on the back of your pajama top. Or wedge a pillow stuffed with tennis balls behind your back. Elevate the head of your bed by four to six inches, or elevate your body from the waist up by using a foam wedge or special cervical pillow. Open your nasal passages at night by using a nasal dilator, saline spray, breathing strips, or a neti pot. Tighten the muscles that keep the mouth closed. Try chewing gum or holding a pen between your teeth for about 1. Alternative remedies. Singing can increase muscle control in the throat and soft palate, reducing snoring and sleep apnea caused by lax muscles. Playing the didgeridoo (native Australian wind instrument) can strengthen the soft palate and throat, reducing daytime sleepiness and snoring in people with moderate sleep apnea. Throat exercises. Throat and tongue exercises may reduce the severity of sleep apnea by strengthening the muscles in the airway, making them less likely to collapse. It may take several weeks before you start to notice the benefits. Try these exercises: Press your tongue flat against the floor of your mouth and brush top and sides with a toothbrush. Repeat brushing movement five times, three times a day. Press the length of your tongue to the roof of your mouth and hold for three minutes a day. Place a finger into one side of your mouth. Hold the finger against your cheek while pulling the cheek muscle in at same time. Repeat 1. 0 times, rest, and then alternate sides. Repeat this sequence three times. Purse your lips as if to kiss. Hold your lips tightly together and move them up and to the right, then up and to the left 1. Repeat this sequence three times. Place your lips on a balloon. Take a deep breath through your nose then blow out through your mouth to inflate the balloon as much as possible. Repeat five times without removing balloon from your mouth. Gargle with water for five minutes, twice a day. Lightly hold your tongue between your teeth. Repeat this five times a day. Sleep apnea treatment options. Sleep Apnea Weight Loss Plan. How to Lose Weight with Sleep Apnea. If you have sleep apnea and you are overweight, sleep apnea weight loss plan will definitely improve your sleep disorder and your overall health. This article contains step- by- step instructions to loose weight if you have sleep apnea and weight problems. As obesity is the most important risk factor for apnea episodes, sleep apnea weight loss would be expected to lead to an increase in upper airway dimensions and an improvement in sleep breathing disorder. The link between weight loss and degree of sleep apnea improvement are not always directly related, although it has been shown that a 1% change in weight is associated with a 3% change in AHI. It has been shown that weight loss can improve sleep efficiency, decreased snoring and improved oxygenation of the blood. In cases of dramatic weight loss by special dieting or surgery, OSA severity is improved and in some patients completely cured. How to Lose Weight When You Have Sleep Apnea? Countless clinical studies demonstrated that sleep apnea can be cured in patients with weight problems. However, losing weight when you barely can stay awake, is a very difficult task for any patient. If you are a CPAP user, sleep apnea weight loss can be much easier than without effectively using a CPAP. The CPAP therapy improves your quality of sleep and your energy levels to the point that you can stick to exercise and diet regime that will result in effective weight loss. The following Sleep Apnea Weight Loss Plan can be followed by anyone who has OSA and is overweight, with or without a CPAP machine. Keep in mind though, using a CPAP machine will make this process much easier for you. Sleep Apnea Weight Loss Plan. Quick Nutrition Advices for OSA Patients. As several clinical studies demonstrated, even a 1. For example: if a 1. So, with every kg you lose, your health and quality of life increases, and so your lifespan. Here are the main rules that you should follow in order to lose weight: Don't eat a lot before bedtime! You don't need too much energy when you go to sleep. Also, you're not making the most healthier choices when you eat in the evening (I'm tempted to eat pizza and chocolate before bedtime, which gives me a lot of calories and energy). When you eat a lot or in big portions close to bedtime, the food often stays longer in your stomach, causing acid reflux or GERD. Try to focus on eating more calories and food earlier on and throughout the day, rather than in the evening. Use smaller portions of food. For the new Sleep Apnea Weight Loss Plan you want to consume 3 small meals and two or three snaks per day, rather than eating 2 large meals. This will help you keep your blood sugar under control. It will also prevent you from overeating on every meal. Don't try to be very restrictive with your meals by not eating all much throughout the day. Hunger will get you later on, and you will still gonna eat that big meal at the end of the day. One way to resolve this problem is to eat less than usual in the evening (ex: a salad), and start next morning with a good breakfast. Tip: Don't enter in a restaurant starving. Have a snack one hour before going out to eat. This will prevent from overeating in restaurants. You need a healthy diet. Your main goal with your Sleep Apnea Weight Loss Diet: less calories, more nutrients. It means you want to mostly eat: vegetables, fresh fruit, unprocessed whole grains, lean proteins, and low fat and nonfat dairy products. You can't hide from Physical Exercises! You want at least 3. You don't need to go to the gym. You'll probably give up in 2 moths. And you don't have a healthy body to keep you there for so long. But you can walk 3. Use a pedometer to keep you motivated while you're walking. This clever device will measure how far you walked or run, and store a record of your workout in a log. What to Eat When You Have Sleep Apnea and Weight Problems? There are types of food that you should avoid if you start the Sleep Apnea Weight Loss Plan, and