Sleep apnea is a condition that stops you from getting the rest you need. It can be caused by several factors–including genetics and lifestyle–and can be addressed through multiple methods. 

One of the most helpful obstructive sleep apnea natural remedies is exercising healthy sleep habits, such as practicing good sleep hygiene, preparing a rest-conducive sleep environment, and maintaining a healthy bedtime routine. In this article, we’ll share some healthy sleep habits that you can follow for a good night’s slumber. 

Adjust Your Sleep Position

The way you sleep impacts the quality of your rest. In general, it’s recommended that you sleep in a position that promotes an aligned spine from your head to your hips. 

Sleeping on your side or back is often said to be more beneficial than sleeping on your stomach. This is because these positions support and balance your back, relieving pressure on the spine and helping your muscles relax. However, those positions might not be the most comfortable positions for you, so it’s best to find a position that targets the root of your sleep apnea.

For instance, sleeping on your side may reduce snoring, while sleeping on your back might lessen symptoms of nasal congestion. These two are common symptoms of sleep apnea, and addressing them based on your needs may lead to more peaceful sleep. Try out a couple of sleeping positions until you find the one that suits you best.

Practice Good Sleep Hygiene

Good sleep hygiene involves setting a sleep routine that allows you to get consistent and uninterrupted sleep. Here are some ways you can achieve this:

Follow a Sleep Schedule

Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day to train your body to recognize when it needs to rest and when it needs to be active. This also ensures that you get at least six to eight hours of sleep each night.

Only Use Your Bed for Sleep

Try not to engage in activities beyond sleep such as eating, watching TV, or working in your bed. This will help you associate your bed with rest and help your body adjust to a calming state once you snuggle into your pillows.

Get Out of Bed If You Can’t Sleep

If you can’t sleep after twenty minutes of tossing and turning in bed, give yourself a break! Do a calming activity like deep breathing or reading a book. Keep the lights low and avoid doing anything too stimulating, like using electronics. Once you start feeling sleepy, head back to bed.

Follow Breathing Exercise

Calm your mind with mindfulness exercises, particularly deep breathing. Relaxing the mind can improve how it handles stress and settles you for bed. You can start simple with just a couple of minutes of breathing in and out in five to ten-second intervals. Check out our Sleep Apnea Solution book for more tips!

Avoid Eating Before Bed

Avoid eating a large meal before bedtime, as well as consuming coffee and alcohol. Remember, sleep apnea and caffeine don’t mix! If you’re hungry at night, you can eat a light snack, or drink some water or tea.

Prep Your Space for Rest

Make your room conducive to sleeping. Keep it at a comfortable, cool temperature; limit bright lights, block out noise; and improve bedroom ventilation. All of these factors can help relax your body, which could make it easier to fall into a deep sleep. 

For an extra boost of relaxation, try some aromatherapy with eucalyptus oil for sleep apnea, or invest in a good mattress and pillow!

A Natural Approach to Sleep Apnea

We’ve compiled several approaches to improve natural breathing during sleep for individuals living with sleep apnea. Check out our Sleep Apnea Solution book today to learn more about how you can enhance natural sleep!

Sleep apnea is common in the US. With this condition, you’ll often experience difficulty in sleeping through the night due to frequent awakenings caused by irregular pauses in your breathing. 

You can approach sleep apnea in various ways, including several natural remedies for sleep apnea in adults. Essential oils are one of the most popular approaches to this disorder. Products like eucalyptus oil can boost natural breathing at night, promoting healthy sleep habits for sleep apnea.

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is characterized by pauses in your breathing, lasting anywhere from ten seconds to one minute. These disturbances result in a lack of oxygen to the brain, and when this happens, you wake up so that you remember to breathe. The cycle repeats itself over and over again, so you can expect to wake up multiple times in a night.

Many people have sleep apnea without even knowing it. Common signs to look out for include interrupted breathing when you sleep, long periods without taking a breath, and loud or excessive snoring. 

Sleep apnea can also be evident beyond nighttime; many people with this disorder experience daytime fatigue, problems focusing, or headaches in the morning. Sleep apnea can come about from different factors including genetics, lifestyle, and activity. If you suspect that you have sleep apnea, you should consult with your doctor.

