Snoring and sleep apnea often go hand-in-hand. Due to the restriction or blockage in their airways, people with sleep apnea experience faster breathing and intermittent pauses during the night. This often causes frequent disruptions to their sleep pattern, alongside snoring.

Although it is common for snoring to be a symptom of sleep apnea, these two factors are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For instance, a person could have sleep apnea without any snoring, and another might snore regularly but have no indications of sleep apnea.

Like so many conditions, each person’s experience may be unique, and there are multiple potential symptoms, which you might notice all at once, only some of the time, or not at all. Our Sleep Apnea Solution book provides further expert insights to help you understand your sleep apnea, how and why your symptoms occur, and breathing exercises and techniques to promote restful, restorative sleep every night.

Understanding the Relationship Between Snoring and Sleep Apnea

Most sleep apnea sufferers snore. However, healthcare professionals don’t rely on a history of snoring to determine whether a person has sleep apnea. An article published by the National Library of Medicine explains that because around 45% of men and 25% of women snore habitually, this is too common a symptom to be a reliable way to assess a person’s sleep.

While between 70% and 95% of sleep apnea patients have snoring as a symptom, it is considered more appropriate to analyze it alongside other symptoms. Those signs might include:

• Pauses in breathing during the night, often followed by waking up or gasping for air

• Headaches and a dry mouth in the morning

• Fatigue and sleepiness in the day, even if the person perceives they have had a good night’s sleep

• Difficulty concentrating or remembering things

• Feeling irritable, anxious, or depressed

Can you have sleep apnea without snoring? As we’ve clarified, you can. The above list of symptoms is intended to educate about the potential ways sleep apnea is identified, but a small proportion of sleep apnea sufferers do not, and might never have, snored.

How Can You Tell if You Have Sleep Apnea?

One of the first steps to verifying whether you have sleep apnea is to make an appointment with your physician. They can review your symptoms with you and possibly refer you to a sleep specialist or other practitioner if you have severe symptoms impacting your life. Depending on your location and healthcare provider, you will usually be asked about the above symptoms and offered tests to check your breathing, heart function, lung capacity, and blood pressure to see if there are any underlying causes or issues.

Healthcare services may offer a sleep tracker you can wear overnight to monitor your breathing. These devices often use a system called ‘AHI scoring,’ which determines whether your sleep apnea is mild, moderate, or severe and may influence the recommendations made.

Some health conditions may make you more likely to develop sleep apnea. This is not a foregone conclusion, and it does not mean you will not experience health challenges! However, conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes are often comorbidities where sleep apnea poses a risk factor, alongside other aspects of a person’s overall health profile, such as whether they maintain a healthy weight and active lifestyle.

Can hypertension cause sleep apnea? Potentially, it can. When your breathing is erratic at night, the variations in your heart rate and blood pressure strain your cardiovascular system. This means it could be important to overcome disturbed nighttime sleeping in the interest of your long-term wellbeing.

What to Do After Discovering You Have Sleep Apnea

Whether you have been officially advised that you have sleep apnea or have long struggled with disordered sleeping, fatigue, and headaches, several options can help, in addition to or instead of conventional sleeping aids, like a CPAP machine. Much may depend on your preferences, but people often find that breathing techniques and changing their sleep environment and nutrition can be profoundly beneficial and ensure they are taking action to enhance their natural sleep.

Further information about all these options, including guided audios and an individualized Sleep Apnea Assessment, is readily available through the Optimal Circadian Health website. You’ll also find a link to order your own copy of Sleep Apnea Solution!

References:

• Marshall NS et al. Sleep apnea and 20-year follow-up for all-cause mortality, stroke, and cancer incidence in the Busselton Health Study cohort. J Clin Sleep Med. 2014;10(4):355-362.

Hypertension, or ‘high blood pressure,’ is one of several conditions that can potentially increase the risk of obstructive sleep apnea. Mayo Clinic indicates that heart failure, type 2 diabetes, lung conditions like asthma, some hormonal disorders, a history of strokes, and polycystic ovary syndrome can also be risk factors.

