There's more than one way to improve nighttime breathing
In our sleep-deprived culture, it seems you can't turn on the news or read a magazine without finding a story about sleep apnea. According to Dr. William Dement, author of The Promise of Sleep, nearly 40 percent of Americans suffer from a form of sleep apnea—a serious health risk. Most people associate sleep apnea with heavy snoring, which is a common symptom. Sleep apnea occurs when an individual's breathing repeatedly pauses, stops and starts, or is low throughout the night. Common symptoms for apnea sufferers are daytime fatigue and heavy, loud snoring. The causes for apnea vary. It can stem from obstructive issues, such as muscles in the throat relaxing, or it can be related to the brain's respiratory control center being out of balance.
With the prevalence of sleep apnea, a burgeoning industry to cure sleep-disordered breathing has sprung up. The treatments for sleep apnea run the gamut from inconvenient and uncomfortable to dramatic and invasive. For instance, a physician may recommend that you wear a nighttime mouth guard to reposition your jaw for better airflow. Or, they may suggest surgery like uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), which involves trimming the palate and removing the tonsils and the uvula. Undergoing a tracheostomy—creating a hole in the throat that allows for a bypass of a narrowed airway—is another, albeit extreme, option. There are also soft palate implants which act like struts, preventing airway collapse by holding up the palate.
The most widespread prescription for sleep apnea is a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine. The CPAP has given rise to a multi-billion dollar global industry with doctors prescribing CPAPs to apnea suffers in a steady stream. CPAP machines have helped thousands treat their sleep apnea and get more sleep. But for many others, using the CPAP is difficult and uncomfortable. More than one study has proven that CPAP use drops steeply after purchase, either due to discomfort or to the stigma of wearing the device.
The Effects of Sleep Apnea
Without treatment, sleep apnea can lead to serious consequences. Though sufferers never fully wake from their struggles to breathe, they do experience an extended cycle of micro-arousals every night. People with sleep apnea lose roughly 1/3 night’s sleep every night. This effect can also carry over to bedmates who, in turn, suffer from interrupted sleep as a result of secondhand snoring.
Apnea sufferers run up a massive sleep debt. They also experience a myriad of secondary symptoms that disrupt normal functions. Some of these symptoms include daytime fatigue and drowsiness, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder (GERD), night sweats, morning headaches, raspy voice, loss of hearing, high blood pressure, and weight gain. In turn, high blood pressure can lead to heart disease and other coronary complications, including heart attacks and strokes.
Like most health issues, there is no "silver bullet" treatment for sleep apnea. Controlling apnea usually demands making lifestyle changes and integrating different modalities of treatment. Truly improving or alleviating sleep apnea requires continued attention and care. What’s more, the most effective treatment plan involves giving consideration to all of the behaviors and lifestyle factors that can impact sleep apnea. For some, the best results come from combining treatments: simple ones with more involved ones, and mainstream therapies with more alternative approaches. For instance, the efficacy of corrective breathing devices such as mouthguards or CPAP machines can be enhanced by integrating positional therapy and throat and tongue exercises, along with diet and physical activity. These adjustments are not complicated, but they do take some dedication.
Alternative Treatments for Sleep Apnea
For anyone suffering from sleep apnea, a good place to start is positional therapy—managing symptoms through controlled sleep postures. The European Sleep Works mattress system is designed to help you sleep comfortably in the most beneficial postures for unobstructed breathing. Elevated sleeping, side-sleeping, and sleeping on a supportive pillow all make excellent additions to prescribed treatments. Our flexible mattress designs and high-contour slat system support comfortable side-sleeping. We also manufacture our own 100% natural latex sleep wedge to create gentle, comfortable incline. Our Oxygen Pillow promotes healthy nighttime breathing by providing proper alignment and elevation of the head, neck, and torso. You can also start performing tongue exercises to reduce the excess tissue that aggravates apnea. A 2009 study on the effects of tongue exercises on sleep apnea from The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine reveals that a few simple strengthening exercises may help lessen the effects of sleep apnea.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, you can visit our store and test out a range of helpful products. Our staff can help assess your current sleep habits and make recommendations on how they might be improved. When it comes to improving sleep quality, we are firm believers that every little bit counts. We also believe that incorporating benign, affordable, and easy-to-use products makes good sense.