Essential Oils for Sleep Apnea

One of the most productive ways to approach sleep apnea is to focus on the underlying cause of the problem. Essential oils have recently become a popular method for managing sleep apnea as they promote the production of hormones like serotonin and endorphins. Serotonin helps the mind to relax, signaling to the body that it’s time to sleep. Similarly, endorphins help calm the system.

Here are some popular essential oils used to aid in improving natural breathing during sleep:

Eucalyptus Oil

Many people who suffer from sleep apnea can’t sleep properly because their nose or throat is clogged. Eucalyptus oil is known to reduce mucus in your sinuses and airways. 

Breathing in eucalyptus through a diffuser or rubbing it on your chest before you sleep could help you sleep better. It’s also believed that eucalyptus oil can help reduce heavy snoring when used as a spray or gargle.

Peppermint Oil

Peppermint oil is known to improve brain function and overall mood, which could impact the way you sleep at night. It also has the ability to clear the sinuses, promoting easy breathing that could translate to more restful sleep.

Lavender Oil

Lavender is said to have mild sedative effects that can relax the mind, which is why it’s recommended for cases of anxiety. It’s also the reason patients with sleep apnea could benefit from it–with a calm mind, deep sleep is much more attainable. 

Chamomile Oil

You can use chamomile for sleep apnea to boost natural breathing during sleep. Many people consume chamomile before bed for a longer and deeper slumber. It contains organic compounds that bind with certain receptors in the body that allow your body to relax. While most people consume it as herbal tea, it’s also available as oils that you can use in aromatherapy.

How to Use Essential Oils for Sleep Apnea

Essential oils can be used through a diffuser, allowing you to breathe in its essence as you would in typical aromatherapy practices. You can even combine some oils to enhance their effect. Some essential oils can also be applied topically, depending on the product.

More Natural Sleep Apnea Remedies

We believe that you can better manage sleep apnea with natural remedies like essential oils, breathing techniques, and healthy sleep habits. Learn more about enhancing natural sleep by getting the book, Sleep Apnea Solution, today!

Sleep apnea could have heavy implications on your cardiovascular health, mental well-being, and overall quality of life. Fortunately, several approaches for sleep apnea could help you overcome its symptoms. 

These approaches include sleep apnea natural remedies that promote good sleep habits–such as drinking chamomile tea. Chamomile can be effective for sleep apnea because it contains apigenin, which causes a calming effect. It’s an antioxidant that binds certain receptors in the brain, aiding in sleepiness and reducing insomnia.

What Is Chamomile?

Chamomile is an herb that contains many organic compounds–called ‘terpenoids’ and ‘flavonoids’–that contribute to its medicinal properties. It’s one of the oldest medicinal herbs out there, primarily used to address ailments related to sleep, anxiety, and gastrointestinal issues. 

Chamomile comes in two common varieties: German chamomile and Roman chamomile. The former is more common and is what’s often used in herbal medicine. 

How Does Chamomile Work for Sleep?

Chamomile works for sleep apnea due to the terpenoids and flavonoids in its dried flowers. The flavonoid apigenin is what allows the chamomile to act as a sedative to help with sleep problems. Apigenin binds to certain receptors in the brain, which helps someone consuming chamomile feel sleepy.

This becomes even more productive when it’s boosted with other remedies such as eucalyptus oil designed for sleep apnea. That said, further clinical trials need to be done to conclude its effectiveness.

How to Consume Chamomile for Sleep Apnea

You can consume chamomile for sleep apnea in multiple ways. However, the most popular method is drinking herbal tea before you go to bed. To make chamomile tea, simply steep a chamomile tea bag in about eight ounces of hot water for five to ten minutes–or for however long the package says. 

If you’re using dried chamomile flowers for your tea, place them in a tea infuser or tea ball before steeping. You can add honey or lemon juice to give your tea more flavor. Enjoy your drink once it’s cooled down to a drinkable temperature.

Some people take chamomile through capsules. Dosages vary, ranging from 250 to more than 1,000 milligrams per capsule. It’s best to consult your doctor and follow the directions on the product label to know how much to take. Swallow the capsule and take a large drink of water before bed for the best effects.