As explained in the latest sleep apnea book by established specialist Dr. Dylan Petkus, sleep apnea occurs due to blockages or obstructions in the airway. This condition can worsen if you have any of the above conditions or are overweight, increasing the pressure on your airways while you sleep.

Finding the right way to help boost natural nighttime breathing is key because the reduction in blood oxygen that occurs during sleep apnea can also strain your cardiovascular system. Whether you already have hypertension, a heart condition, or are in an at-risk category, sleep apnea can impact your overall wellbeing.

What Is the Link Between Sleep Apnea and High Blood Pressure?

Both hypertension and sleep apnea can escalate the risk of the other or exacerbate your symptoms. Clinical studies note that sleep apnea is a recognized cause of secondary hypertension because fluctuations in blood pressure at night can create sustained higher blood pressure during the day even when your breathing returns to normal. Therefore:

• During the night, when sleep apnea sufferers struggle to get enough airflow, their blood pressure rises and falls quickly due to elevated breathing speeds and intermittent periods where they stop breathing–usually also waking up.

• When the person is awake, their breathing will often revert to a normal speed, but their blood pressure can remain high, creating a cycle of hypertension due to their nervous and vascular systems responding to stress.

Is sleep apnea dangerous? Many people assume that sleep disturbances are minor, and provided you introduce breathing techniques and healthy sleep hygiene habits that restore normal sleep; this may be the case. Unfortunately, unaddressed or progressively more severe sleep apnea symptoms can have ramifications for your health.

We need sleep to function; without it, issues like irritability, mood swings, fatigue, and daytime sleepiness are common. Over time, prolonged lack of sleep can lead to problems with liver, kidney, and heart health.

Snoring, Sleep Apnea, and Hypertension

Does snoring mean sleep apnea? Many people with sleep apnea do indeed snore, but snoring can also be harmless and possibly a symptom of something else, such as hypertension–independently of sleep apnea.

An article published by News-Medical.net found that regular snoring has a ‘strong association’ with high blood pressure, even in people without obstructive sleep apnea. However, excessive snoring is also more common in overweight and older adult men, who may be equally susceptible to sleep apnea.

There are known connections between all these symptoms and conditions. Working to make positive changes to your sleep environment, breathing techniques, health, nutrition, and physical welfare can prove highly beneficial as a tool to aid your holistic and overall health.

That said, if you are concerned about high blood pressure or any aspect of your medical wellbeing, the first step is to book an appointment with your physician to ensure you are aware of any underlying conditions or have reviewed any medications you are currently taking to ensure these remain suitable and safe.

Choosing the Right Options to Boost Better Sleep and Reduce Sleep Apnea Symptoms

Many people with hypertension and sleep apnea find that conventional options like CPAP machines have minimal impact on their blood pressure. Researchers indicate that this type of device achieves ‘relatively small’ results and is typically combined with medications to manage blood pressure. However, reducing the frequency of waking at night, optimizing your breathing to minimize sleep apnea symptoms, and ensuring refreshing, restful sleep can be incredibly beneficial and assist with all kinds of challenges.

Our goal is to help sufferers overcome obstructive sleep apnea, teaching techniques, and exercises that promote healthy, natural breathing patterns that can help to slow the speed at which you breathe, reduce pressure on your airways, and enhance your relaxation every night. More details about our targeted guidance, breathing technique audios, and other resources can be found on the Optimal Circadian Health website and in our latest publication, Sleep Apnea Solution!

References:

• Marshall NS et al. Sleep apnea and 20-year follow-up for all-cause mortality, stroke, and cancer incidence in the Busselton Health Study cohort. J Clin Sleep Med. 2014;10(4):355-362.

Sleep apnea isn’t necessarily a health emergency, but if left unaddressed, some people find that their symptoms worsen, become more severe, or contribute to greater health risks due to the impacts of long-term sleep disruptions and the strain on their cardiovascular health.

