Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. It can cause poor sleep quality, fatigue, and various health issues if left untreated. Person with sleep apnea, sleeps any time in a day like in travelling or during any work which needs concentration.
Main types
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA): Caused by a blockage in the airway, usually when the throat muscles relax.
Central Sleep Apnea (CSA): The brain fails to send proper signals to muscles controlling breathing.
Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome: A combination of OSA and CSA.
Symptoms
• Loud snoring (especially in OSA).
• Episodes of stopped breathing during sleep. This is observed by another person.
• Gasping for air during sleep.
• Morning headache.
• Daytime fatigue and sleepiness.
• Difficulty concentrating.
• Dry mouth or sore throat upon waking.
• Mood changes, such as irritability or depression.
Management
• Lose weight if overweight.
• Avoid alcohol and sedatives.
• Sleep on your side.
• Medical airway pressure machine and oral appliances to keep the airway open.
• Throat and Breathing Exercise helps the strength of throat muscles
• Pranayama like Bhramari and Ujjayi works wonderfully.
• Shuddhi Kriyas like Jal neti and Sutra or rubber neti helps in a great way. It relieves nasal congestion. Use a saline spray or rinse your nose with a neti pot.
• Inhale steam or take a hot shower before bedtime.
• Maintain a consistent sleep schedule. Irregular sleep patterns can worsen symptoms by disrupting your circadian rhythm.
• Healthy diet and anti-inflammatory foods like berries and vegetables, Omega-3 rich foods, herbal teas.
• Add two drops of essential or fresh edible oil in your nostrils to improve airflow and relaxation.
Sujok Therapy
Massage on the highlighted area (see figure) for five to 10 minutes or till you feel better. The massage direction should be same as the arrow. After massaging you can apply dried pea seeds, On the palm you can apply chickoo (Sapota) seeds and hold them in place with surgical tape.