Other popular ways to consume chamomile are by applying it as a chamomile oil topical medicine or as a massage oil, using it in a diffuser or inhaler for aromatherapy, or by placing it in a hot bath as a bath bomb, soap, or salts.

Chamomile can also be eaten, but it’s mostly used for mild flavoring. It can be added to soups, pastries, jams, desserts, cocktails, and sauces. You can also use it as a decorative garnish.

Find Out How to Enhance Natural Sleep

Dealing with sleep apnea doesn’t have to be complicated, nor does it need to involve expensive medicines. Get our Sleep Apnea Solution book for only $7 to find out how you can boost natural breathing at night! 

Our e-book comes with guided breathing audio tracks to help you promote easy nighttime breathing. Learn more about our natural approach to handling sleep apnea, including breathing therapy for sleep apnea, today!

Breathing therapy can help train your lungs to breathe more efficiently, reduce obstructions in your airways, and maintain airflow to give you a smoother, uninterrupted night’s sleep. Natural remedies for snoring and sleep apnea like these can help you sleep through the night and ensure you’re feeling alert and ready for the next day.

Types of Breathing Exercises

There’s no shortage of breathing therapies and exercises to try if you find yourself waking up to your own snores. Box breathing for sleep apnea, for example, is an easy one to fit into your routine. Breathe in for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, breathe out for four, and hold it again for another four. It’s as simple as that.

Here are a few other popular breathing exercises used by people who struggle with sleep apnea:

• Diaphragmatic (belly) breathing: Lie on your back and put one hand on your chest with the other on your abdomen. Breathe deeply through your nose and allow your abdomen to rise while keeping your chest still. Then, breathe out slowly through your mouth. This helps strengthen your diaphragm and improve airflow.
• Buteyko breathing: Sit comfortably and take shallow, slow breaths through your nose with your mouth closed. Focus on bringing your breath to a gentle, controlled rhythm. This technique opens up your airways and keeps you from over-breathing.
• 4-7-8 breathing: Breathe in through your nose for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, and then slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of eight. This method helps calm your nerves and promotes deeper, more relaxed breathing. 

Practicing breathwork when you’re awake can improve your control over time and has been proven to work for people with asthma, anxiety, and even some cardiovascular issues; it can help with sleep apnea issues, too.

Why Does Breathwork Help?

Sleep apnea not only happens because of a blocked airway–it is also related to how well you can control your breathing. So, if your breathing is off during the day, odds are that it will definitely be off when you lay your head down on the pillow for the night, which can lead to more dreaded sleep apnea episodes.

By regularly practicing breathing exercises, the brain helps you improve your breathing. This process takes some time (usually a few weeks of daily practice), but the payoff is worth it.

Breath-holding exercises also create brief, controlled dips in oxygen levels and can be another approach to addressing sleep apnea. When you combine these short breath holds with relaxed breathing, it trains your brain to stay stable and helps keep your airways open while you rest. 

Breathe Easy

Oxygen keeps us alive, so making sure we’re making the most of our breath every day (and night) is incredibly important. While it plays a key component in our approach to overcoming sleep apnea, it’s just one tool to utilize. 

Grab a cup of chamomile for sleep apnea before bed to help you feel relaxed. Make some lifestyle changes in your diet and exercise routine. Change up the way you sleep and the environment you’re in. When you add multiple tactics to your sleep apnea regimen, you may find it’s just the ticket to helping you breathe easy at night.

At Optimal Circadian Health, we want you to get the best rest–because you deserve it! Our book, Sleep Apnea Solution, outlines our approach to sleep apnea to help get you back on track to sweet dreams.

Are you searching for the best natural remedies for sleep apnea? One of the best strategies you can adopt for your sleep apnea is to control your breath with techniques like Bhramari pranayama for sleep apnea.

Another breathing therapy for sleep apnea is box breathing. It is an easy but powerful breathing technique that can help you relax your mind and sleep.

How to Practice Box Breathing

Box breathing follows a rhythmic, square-like pattern–much like drawing a box. Sometimes referred to as ‘square breathing,’ it’s one of the easiest breathing exercises to master. 

