Sleep Apnea
What is Sleep Apnea?
The image of a person snoring their way through the night often inspires a sense of humor in those who observe it – unless they happen to be sharing a bed with the snorer in question. But the truth is that those who snore and experience other interruptions in their sleep throughout the night are at a considerable health risk for a condition known as sleep apnea.
Typically, when we go to sleep our body undergoes a series of phases wherein it slows certain systems down, including the slowing down of our heartbeat and the lowering of our blood pressure. In the process, the body is able to engage in a process of restoration, such as through the repairing of blood vessels. By continuously going through these different phases multiple times per night, a person will ensure their greatest possible health and wellbeing.
What can happen to some people, though, is that this cycle becomes disturbed by continuous interruptions throughout the night. In most cases, the sufferer’s throat muscles will relax to the point that their throat will constrict and the body will take in a diminished amount of oxygen.
When the brain senses this, it will wake the person up so as to compensate (this is known as obstructive sleep apnea). In other, less frequent cases, the brain fails to send signals to the muscles responsible for breathing and breathing stops (known as central sleep apnea). In either case, the sufferer’s interrupted sleep greatly diminishes their capacity to enjoy the restorative benefits associated with the act to the point that their health is at risk.
People with sleep apnea run a risk of not only experiencing fatigue throughout the day but becoming obese, developing high blood pressure, developing heart conditions, and of course adversely affecting the sleep of anyone who happens to share a room with them as they snore.
Perhaps the most common treatment for sleep apnea is the use of either CPAP or BiPAP machines, which are devices that stream air through the nasal passage and therefore ensure the body receives the oxygen it needs. This therapy might be supplemented with certain prescribed drugs as well as certain surgeries – often as a last resort. Overweight and obese sleep apnea sufferers are recommended to lose weight, and generally are encouraged to eliminate poor habits like alcohol intake and smoking.
How Does Ayurveda View Sleep Apnea?
When considering the fundamentally different causes of the two most common types of sleep apnea – obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea – we must also consider two potentially different imbalances in the body as leading to it. The relaxed throat muscles associated with obstructive sleep apnea, as well as the obesity, neck thickness, and nasal congestion that are known to be risk factors in sleep apnea sufferers demonstrate a likely Kapha imbalance in the body.
In the case of central sleep apnea and the deficiency of the brain to properly transmit signals to the muscles associated with breathing, there is likely an imbalance of the Vata dosha – that which governs the activity of the nervous system and movement of the messages to and from the brain as a whole. In either case, however, any given sleep apnea sufferer is likely to experience a combination of doshic imbalances if they suffer from sleep deprivation in general.Those with a Kapha imbalance are not only more likely to struggle with their weight than those with other imbalances, but the general thickness and congestion associated with this malady are also associated with an excess of the earth element in the body.
How Does Ayurveda Treat Sleep Apnea?
If a sleep apnea sufferer also suffers from noteworthy imbalances of either the Kapha or Vata dosha, then of course a regimen will be recommended to help them overcome such imbalances and foster greater health for them as a whole. It is possible that this will resolve some of the severity of the symptoms, though it is also likely that these therapies will be best supplemented by other, more direct efforts through items like CPAP and BiPAP machines.
Lifestyle Changes for Sleep Apnea
When we neglect to establish the root cause of one illness, it can turn into another, stronger illness in the future. The first step in resolving a specific ailment or disease in the body is to assess the nature of our lifestyle and make general modifications. Living our day-to-day life with a deliberate intention to improve our health will help us to both resolve the disease we are suffering from and prevent further incidence of it and other diseases in the future. Lifestyle changes will help those who suffer from sleep apnea from resolving associated symptoms so as to potentially lessen the severity of their disorder, and depending on whether they have obstructive or central sleep apnea they may benefit from a dosha-balancing lifestyle as well.
- Make efforts to lose weight if overweight or obese.
- Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and other chemical stimulants.
- Avoid sleeping pills, as these will further relax the muscles that are responsible for regulating effective sleep.
- Exercise on a regular basis, preferably in the earlier parts of the day.
- Refrain from eating at least four or five hours before going to bed.
- Craft a regular sleeping routine, going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.
• When appropriate, work to resolve respiratory ailments such as a cold, the flu, and other ailments associated with Kapha symptoms.
• Exercise to move the more stagnant aspects of Kapha energy through activities like stretching and yoga.
• Wash out the nostrils with salty water to drain any stagnant mucus blocking the passages.
• Sit for a bit in the hot sunshine to dry up the excess kapha in the body.
• Massage the head with heated sesame or almond oil.
• Avoid suppressing the natural urge to move bowels, sneeze, cough, and other functions of the body.
• Avoid rapid movements and sit quietly for some time throughout the day.
• Engage in Ayurvedic therapies meant to nourish the body, including herbal oil massage.
