Natural Approach to Sleep Apnea

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 50 to 70 million adults suffer from chronic sleep disorders including sleep apnea. Sleep is essential to our ability to function on a regular basis. It is when our bodies repair, rest and rejuvenate. We all have a pre determined amount of required sleep. On average, that is about 7 hours, but this can be different for everyone. As we age, we actually require more sleep, but we seem to sleep less. If we consistently get less sleep than we need, our bodies go into sleep debt. We exist in a state of sleep deprivation, causing lack of energy, poor concentration, decreased alertness, poor decision making abilities, declined memory and even weight gain!
Sleep apnea affects the way you breathe when you’re sleeping. In untreated sleep apnea, breathing is briefly interrupted or becomes very shallow during sleep. These breathing pauses typically last between 10 to 20 seconds and can occur up to hundreds of times a night, jolting you out of your natural sleep rhythm. As a consequence, you spend more time in light sleep and less time in the deep, restorative sleep you need to be energetic, mentally sharp, and productive the next day. If you experience these symptoms, you may have sleep apnea:
Morning headaches
Memory or learning problems and not being able to concentrate
Feeling irritable, depressed, or having mood swings or personality changes
Waking up frequently to urinate
Dry mouth or sore throat when you wake up
Natural approach to sleep apnea:
Other lifestyle changes that can help sleep apnea include:

Quitting smoking. Smoking is believed to contribute to sleep apnea by increasing inflammation and fluid retention in your throat and upper airway.
Avoiding alcohol, sleeping pills, and sedatives, especially before bedtime as they relax the muscles in the throat and interfere with breathing.
Avoiding caffeine and heavy meals within two hours of going to bed.
Maintaining regular sleep hours. Sticking to a steady sleep schedule will help you relax and sleep better. Apnea episodes decrease when you get plenty of sleep.
Try to do deep breathing before going to bed, take hot water bath with Epsom salt and use natural sleeping aid like melatonin, magnesium and 5HTP to achieve deep sleep and optimal wellness.
Continuous Positive Airflow Pressure (CPAP) is the most common treatment for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. In many cases, you’ll experience immediate symptom relief and a huge boost in your mental and physical energy. The CPAP device is a mask-like machine that provides a constant stream of air that keeps your breathing passages open while you sleep. Most CPAP devices are the size of a tissue box. This will be the last resort if all natural intervention fails.