Box breathing can calm your nervous system when it runs wild or be used when you simply want to avoid having a restless night of sleep. Are you ready for how easy it is? Here’s how it works:

• Breathe in for four seconds.
• Pause. Hold your breath for another four seconds.
• Release your breath for another four seconds.
• Hold for another four seconds.
• Then, repeat the process as many times as needed.

To try it out, find a comfortable spot and lay down on your back. With one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach, breathe in and out. Pay attention to how your body rises and falls under your hands. This is when you know you’re taking full, deep breaths.

The process itself is more important than the number of seconds you inhale and exhale. If three seconds is more your speed, try that.

How Box Breathing Helps Sleep

Box breathing slows your heart rate and sends signals to your brain to switch from the sympathetic nervous system to the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system is in charge of your rest.

This exercise has a number of health benefits, too–it:

• Lowers blood pressure
• Eases stress and anxiety
• Calms your nervous system
• Balances oxygen levels
• Promotes relaxation

Breathe New Life Into Your Sleep Routine

Sleep Apnea Solution by Dr. Dylan Petkus introduces you to our unique approach to sleep apnea. Combining breathing techniques with a healthy lifestyle (eating good food, getting regular exercise, and cutting out unhealthy habits) is likely to make the greatest impact on your sleep apnea struggles. 

Sleep Apnea Solution comes with a number of resources designed to help you boost natural breathing at night and enhance your sleep, including:

• A sleep apnea assessment
• Sleep environment checklist
• Nutritional tips 
• Guided breathing exercises
• Nervous system reset

Sleeping doesn’t have to be a nightmare. By making some subtle lifestyle changes and practicing natural breathing, you could be on your way to sweet dreams in no time!

When you have sleep apnea, you’ll probably try anything to get a good night’s rest. If you’re avoiding sedatives for sleep apnea and want to try some natural remedies for central sleep apnea, have you closed your eyes and focused on your breath?

Practicing box breathing for sleep apnea. or ‘Bhramari pranayama,’ could send you into a deeper slumber. Bhramari pranayama is a calming breathing technique, often taught in yoga, and is meant to help with stress and anxiety, which may help with your sleep apnea. Performing this exercise before bed, especially if you’re restless, might make you feel more at ease and fall asleep (and stay asleep) without any issues.

How Does It Work?

Healthline cites research done in the last decade that shows Bhramari pranayama can quickly lower breathing and heart rates. By doing so, it promotes relaxation and gets the body ready for sleep. If you want to give Bhramari pranayama a try and see the results for yourself, here’s how it works:

• First, close your eyes and take deep breaths in and out.
• Cover your ears with your hands.
• Place your index fingers above your eyebrows. Your other fingers will rest gently over your eyes.
• Apply light pressure on the sides of your nose and focus on your brow area.
• Keep your mouth closed and release your breath slowly through your nose. Then, make a humming ‘om’ sound.
• Repeat this five times. If it works, you should be sleeping like a baby in no time! 

Other Breathing Techniques

Are you looking for other techniques to help you catch much-needed Zs? There are others worth giving a whirl, each with the same mission but slightly different benefits. Let’s break down this list:

• 4-7-8 breathing: A variation of Bhramari pranayama, its name says it all. Breathe in for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, and then let all the air out for eight.
• Buteyko breathing: Named for the doctor who created it, this exercise requires you to slow down and focus on breathing through your nose. This should leave you feeling more calm and steady.
• Box breathing: This sleep strategy is super simple. Breathe in for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, and then breathe everything out for another four seconds. It’s like you’re creating a box in your mind. Box breathing is very common in meditation, which also helps you relax.
• Diaphragmatic breathing: To practice diaphragmatic (belly) breathing, sit or lie down comfortably. Then, place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen, taking slow, deep breaths through your nose. If you’re doing it right, your abdomen should rise more than your chest.

No matter which approach you prefer, experts say breathing exercises have been proven to train your brain and body to help you sleep and breathe better.

A Multi-Faceted Approach to Sleep Apnea

Practicing good breathing exercises is just one piece of the puzzle. If you’re trying to find new ways to manage your sleep apnea, it will probably take a multi-faceted approach. This could mean trying these breathing exercises, implementing a healthy diet, making some lifestyle changes, and more.