Johns Hopkins Medicine notes in its sleep apnea resources that around 3% of normal-weight adults develop sleep apnea, but this spikes to 20% or more of overweight or obese individuals, with connections to heart disease and diabetes, among other conditions.

Good quality sleep is essential for functioning, thinking, conversing, and being physically active. Therefore, sleep apnea may become more dangerous over time as it can potentially have a degenerative effect on vital functions, including the heart.

Can Sleep Apnea Damage Your Health?

The initial symptoms of sleep apnea are sometimes easy to ignore. They could include having a dry mouth, feeling tired in the morning, fatigue and grogginess, or headaches.

Leaving those symptoms as they are can be detrimental because even moderate obstructive sleep apnea can increase the danger of having an accident when driving. It can also mean you find it hard to complete your job or other responsibilities when you feel drained, foggy, and exhausted. In the long term, the risks become elevated as your body tries to cope with minimal rest and little restorative deep sleep.

Can hypertension cause sleep apnea, or vice versa? High blood pressure and sleep apnea are indeed linked as having one condition increases the risk or can prompt or exacerbate the other. Dips and peaks in blood pressure occur when your heart rate fluctuates at night and your breathing becomes fast and erratic or stops for a few seconds. This might contribute to higher blood pressure even during the day.

Taking action to understand sleep apnea, visit your practitioner or physician to assess any other health conditions you are worried about, and create a positive, healthy sleep environment can support the breathing techniques and exercises we suggest as an overall benefit to your wellbeing.

What Impacts Can Sleep Apnea Have on the Cardiovascular System?

Healthcare professionals have long noted that sleep apnea is typically combined with other prevalent conditions like heart problems and type 2 diabetes. The common thread is often thought to be obesity, which is a risk factor in each of these problems and can worsen the symptoms of sleep apnea. The extra weight presses on the lungs and narrows the throat due to the fatty deposits in this area.

There are many possible reasons sleep apnea could impact your cardiovascular system, depending on your overall wellbeing, nutrition, and activity levels. According to the American Heart Association, these might include:

• Fluctuations in blood pressure that can worsen current hypertension or contribute to high blood pressure
• Changes to your heart rate as it works harder to help you breathe (in some cases, sleep apnea can also be a factor in atrial fibrillation, where the heart beats erratically)
• Increased risks of coronary artery disease, stroke, and ventricular diastolic dysfunction, which creates extra strain on the heart and elevates the risk of heart failure

Although people with otherwise healthy lifestyles and with no indications of a cardiovascular illness may not be at any immediate risk, it is essential to acknowledge the long-term effects of sleep apnea and why these go far beyond feeling tired during the day. If you are worried about your heart health or have a history of cardiovascular disease in your family and are experiencing symptoms of sleep apnea, it is well worth scheduling a full assessment to put your mind at ease.

Overcoming Sleep Apnea to Avoid Longer-Term Health Complications

In almost every case, the best course of action is to boost natural, healthy nighttime breathing. This could help lower your sleep apnea symptoms, avoid the more serious impacts of a disrupted sleep cycle, and possibly even reduce your risk of developing a more severe health condition in the future.

Our latest book, Sleep Apnea Solution, provides further insights, guidance, and knowledge to start your journey to overcoming sleep apnea, with a wealth of resources available on-demand through the Optimal Circadian Health website. You can take charge of your overall health today by learning how to implement great sleep hygiene, breathing techniques to promote regulated breathing at night, and other approaches to assist with sleep apnea!

References:

• Marshall NS et al. Sleep apnea and 20-year follow-up for all-cause mortality, stroke, and cancer incidence in the Busselton Health Study cohort. J Clin Sleep Med. 2014;10(4):355-362.

People with sleep apnea make unique sounds during sleep, such as snoring, gasping for air, snorting, and intermittent breathing pauses. Sleep apnea can be a serious condition, especially if it threatens your ability to perform your daily duties and live a fulfilling life. 

Is sleep apnea a disability? This is determined by the severity of the condition and the applicable laws in your region. Unfortunately, many people with this sleep disorder don’t know they have it. This lack of awareness largely stems from misinformation and misdiagnosis. 