Better Foods For Sleep Apnea
Ayurveda teaches us that disease and sickness is derived from poor digestion and inappropriate food choices, so we make deliberate and conscious choices as to what foods we do and do not put in our body. When we suffer from a specific ailment, we then have an opportunity to make even more specific food choices to increase the chance of resolving the body’s imbalance. Food needs to be in season, in moderate combinations of one or two food groups, not too hot or cold, in a modest enough quantity to allow for room left over in the stomach, consumed without too much liquid which hinders digestive power, and fresh and not left over from more than a few hours before. When pursuing balance in the body so as to curtail the severity of sleep apnea symptoms, it is important to eat easy-to-digest foods that help to balance whatever doshas are triggering them.
Foods To AVOID In Response To Sleep Apnea
While some foods can help to balance an aggravated dosha, other foods can cause further imbalance. Dry and cold foods as well as pungent, bitter and astringent tastes will dry out the body and aggravate the Vata dosha; sour, salty and pungent tastes as well as spicy foods will add more heat to the body and aggravate the Pitta dosha; sweet, sour and salty tasting foods will add heaviness to the body and aggravate the Kapha dosha. The following foods will help the sleep apnea sufferer to balance either the Kapha or Vata dosha, whichever one happens to be associated with their particular form of apnea.
• Bananas
• Melons
• Papayas
• Avocado
• Plums
• Sweet potatoes
• Zuchini
• Cucumbers
• Tomatoes
• Wheat
• Rice
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Sweets and candies
• Allergy-causing foods
• Dairy products (except goat milk, in moderation)
• Unnatural sugar
• Cold foods
• Meat
• Apples
• Pears
• Watermelon
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Celery
• Eggplant
• Corn
• Oats (dry)
• Barley
• Most legumes including green lentils and garbanzo beans
• Raw and cold foods
• Dry foods
• Dehydrated, packaged foods
Beverages For Sleep Apnea
Generally, Ayurveda discourages the consumption of too many cold beverages, as doing so hinders the strength of the body’s digestive fire. Instead, favor room temperature or hot beverages to encourage the strength of the digestive fire.
- Hot water, especially during meals and first thing in the morning.
- Herbal teas of ginger, cardamom, and nutmeg.
- Avoid cold and frozen drinks
- Avoid sugary or fizzy drinks that blend with the digestive juice and make it weak.
- Avoid alcohol, coffee, and black tea.
Herbs For Sleep Apnea
Herbs are used in the Ayurvedic system much like Western medicine utilizes medicines and vitamins and can be taken like a tea 2 to 3 times a day. Herbs aid in the digestion of food, the breakdown and elimination of toxins, and strengthen the cellular structure of our system for greater vitality. Herbs become more potent once mixed with other herbs of similar properties. Mix 2 to 4 different herbs from the below list together by adding a quarter to a half teaspoon full of each, for a total of 1 teaspoon of herbs total. Drink these in a half a cup of hot water.
- Cardamom
- Ginger
- Nutmeg
- Bala
- Bhringaraj
- Ashwagandha
Yoga Postures For Sleep Apnea
When applied therapeutically to specific ailments, yoga postures provide an opportunity to strengthen the body, rid the body of toxic matter, and restore balance. The postures included in this section can be practiced as part of a more general sequence or can be focused on in short sessions. When first exploring yoga postures, it is best to only practice them for twenty or so minutes per day and build up from there once the body becomes more flexible.
• Seated Forward Bend
• Shoulder Stand or legs up the wall
• Headstand
• Fish
• Corpse
• Easy Seat
Aromatherapy For Sleep Apnea
Aromatherapy utilizes the fragrances of essential oils when applied to the skin. Essential oils can burn the skin and therefore must be diluted with a base oil such as sesame, coconut, sunflower, canola, or mustard oil. Mix 1 fluid ounce of base oil with about 12 drops of essential oil before applying to skin. You can also just mix 5 drops of base oil to one drop of essential oil if using on one spot.
- Kapha-like symptoms can be treated with cinnamon, eucalyptus, basil, frankincense, or myrrh oil. Use a canola or mustard oil base. Apply oil on the skin between the navel and pubic bone, or on the location of the headache.
- Vata-like symptoms can be treated with lavender, lily, lotus, or sandalwood oil. Use a sesame oil base. Apply oil on the forehead or on the back of the neck.
Mantra Therapy For Sleep Apnea
Ayurvedic tradition suggests that repeating certain words or sounds can help a person suffering from an ailment restore subtle balance to nerve tissue and enhance one’s mental clarity. Different sounds are prescribed to either repeat mentally or chant outwardly. These sounds are also used and repeated in the mind for the purpose of spiritual growth.
To help settle the symptoms associated with sleep apnea, repeat the syllable “Sham” for several minutes a few times a day and build more practice over time.
For a Kapha-related disorder, it is helpful to outwardly chant this syllable for the duration of time it is practiced.
For a Vata-related disorder, it is helpful to inwardly repeat this syllable for the duration of time it is practiced.
Breathing Practices For Sleep Apnea
Controlling the breath is a central practice toward developing peace and stillness in the mind and body. When the breath is under our control, we are no longer at the mercy of the senses that are stimulated by everything and lead to greater fluctuations of the mind. When applied to the context of resolving specific ailments, the breath is used as a tool for developing lung capacity, heating the body, cooling the body, and resolving mental afflictions like anxiety and stress.
The full breath.
Alternate nostril breathing