Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that is becoming increasingly common amongst adults today. Over 18 million adults in America suffer from sleep apnea. This disorder causes your natural breathing to be interrupted several times during sleep. The word “apnea” means to pause breathing for an approximate of 10 seconds. Yes, that’s a long pause. Can you imagine not breathing for 10 seconds, scary right? The risks that come from having sleep apnea are tenfold. That’s why we have to do what we can to avoid the risk of getting sleep apnea or reduce sleep apnea symptoms in the most natural and healthy ways before turning to medication.

There are 3 types of sleep apnea

Central Sleep Apnea

This type of sleep apnea is caused when the brain doesn’t send the right signals to the muscles that control your breathing. 

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

This type is the most common type of sleep apnea and is caused by a blockage or rather something that obstructs the airway. This happens when the throat muscles relax causing the tissue at the back of the throat to collapse thereby blocking the airway. 

Complex Apnea Syndrome

This is the most dangerous and definitely needs medical intervention. It is a combination of both central and obstructive sleep apnea. 

Obstructive sleep apnea, better known as OSAS can be reduced or rather improved upon naturally. 

But before trying to do so, we need to understand what increases the risk of getting sleep apnea. The most common is surprisingly not just based on your personal health:

• Demographics: Men are more likely to get OSAS as well as post-menopausal women.
• Age: OSAS is most likely to increase with age and is most frequently seen among those over the age of 40; it increases significantly after age 60.
• Race/ethnicity: There are certain racial and ethnic groups that have a higher likelihood to get OSAS, this includes African-Americans, Pacific-Islanders, and Hispanics.
• Weight: This is probably one of the most influential factors. Being overweight or obesity is a primary risk factor for OSAS.
• Body type / Physical characteristics: Certain bodily characteristics are associated with OSAS more than others. For example, a small upper airway is more likely to get obstructed. Having a  large tongue, tonsils, recessed chin; small jaw or a large overbite are also contributing factors
• Genetics: If one or both your parents have OSAS then your chances of having it are higher. There may be a genetic link to who is more likely to get it. 
• Lifestyle: Lastly, the way you chose to live and what you s=chose to consume/ put into your body is also another huge contributing factor. Drinking large amounts of alcohol or taking medication/sedatives increase the risk of OSAS.

While it is necessary to take medication to improve, regulate or heal certain ailments (and we are not negating the use of medication; especially if it saves lives) it is always good to try to improve one’s health using natural remedies and by this we mean try to live a healthy life. Being healthy on a daily basis reduces the chances of suffering from ailments. If medication is still required post that then it is best to go for what is prescribed by your doctor. 

4 natural remedies to sleep better

1.  Create a schedule

    Your body has a schedule of its own. From it’s digesting cycle to the production and secretion of hormones to the flow of emotions during the day too. It knows when to produce serotonin and melanin and how to regulate between the two. All of these functions are interconnected and are affected by what you do in your day. Create a schedule for your day and maintain a fixed time to sleep and wake up. Make sure you get an average of 7-8 hours a night to feel fully regenerated and fresh in the morning. The schedule will help your body maintain its own schedule and with time, you will start to feel sleepy naturally around a particular time. 

2.  Avoid screens; count on other aids

   Screens emit blue light which signals your brain to not produce melatonin. This is not what you need at night. You need the melatonin to help you fall asleep. Other activities like reading a book help to put you to sleep faster. Reading a book on a screen will not work the same, read a real book with pages or use a kindle that doesn’t emit light from the screen. Count on other aids that use external stimulants like sound to help you fall asleep. The iBand+ has a sound feature that helps to calm and relax your mind and drift away slowly. It also has an additional meditation feature that walks you through meditation exercises that also calm your mind and help you sleep. 

3.  Maintaining a healthy daily routine

   Your daily routine is as important as maintaining a sleep schedule for yourself. What you do during the day affects how you sleep at night. Get enough exercise, work up a sweat to boost your metabolism. Eat healthy meals at regular intervals. Avoid junk, high sugar, and salty foods. Remaining idol also leads to noise in the head, find activities that you enjoy doing to keep you occupied, content and happy.

4.  Regulate light and temperature

   Your surroundings as you fall asleep contribute a lot. Don’t keep any lights on and if you do need light at least 5 meters away from your eyesight. Make sure the temperature in your room is ideal. Everyone prefers it a different way, some like it cooler some prefer it warm. Find your perfect temperature and make sure it’s the same every day. 

While these tips will not cure OSAS it will help to alleviate and improve your sleep. These tips will also help you to live a healthier life in general which will act as a deterrent to the risk of ailments that are much worse later on in life.