Some people even confuse sleep apnea with other sleeping disorders like insomnia. So, before you opt for a homemade sleep apnea solution, it’s important to get a proper diagnosis from a medical professional. This article will discuss the main symptoms of sleep apnea and the sounds you’re likely to make at night.

Common Sounds Associated with Sleep Apnea

Let’s elaborate more on these sounds to help you make an informed decision about your condition:

Gasping for Air or Choking

You are most likely suffering from sleep apnea if you’re always waking up in the middle of your sleep gasping for air. This is a frightening experience, especially when you wake up feeling like you’re suffocating. It also lowers the quality of your sleep.

The gasping for air and choking experience occurs when your airways collapse or get obstructed. Patients with sleep apnea also tend to snore loudly and are likely to wake up with a headache.  

Snoring

Snoring is the hoarse sound you make when air passes through the collapsed muscles of your throat during sleeping. As the air goes through these muscle tissues, they vibrate, causing the croaky sound.

Although many people snore occasionally, snoring is typically worse for people with chronic sleeping disorders like sleep apnea. However, not everybody who snores has sleep apnea.

This is why you should consult a qualified medical professional before making any conclusions. The type of snoring associated with sleep apnea is often combined with other symptoms like paused breathing, gasping for air, or choking while sleeping.

Furthermore, snoring doesn’t happen continuously throughout the night; it’s usually a combination of loud snores and periodic silence. The silence occurs when your breathing is paused.

Snorting

Snorting is characterized by a rapid and noisy inhalation as you recover from paused breathing due to obstructed airways. Collapsed tissues in your throat normally cause this obstruction.

Interrupted Breathing Pauses

Periodic pauses in your breathing‒followed by noisy sounds of resumed normal breathing‒are the hallmarks of sleep apnea. 

Related Signs of Sleep Apnea

Aside from these sounds, there are other important signs of sleep apnea that you should look out for.

• Unexplained daytime sleepiness: If you often feel sleepy during the day for no apparent reason, it could be a sign of sleep apnea.
• Morning headaches: Frequent headaches when you wake up in the morning may be a sign of sleep apnea.
• Lack of concentration: Lack of quality sleep due to sleep apnea often leads to a lack of concentration during the day.
• Anxiety and mood swings: Sleep apnea can cause anxiety, and a prolonged lack of sleep may lead to mood swings.
• Insomnia: Waking up repeatedly at night is a sign of sleep apnea, especially if you wake up gasping for air.

 In Conclusion

These sounds often become more noticeable when you lay on your back. So, you can minimize the effects of sleep apnea by adopting safer sleeping positions. If you think you have sleep apnea, consult a reputable healthcare professional for an official diagnosis. 

For more details, Optimal Circadian Health offers a comprehensive book with all the answers to your questions about dealing with sleep apnea naturally. Check out Sleep Apnea Solution by Dr. Dylan Petkus today!

Sleep apnea isn’t officially recognized as a disability, but it can be considered one in certain situations. Its classification depends on several factors, including its severity and the kind of impact it has on your daily life–particularly, your ability to work.

In this article, we’ll explore symptoms of sleep apnea, how it can impact your ability to function, and recommend the best sleep apnea solution book.

What Is Sleep Apnea?

You could be suffering from sleep apnea if you often wake up in the middle of your sleep feeling like someone is trying to suffocate you. This sleep disorder causes you to snore and gasp for air repeatedly, preventing you from getting quality sleep.

Continuous lack of sufficient sleep leads to other serious problems like insomnia, daytime sleepiness, and prolonged exhaustion. Your productivity at work will suffer greatly if you’re always dozing off while you’re on the clock.

If you have this condition, you most likely want to know how it will impact your life and how you can overcome it. What does sleep apnea sound like? What is the latest treatment for sleep apnea? Is sleep apnea a disability? 

If your work requires your full concentration, constant sleepiness and exhaustion will make it difficult for you to do your job. In this case, you may want to know if you qualify for disability benefits.