eat only the healthy options. Here are the main categories of food with examples: Proteins: Healthy Proteins: egg white, fish, tofu, skinless chicken breast, sea food. Bad Proteins: sausages, salami, beacon, etc. Carbohydrates: Good carbs are essential for a healthy diet, because they are a very important source of fiber, vitamins B, C, potassium. Good carbohydrates can reduce the risk of high blood pressure, osteoporosis and heart disease. So include the healthy carbs in your diet, but in moderation and along with healthy proteins and fats. Healthy Carbohydrates: vegetables, fruits, whole grains (brown or white rice, oatmeal), low fat milk and yogurt. Bad Carbohydrates: candies, cookies, soda. Fats: Healthy Fats: olive oil, nuts, avocado, nut butter. Bad Fats: fried food. Quick Healthy Eating Solutions. To improve your eating habits and lose weight, here are some quick fix menu solutions that will help you with sleep apnea weight loss: Make Your Portions Smaller. Some people use healthy food in their diet, but the portions are out of control. Therefore, they're not losing any weight. Eating too much from any food will prevent you from losing weight. So you'll need a method to control your portions. Use smaller plates, bowls and cups to cut down the portions you eat. When you have bigger plates, you tend to consume more food. If you divide your plate into 4 sections, then an example of a healthy meal will be formed from: 1/4 lean proteins,1/4 healthy starch,1/2 vegetables. On the other hand, a traditional meal can make you gain weight. Here is an example: 1/3 proteins. To better understand the portion control for your diet, imagine you have two plates in front of you: one plate has large portions of fast food french fries,and the other plate has a turkey sandwich with whole- wheat bread, a half cup of carrots, another half cup of fresh fruit, and four cups of popcorn. Although these 2 plates have the exact number of calories on them, the plate with french fries contains almost 1. Plus, it's less nutritious. Opt for Lean Cooking Methods. For our Sleep Apnea Weight Loss Plan you want to eat foods that are prepared by either: grilling,baking,roasting,poaching,steaming,boiling. These lean cooking methods are the healthiest, because they don't require addition of any fat like vegetable oils. Every time you add a tablespoon of oil or butter in your cooking, you're actually adding about 1. So opting for a lean cooking method can save you from lots of calories and fat. Avoid Adding Salt to Your Food. Salt is an important nutrient, but too much sodium consumption can directly affect your blood pressure. Instead, you want to substitute the salt with fresh herbs, spices and salt substitutes, for a healthier meal. Healthy Snack Ideas. As I mentioned before, your diet should include 3 big meals and 2 or 3 snacks between these meals. But what kind of snacks should you eat? Here are some examples: small portions of nuts,high fiber bars with no added sugar (search for organic products),fresh fruits: apples, bananas, oranges, etc. How to Buy Healthy Food. The strategy for losing weight, even if you have sleep apnea, is simple and widely known: you just need to consume fewer calories than you consume. But losing weight in a modern world with plenty of advertising and cheap empty calories is, in fact, very difficult to do. The more options you have, the more tempted you are to make a bad and unnecessary choice. This rule is also true when you buy food. Because you have sleep apnea and want to lose weight, you want to carefully read the labels from each food package. Here are some guidelines that will help you take a good decision in your search for healthy foods: How to Buy Cereals. You need to pay attention for fiber and sugar content. Fo every 3. 0 grams of cereals, you want to have at least 5 grams fiber and no more than 8 grams of sugar. How to Buy Frozen Dinners. When you buy frozen dinners, you need to watch out for sodium content, saturated fat content and calories content. A frozen dinner should have no more than: 5 grams of saturated fat per dinner,around 3. How to Buy Whole Grain Products. Whole grain products can be bread, crackers, pasta, oatmeal, brown rice, etc. However, not every bread or pasta has the quality of a whole grain product. White flour and enriched wheat flour include only part of the grain, which is the starchy part. They are missing many of the nutrients found in whole wheat flour. So you want to aim for high fiber products, which are made from whole grains. Look at the ingredient list; the first ingredient should be whole (oats, rice, wheat, etc.)How to Buy Dairy Products. When you buy milk, butter or cheese, look for reduced fat brands. This will drastically cut down the amount of saturated fats and cholesterol from cheese. Foods to Avoid if You Have Sleep Apnea. Actually, these foods should be avoided by anyone, and not only by overweight patients with sleep apnea: Partially Hydrogenated Oils (PHO)PHO or trans fats are the most dangerous fats from foods, created during food processing. Any food that was made from or contains vegetable oils fats, may also contain saturated fats. The PHO doesn't exist naturally. These hydrogenated oils were created to make the food more softly, where the flour produces a more desirable texture in the baked product. Because PHO are cheaper than animal source fats, these oils are available in a wide range, and many baked products contain these toxins. Note: The problem with trans fats is that they are very difficult to eliminate from your body. Moreover, don't think you'll get away by choosing foods with a small quantity of trans fats. Because you'll have multiple servings of the food, the PHO will add up. Partially Hydrogenated Oils have been implicated in circulatory diseases, including heart disease. As a patient with sleep apnea, where the heart is hugely affected by low sleep quality, PHO must be avoided at all costs. Avoid Foods With Too Much Added Sugar.
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