At Optimal Circadian Health, we have plenty of expertise to offer to help overcome sleep apnea and promote better sleep. Dr. Dylan Petkus even had sleep apnea himself. He understands the struggle and believes in tackling the root cause of the issue.

Our book, Sleep Apnea Solution, covers how to achieve natural, slower breathing while deep in your dreams. It walks you through guided breathing exercises, while also giving tips to create a comfortable, healthy sleep environment. We want you to sleep through the night and wake up feeling ready for whatever the day may throw at you!

If, like most sufferers, you feel you have tried all the natural supplements for sleep apnea, are looking to gain independence from sleeping with a noisy CPAP machine, or simply want to be active about promoting natural nighttime breathing, you’ll want to know which sleep aids are most likely to actually help.

Although many commercial products have little proven benefit, there are natural sleep aids like essential oils and relaxation-boosting teas, foods like nuts and vegetables known to be helpful for sleep quality, and tested routines and breathing exercises that can enhance natural sleep. In this article, we’ll summarize a few of the most popular natural ways to combat sleep apnea and clarify those that are supported by research and evidence that proves they are worth using in your sleep apnea approach.

Aromatherapy and Herbal Products Designed for Healthy Sleep

Let’s start with essential oils, including lavender sleep apnea creams and concentrates and peppermint oil sleep apnea misters or atomizers. Alternatives include specific types of citrus, like mandarin and bergamot, and sweet jasmine, which are sold as aromatic bath products or used in home scents.

The effectiveness of herbal teas and essential oils is subjective, but there are studies that have shown promising results when analyzing lavender for use in helping people with sleep disorders. Further clinical reviews have also found that combining peppermint and lavender oils provides some help with sleeping in participants with underlying health conditions–although additional evidence is needed to quantify how well these options are likely to help with sleep apnea.

Foods Known to Assist With Sleep

Some foods, particularly fruits and nuts, contain naturally occurring compounds like melatonin, potassium, calcium, tryptophan, and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)–which clinical trials have found have a positive impact on stress levels and sleep. Adjusting your diet or having a small snack as part of your bedtime routine may be helpful; you might try:

• Romaine lettuce
• Kiwi fruit
• Walnuts
• Tart cherry juice

Other additives and supplements like barley grass powder contain high amounts of GABA and can be used in juices or smoothies.

The Link Between Sleep Quality and Exercise

Of course, being more attentive to your overall health and wellbeing can play a part in sleep. Researchers have discovered that, in overweight people, bringing their body weight down is ‘integral’ to managing sleep apnea symptoms.

This study highlights how even marginal weight loss can help gain a healthier night’s sleep and notes that maintaining a healthy weight can have tangible impacts on mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea symptoms. For most, this happens because excess weight pressing on the upper airway contributes to sleep apnea episodes, whereas losing weight can help relieve that pressure–not necessarily eliminating symptoms but possibly making them less severe.

If you are already active and healthy, weight loss may not be beneficial, but incorporating health-positive exercise, movement, and meditative yoga may be worthwhile. Higher degrees of exercise can assist with mood, cardiovascular fitness, and heart health, all of which are beneficial.

Creating a Soothing Evening Routine

Relaxation is key to winding down after a busy day and ensuring your body and mind are prepared for rest. The stress associated with sleep apnea can cause heightened anxiety, with the thought of a restless, unsatisfactory night of struggling to sleep.

Using muscle relaxation exercises, meditation, and concentrating on progressive breathing techniques can have a significant impact. Slow, deliberate, and controlled breathing, focusing on the sound, speed, and quality of your breath, and visualizing yourself somewhere peaceful can settle down your thoughts.

By trying to reduce tension as much as possible, you may find that you fall asleep more easily and are less likely to have disrupted rest due to your sleep apnea.

Finding the Right Natural Sleep Apnea Aids

The best options, routines, and steps may differ between people, but many prefer to utilize natural sleep aids to ensure they are doing everything possible to help overcome their sleep apnea symptoms without complete reliance on medications.