How to Determine If Sleep Apnea Is a Disability

There are several ways to determine if your sleep apnea can classify as a disability, including:

Medical Diagnosis

See a licensed medical doctor for a proper diagnosis. Your doctor will carry out several sleep studies and overnight evaluations of your breathing patterns and other physical behaviors of your body during sleep.

These tests are normally completed at sleep centers or medical facilities that offer sleep apnea testing. You can also find books on effective ways to diagnose and overcome sleep apnea.

Choose a book that offers practical ideas on how to cure sleep apnea naturally at home without a CPAP machine and how to boost natural and easy breathing at night. Optimal Circadian Health offers an ebook complete with audio-guided breathing exercises.

Severity of the Condition

The severity of your condition and its impact on your daily life, cognitive function, and ability to work are important factors. Severe sleep apnea that significantly disrupts your normal life and daily activities may be considered a disability.

In this case, you may qualify for disability benefits. However, your condition must fall under the official definition of disability by the Social Security Administration (SSA). Your medical records must indicate that the condition will last for at least a year or likely cause death. 

Records

You need a comprehensive medical record, including test and evaluation results, medical history, and reports from your doctor showing that you suffer from severe sleep apnea.

This record is essential when you want to file for a disability claim. The SSA will use these documents to determine your eligibility.

Legal Definitions

It’s good to be aware of what the law says about sleep apnea and disability claims. For instance, the SSA provides specific procedures and guidelines for what can be considered a disability.

Your sleep apnea disorder may qualify if it meets these conditions and severely prevents you from performing your daily activities effectively.

Workplace Accommodations

Even if your sleep apnea isn’t legally recognized as a disability, the law may require your employer to provide you with a conducive working environment. For instance, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires employers to make their workplaces favorable for employees with sleep apnea, especially if it significantly affects their job performance.

In Summary

Every case of sleep apnea is unique, and the determination of whether your diagnosis qualifies as a disability depends on the circumstances and applicable laws in your region. For more ideas on how to overcome sleep apnea naturally, check out Optimal Circadian Health’s resources today!

CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machines are commonly used to manage the symptoms of sleep apnea. They work by helping to keep your airways open, with the aim of improving sleep quality and reducing the risks of serious secondary conditions.

However, many people dislike using a CPAP and prefer to learn actionable breathing techniques, incorporating exercises into a regular evening routine to help overcome sleep apnea and avoid interventions or surgeries. The issue for many is that a CPAP can be awkward to use, create a claustrophobic sensation, be difficult to use when traveling, or cause personal issues, where sleeping with a mask is less than ideal, or partners find the ongoing noise disruptive.

Finding the best sleep apnea solution ensures comfort and confidence, as well as the ability to proactively promote healthy, natural sleep without needing to use a mask or device every night.

Common Reasons for Looking at Alternatives to Promote Healthy Sleep Without a CPAP

CPAP machines are a conventional way to try and reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea, but they can produce unwanted side effects, in addition to being uncomfortable to use. These can include:

• Nosebleeds
• Congestion
• A runny nose
• Dry mouth
• Skin irritation

Adding a heated humidifier is sometimes thought to help. However, with an ever-increasing number of machines and devices creating distracting noises, this could further disrupt your sleep pattern or cause inconvenience to your loved one or spouse.

Some people also find that a CPAP is ineffective, commonly because they have a deviated septum or other irregularity in their nose, which means they breathe through their mouth.

What is the newest treatment for sleep apnea, and can you avoid using a CPAP? Innovations in sleep apnea approaches increasingly mean that dependence on a CPAP is not the only option, giving sleep apnea sufferers a choice over how they enhance natural sleep.

Learning Breathing Techniques as a Sleep Apnea Approach

Part of the complexity of using a CPAP for sleep apnea is that although the device may help maintain open airways, it is not a resolution, nor can it fix the underlying issue. Clinical trials have shown that a third of people fail an initial CPAP trial. Likewise, surgical procedures intended to help improve the symptoms of sleep apnea have been shown to be fully successful just 43% of the time, leading many people to be reluctant to undergo surgery with a less-than-guaranteed outcome.

