In adults, the most common cause of obstructive sleep apnea is excess weight and obesity, which is associated with the soft tissue of the mouth and throat. During sleep, when throat and tongue muscles are more relaxed, this soft tissue can cause the airway to become blocked.
Anything that could narrow your airway such as obesity, large tonsils, or changes in your hormone levels can increase your risk for obstructive sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea happens when your brain does not send the signals needed to breathe.
A CPAP machine delivers just enough air pressure to a mask to keep the upper airway passages open, preventing snoring and sleep apnea. For milder cases of sleep apnea, your health care provider may recommend only lifestyle changes, such as losing weight or quitting smoking.
Important risk factors for OSA include obesity, craniofacial or oropharyngeal anatomic abnormalities, male sex, and smoking [8]. During sleep, there is a reduction in tone of the dilator muscles involved in maintaining airway patency.
Studies show that patients who develop sleep apnea before the age of fifty have a life expectancy between 8 and 18 years. Fortunately lifestyle changes, treatment, and other interventions can improve the life expectancy of someone with sleep apnea.
While there is no cure for sleep apnea, studies show that certain lifestyle factors can reverse or make your sleep apnea less intense. Other treatment or surgical options can also reverse the condition. Sleep apnea happens when your upper airway muscles relax while you sleep. This causes you to not get enough air.
Foods to Avoid If You Have Sleep Apnea
People with sleep apnea are already at an increased risk of cardiovascular problems. Eating fatty or highly processed meats like bacon, sausage, salami, ham, and hot dogs can increase your chances of heart trouble.
Sleeping on Your Side. Side sleeping is better for reducing sleep apnea than back sleeping. Research shows that in many cases, sleeping on your side can significantly reduce breathing disruptions. View Source from both OSA and CSA.
Lifestyle habits: Drinking alcohol and smoking can raise your risk of sleep apnea. Alcohol can make the muscles of your mouth and throat relax, which may close your upper airway. Smoking can cause inflammation in your upper airway, which affects breathing. Obesity: This condition is a common cause of sleep apnea.
More than usual daytime sleepiness. Waking up with a dry throat or headache. Waking up often during the night. Difficulty concentrating or mood changes during the day.
There are also commonly known foods that cause inflammation and should be avoided according to Dr. May: “Foods that may aggravate sleep apnea include bananas, sugary processed foods, and fatty meats like burgers and sausage.”
If you undergo surgery, it will take several days to recover. If you are using CPAP, it will take some time before you notice the positive effects of the treatment. Averagely, the effects will start showing around three months, and full recovery can be up to a year.
Sleep apnoea is not just snoring and disrupted sleep - it's a serious medical condition experienced by an estimated 5% of Australian people.
Their findings showed that anyone with OSA is at risk for having low levels of magnesium and improving those levels may help in the treatment of both OSA and magnesium deficiency. More research is, of course, needed to be sure, but it's safe to say magnesium helps OSA.
Vitamin D levels are associated with respiratory function. OSA and vitamin D deficiency seem to share common risk factors, such as obesity and increasing age.
Snoring and sleep apnea.
Not drinking enough water can dry your nasal passages which lead to extensive snoring at night. Meanwhile, dehydration and sleep apnea have a reciprocal relationship. Dehydration is common among sleep apnea patients because it consumes more oxygen and water.
Sip a nice cup of herbal tea
Drinking a warm glass of caffeine-free herbal tea before bed can have soothing, calming effects and can become a pleasurable part of your sleep routine.
Better Sleep Refreshment
Once your body can breathe easily all night, Dr. Reploeg reports you can expect to feel better rested and have more energy during the day.
If you have problems with OSA from being obese or overweight, weight loss can be an option to help manage your OSA. Losing as little as 5-10% of your body weight can improve or resolve OSA.
Weight loss of just 10-15% can reduce the severity of OSA by 50% in moderately obese patients. Unfortunately, while weight loss can provide meaningful improvements in OSA, it usually does not lead to a complete cure, and many sleep apnea patients need additional therapies.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the negative effect that OSA may have on the brain can actually be stopped and reversed. With proper treatment, the brain has proved to be quite resilient. CPAP therapy has been shown to effectively treat obstructive sleep apnea.