Do you wake up in the morning feeling tired and sleepy all day? You could be suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnoea or OSA. It is the most common breathing disorder that disrupts sleep. A study reported that one in ten Australians suffer from undiagnosed OSA.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a condition wherein your breathing is interrupted while sleeping. It happens due to the collapsing and reopening of the upper airway during sleep. These periods of interruptions can be of as less as 10 seconds to more than a minute. Snoring is often considered a symptom of sleep apnea. Caused or worsened by obesity, alcohol consumption, ageing, enlarged tonsils, and other factors, OSA needs to be treated to prevent critical health complications. Treatments involve changes in lifestyle including, weight control, sleeping on the sides, reducing alcohol and tobacco intake, using oral devices, etc.
Some home remedies can also help reduce the effects of mild sleep apnea. If you struggle to get a restful sleep or have any other OSA symptoms, here are some at-home cures you can try.
Essential Oils – Thyme essential oil, eucalyptus oil, and peppermint oil are helpful to reduce one of the symptoms of OSA, i.e., snoring. These essential oils can reduce inflammation of the inner membranes of your nostrils, thus clearing the pathway for easy airflow. Try adding these essential oils to a humidifier. A humidifier will add moisture to the air to ensure easy breathing, and the aroma of the essential oils will have a soothing effect on your system.
Herbs – Mint tea, nettle leaf tea, or sage are excellent remedies to reduce inflammation and mucous congestion in the airways. Mint contains menthol that can reduce inflammation. Nettle leaves are known antihistamine that removes congestion.
Nasal Spray and Neti Pot – Use a homemade saline nasal spray to clear the nasal path. An ancient technique of sinus irrigation is the Neti Pot, where clay/ ceramic/ metal pot and a clean piece of cloth is used to clear away your nasal path.
Physical Exercise – Exercising works well in controlling OSA by reducing your body weight and making you fit. Yoga improves your respiratory strength and boosts oxygen saturation levels in your body. Regular tongue and throat exercises can tighten the muscles, thus preventing them from collapsing when you are asleep.
Avoid Alcohol and Tobacco – Both alcohol and tobacco aggravates inflammation of your airways. Moreover, alcohol relaxes the throat muscles that control breathing, leading to disruption in breathing. A study revealed that smoking may lead to cardiovascular dysfunction in an OSA patient.
Oral Appliances – Another effective solution to OSA is an oral appliance that repositions your jaw or tongue to facilitate breathing while you are asleep. There are two categories of such devices available: Mandibular advancement device and tongue stabilising device. At SomnoMed you can procure the former category that will hold your lower jaw in a forward position to prevent your tongue from collapsing and blocking the airway while you sleep.
Choose your obstructive sleep apnea cure option and enjoy a restful night’s sleep.