The answer is to learn how to activate slower, controlled, and natural breathing, which can help keep your airways open without requiring a machine. This helps overcome sleep apnea by combatting the faster breathing that is typical when our bodies try to overcome a shortage of oxygen. This draws the tongue into the airway, creating a further blockage that exacerbates the effect of a narrow airway.

Unlike a mouthguard, tape, CPAP, or sleep apnea pillow, following a breathing routine can actively slow the breaths you take without discomfort, noise, or intrusions.

Finding the Best Ways to Address or Reduce the Impacts of Sleep Apnea

Is sleep apnea a disability? The Social Security Administration does not list sleep apnea as a disability, although some more serious breathing disorders linked to or caused by sleep apnea may fall under the criteria. Accessing natural, noninvasive, nonsurgical breathing techniques can help restore healthy sleep, provide independence from a CPAP if you are already using one, and provide long-term relief from fatigue, brain fog, stress, and related health problems.

Sleep Apnea Solution, an ebook available on-demand, provides further information about breathing routines, the root causes of sleep apnea, the value of nutrition, your sleep environment, regulation of your nervous system, and upgrading your circadian system!

Every conventional solution to sleep apnea has pros and cons, with variable success rates or options that are suited only to some people. The latest innovation, as outlined in our ebook, Sleep Apnea Solution, is to access proven, research-backed breathing exercises and routines, which teach you how to activate slower, calmer breathing throughout the night.

We speak with countless people who are looking at how to cure sleep apnea naturally at home without CPAP machines or other surgical interventions. We recognize that a natural, noninvasive, and holistic approach is often more affordable, convenient, and comfortable.

This technique is based on a clinical understanding of the underlying factors that trigger sleep disturbances. A combination of good nutrition, positive sleep environments, and active breathing routines can deliver great outcomes, even for long-term sleep apnea sufferers.

Conventional Options to Reduce the Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a prevalent condition, and some practitioners will suggest that lifestyle changes, like reducing alcohol intake, rebalancing your diet, and trying to lose weight, may help. The reality is that although these health-focused efforts may have positive impacts, they might not produce the results you want.

We’ll recap some of the typical devices, surgeries, and treatments often suggested to ensure you have a full understanding of your options.

CPAP Machines

CPAP machines are worn with a mask that covers your nose and mouth during sleep, pumping air into the mask. Each device comes with:

• Straps that hold the mask in place
• A tube connecting to the machine
• An air filter

The mask and tube should be replaced and cleaned regularly. You should also take the device with you when traveling and use it during any periods of sleep, including naps. One of the downsides of a CPAP is discomfort, alongside the disruption of having a motor functioning throughout the night. CPAPs may not be suited to some people, including those with a deviated septum.

Can a deviated septum cause sleep apnea? No–a deviated septum cannot prompt sleep apnea. However, this may mean you are not a candidate for a CPAP machine since these devices are less appropriate for people who breathe primarily through their mouths.

Inspire Surgery For Sleep Apnea

Inspire Therapy is gaining attention as a new treatment option for sleep apnea. This method involves an electronic device implanted in the chest, with a wire running through the neck to the throat muscles. 

After a healing period of one to two months, the device is activated to stimulate the airway muscles at night. However, this process requires working closely with a surgical team to fine-tune the electrostimulation over three to twelve months. While Inspire Therapy may seem convenient, it involves periodic surgical revisions and the risk of being woken up by the electrostimulation, making the path to better sleep a long and complicated journey.

Despite its promotion, Inspire Therapy’s effectiveness is debated. Research and patient feedback highlight that only about half of the users respond favorably, with many experiencing complications or needing further adjustments. 

This selective reporting can be misleading, showcasing a 60% improvement by excluding non-responders, while the actual improvement rate is around 30%. It’s crucial to look beyond the marketing and understand these nuances to make informed decisions about sleep apnea treatments, prioritizing fewer risks and side effects.

