Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep and breathing related disease. It is also called breathing disorder. In this disease, your breathing stops repeatedly while sleeping and then start again.  Many times your breathing may stop while sleeping. You don’t even know about it. This problem of respiratory arrest can last from 10 seconds to 1 minute. This can happen on an average 5 times in an hour.

Causes of Obstructive sleep apnea

• Genetic
• Neuromuscular
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Chronic nasal congestion
• Asthma
• High blood pressure
• Heart and kidney problems

Symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea

• Frequent urination
• Night sweats
• Walking suddenly
• Severe Fatigue
• Snoring loudly
• Mood swing
• Excessive sleeping during the day
• Dry mouth and sore throat
• Irritability
• Brain stop giving signals to the muscle
• Headache in the morning
• Impotence
• Difficulties in concentration

Management

• Conservative treatments
• Positive airway pressure and adaptive ventilation devices
• Oral appliances
• Nerve stimulators
• Surgery

Prevention

• Practice good sleep hygiene
• Doing Exercise regular
• Lose your weight
• Avoid drug consumption
• Quit smoking
• Don’t sleep on the back
• Protect yourself from cold climate

Risk factors

• People suffering from overweight and obesity are more at risk
• People who have problem of blocked nose at night
• If the neck is thick this problem can occur
• Having sleep problem
• Men are at greater risk
• Large tonsil in the throat are also at greater risk

Complications

• Heart damage and heart failure
• Chronic health conditions
• Arrhythmias
• Eye problems
• Daytime drowsiness
• Sudden cardiac death

Diet

To be Avoid

• Avoid heavy meal and difficult to digest foods
• Avoid junk and processed food
• Refrigerated and frozen foods
• Milk and milk products
• Carbonated drinks
• Curd
• Avoid sedentary lifestyle

To be added:

• Light and easily digested foods
• Green gram, soup and honey
• Eat freshly cooked and warm food processed with cumin seeds, ginger, black pepper etc.

Ayurvedic view of Obstructive sleep apnea

In ayurveda its Urdghvajatrugata roga and its type of sleep apnea. When the excessive vitiated kapha cause obstruction in the chest, it vitiates the channels that carry oxygen, and water. When it gets lodged in the chest and upper airway, produce the disease.

Panchakarma therapies

As there a large amount of vitiated kapha dosha get accumulated in the chest and upper airways, shodhna therapies to clean the channels are essential in breathing disorders. It includes Vamana, Virechana, nasya, Shirodhara, Abhyanga, karan purna, Rookshasweda

Ayurvedic herbs for Obstructive sleep apnea

• Ashwagandha
• Jatamamsi
• Sarpgandha
• Sankhpushpi
• Nirgundi
• Haridra

Home remedies for Obstructive sleep apnea

Honey

It has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant properties that can provide throat soothing benefits in sleep apnea patients.

Before bed, drink I glass of lukewarm water and add one teaspoon of raw honey.

Almonds

It helps in relaxing the muscles and in promoting good sleep. Eat 5-6 soaked almonds every day, this helps in preventing obstructive sleep apnea.

Cinnamon

Sedative property in cinnamon helps in treating breathing problem and helps in sleeping better. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon powder to a cut of hot water and rink this once a day.

Turmeric milk

Add half tablespoon of turmeric in boiling milk and keep then boiling in few minutes. Have this half an hour before going bed. It helps to treat obstructive sleep apnea effectively.

Pippermint

Add few drops of peppermint oil into a glass of water and then gargle using this water before going to bed. It enhances proper breathing as well as sleep.

Chamomile tea

It has anti-inflammatory properties. It helps relax the muscles and enhance sleep. Add some dried chamomile leaves to hot boiling water. Strain it and then drink it before going to bed

Garlic

Consume 1-2 cloves of garlic every morning on empty stomach enhance proper breathing and sleep.

Yoga for Obstructive sleep apnea

• Simhasana
• Bhujangasana
• Pavanamuktasana
• Kapalbhati
• Braghmari Pranayam

Obstructive sleep apnea management according to Chandigarh Ayurveda Centre

1. CALM SLEEP TABLET

Calm sleep tablet like bhang, Brahmi, Tagar, jatamansi. It helps to relieve stressful conditions. calm nervous system and also helps to calm minds and make your body relax and light.

Recommended Dosage: Take 1 tablet twice daily 

2. BRAIN RELAXANT CHURNA

This churna calming effect on brain produce relaxation. It herbs Stress booster and reduce anxiety. 

Recommended Dosage: Take 1tsp twice a day 

3.Stress care tablet

It is an amazing combination of natural herbs like Sarpgandha, Brahmi, Tagar, jatamansi. It helps to relieve stress conditions. They help to pacify the nervous system and also helps to increase the mental and physical performance. Maintain stress level,Provide strength to the nervous system, Good in neurological problems, Works in anxiety, loneliness, insomnia, sleep, Memory loss, and Palpitations. In Ayurveda when there is an imbalance of three energies i.e. vata, pitta and Kapha, it leads to disease. Vata has a sub dosha named prana doshas which regulates the sensory perception, brain, and mind. Tarpak Kapha subtype of kapha, governs cerebrospinal fluid, sadhak pitta subtype of pitta doshas governs emotions and their impact on the heart. So any vitiation of these doshas leads to stress.

Recommended Dosage: Take 1 tablet twice daily with normal water

It is a mixture of natural herbs especially made for relaxation of mind and enhances the quality of sleep. The powder consists of ingredients like– Giloy satva, Jahar mohra, Gandhak rasayan, Shukta pishti, etc. This remedy helps to reduce fatigue and an excellent health promoter. Detox standard powder is mainly used in conditions such as restlessness, headache, weakness of heart muscles, depression, high blood pressure, etc. Regular use of the medicine subsides all the above mentioned conditions and improves the sleep.

Recommended Dosage: Take 1 sachet twice a day with normal water.

It is herbal and purely Ayurvedic medicine. It is used in Ayurvedic treatment for psychiatric conditions and help to balance all the three doshas of body i.e vata, pitta, kapha. CAC Mann Mitra tablet improves intelligence and speech problems. It is helpful for making the nervous system strong and nerves as well. It contains various herbs like Bala, Vacha, Shankhpushpi, Nagkeshar etc that help you fight insomnia, anxiety, and stress. It works as a antioxidant, anti depressant, immuno booster, anti epileptic and as neuro protective drug. The main ingredients are Ashwagandha, Vacha, Jeevak, Bala, Swaran bhasma. It shows effective results in Insomnia, Sleep disturbances, Anxiety, Stress booster, Immuno modulator, Schizophrenia and Panic attack.

Recommended Dosage: Take 1 tablet twice daily with normal water.

Anu tailam is herbal and ayurvedic oil used for the nasal instillation for curing the various diseases.  It is administrated through the nasal passage to lubricate, protect and calm the mind. It includes – Sesame oil, Bael tree root, Solanum root, Cinnamon stem bark, Holostemma tuber, cardamom fruit, etc. It mainly balances the Kapha dosha and is beneficial in diseases of head, brain, face, nose, and eyes. Its use is generally recommended in chronic headache, problem of migraine, sinusitis, improves the voice, and vocal cords. Anu tailam gives effective results to asthma patients.

Recommended Dosage – Put 2-3 drops of Anu tailam in each nostril.