If you’d like to learn more about these approaches and effective breathing techniques to reinforce and strengthen your airways and breathing function, you’ll find guidance and information within Sleep Apnea Solution, our user-friendly e-book that looks at all the ways sleep apnea sufferers can augment their self-care and wellbeing!

Sources:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35412693/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7132346/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7874406/

Lavender is a well-known herbal compound often used in sleep apnea supplements. This natural, plant-derived ingredient is also found in teas, sleep sprays, oils, and creams and is purported to help with restfulness, stress relief, and preparing for a healthy night of sleep.

While there is no suggestion that lavender essential oil products replace medical advice or can act as a cure, there is plenty of anecdotal and clinical evidence that lavender is widely safe and can evoke a sense of relaxation, especially for sleep apnea sufferers who find that bedtime is associated with anxiety and stress.

In this post, we’ll explore the uses of essential oils and herbal teas that sleep apnea as some of the natural sleep aids for sleep apnea that you may find beneficial for your bedtime routine.

Sleep Apnea and Essential Oils

While sleep apnea is a widespread condition, it can also have ongoing ramifications, where intermittent pauses in breathing and the inability to wake feeling rested and energetic can make everyday tasks challenging. Common symptoms include fatigue and sustained grogginess, problems concentrating and focusing, disruptions to sleep due to snoring and frequent waking, and even more profound complications, particularly for sleep apnea sufferers with underlying cardiac health conditions.

Essential oils are not cited as a way to treat or cure sleep apnea, but they can potentially be used as part of a holistic approach, where proactive and conscious decisions to promote healthy nighttime breathing can aid relaxation.

Common Essential Oils Thought to Have Sleep Benefits

There are countless commercial products, essential oils, creams, bath foams, and teas sold as sleep aids, many of which contain essential oils such as:

• Lavender oil
• Eucalyptus oil
• Peppermint oil

Each has varied applications and known benefits, but it is important to remember that there is no conclusive, wide-sweeping clinical research to quantify the advantages or unequivocally state that these essential oils are a key element in your sleep apnea toolbox. However, some studies note that lavender can, for example, provide a non-sedative calming impact and, as a safe and non-harmful ingredient, can be used in controlled amounts to help with the management of stress and anxiety disorders.

Therefore, a lavender essential oil product may act as one aspect of a sleep apnea strategy for sufferers experiencing stress and anxiety by helping to ensure they feel relaxed at bedtime.

How to Use Essential Oils to Enhance Natural Sleep

There are many essential oils on the market, and while the majority are safe and low-concentration, it’s also wise to be conscious of different forms and applications. Topical essential oils tend to come in full-strength concentrates, which can be harsh and irritating when applied directly to the skin. Therefore, diluting oils in the bath or using a skin-friendly oil like coconut oil as a base is preferable, especially if you have sensitive skin.

Diffusers that emit essential oils into the air are also widely available. Still, it’s important to check the concentrations and usage instructions as higher concentrates could potentially be harmful or cause further sleep disturbances.

If you’re new to essential oils, never try to add them to a tea–the oil-based formula can contribute to gastrointestinal issues. It’s important to use products in the format provided and read the guidance beforehand. The best advice is to speak with your physician or practitioner if you’d like to introduce essential oils to boost natural breathing at night and have any concerns about whether they will be safe in conjunction with other medications you may be using.

Incorporating Lavender Oil Into Your Sleep Apnea Nighttime Routine

There’s little doubt that lavender can be a great plant-based oil, but depending on your preferences, you might find that a gentle, relaxing lavender and chamomile tea or lavender-infused bath foam or shower gel produces the desired effect without any possible downsides.

Regardless, a more conscious focus on health, wellbeing, and sleep hygiene is a great way to proactively address sleep apnea. Alongside essential oils, you might opt to take supplements or increase your dietary intake of key vitamins that assist with inflammation reductions, restful sleep, and stress relief.

Further information is available through Sleep Apnea Solution, the latest publication from reputable sleep apnea specialist Dr. Dylan Petkus. It explores how nutrition, breathing techniques, and sleep hygiene can work in harmony to help overcome sleep apnea!

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612440/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6007527/