Gum Shields or Mouthguards

Mandibular advancement devices, or ‘sleep apnea gum shields,’ are sometimes used to hold the airway open during sleep. Most mouthguards must be custom-made to fit and can either:

• Cover both your upper and lower teeth to stop the jaw from blocking the airway
• Retain your tongue, holding it forward to stop it from falling back

The obvious drawback is that many find mouthguards uncomfortable, and the sensation of having your jaw or tongue held in place can make it harder to relax and sleep.

Sleep Apnea Surgery

Surgeries are sometimes used when there is a notable airway blockage, such as large tonsils. A surgical team might also use a procedure called uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, where the surgeon widens the airway by removing tissue.

Other surgeries, like hypoglossal nerve stimulation, involve implanting a device that stimulates nerves during each breathing cycle. Surgical interventions often require an overnight hospital stay since they are performed under general anesthetic, with varying recovery times and risk factors to consider.

Learn More About the Sleep Apnea Solution as an Alternative 

The breathing routines outlined earlier are one of many resources within Sleep Apnea Solution–an instant-access downloadable book packed with information, suggestions, and added-value content, from recipes to audio tracks and user-friendly checklists.

If you’re looking to find the newest sleep apnea approach, have tried other options that have not proven successful, or want to avoid CPAP, surgery, or a mouthguard, the ebook is available to download now!

A deviated septum is quite a common issue. Although it doesn’t always pose a problem, if you have sleep apnea, a misalignment in your nose could mean that some conventional breathing devices, including a CPAP, might have limited effects.

However, despite a fair amount of misinformation, deviated septums cannot cause sleep apnea directly, nor is this the sole reason you might develop sleep disturbances or issues with breathing. Part of the confusion is that differences in your nasal function can, indeed, mean that a CPAP is less suitable. Researchers have found that a deviated septum might need to be treated before a CPAP would be recommended. 

However, if the problem is bad enough, a narrow nasal passageway can cause your body to breathe faster at night. As a result, this will pull the walls of your airway and tongue together to block off the airway. 

The peer-reviewed author of Sleep Apnea Solution, Dr. Dylan Petkus, provides further guidance, information, and practical insights into sleep apnea within the book, alongside actionable tips and exercises to promote easier nighttime breathing.

How Does a Deviated Septum Impact Sleep Apnea Symptoms?

Many people want to know how to reduce sleep apnea without reliance on surgical or medical interventions or wish to avoid the long-term usage of a CPAP. Although CPAP masks are widely used, they aren’t effective or comfortable for everybody, and may be unsuitable for some people due to:

• Complications with natural breathing functions
• Unwanted side effects
• Ineffectiveness due to the structure of the person’s airway or nose

Most of the time, a deviated septum is something you are born with, although injuries to your nose, often due to sports, can mean that the bone and cartilage within your nose are uneven on each side.

The important point to make is that a deviated septum does not and cannot prompt sleep apnea. Instead, an obstruction already exists in the passage to your upper airway, and although sleep apnea may be more evident, the deviated septum is not the cause.

What Can I Do to Help Overcome Sleep Apnea if I Have a Deviated Septum?

Our approach is based on intensive studies into the underlying cause of sleep apnea–rather than trying to address the symptoms or find alternative ways to enhance your breathing patterns as you sleep. Having a deviated septum can mean that the speed and pace at which you breathe to compensate for a narrow or obstructed airway are more exaggerated. This can leave you short of breath and physically tired and prompt your airway muscles to close even tighter.

Why Shouldn’t I Use a CPAP for Sleep Apnea With a Deviated Septum?

The primary concern with using CPAP devices is that if you have a deviated septum, you are likely to breathe through your mouth, not your nose. Existing blockages in the nasal passages commonly prompt this type of breathing, which makes it easier to get a full breath, but also means a CPAP may be ineffective.

A good technique, as outlined in the downloadable ebook we’ve mentioned, is to take a big-picture approach to boost natural breathing by:

• Practicing breathing routines
• Activating slower breathing to keep your airways open
• Maintaining a calm, healthy sleep schedule and environment
• Addressing any nutritional deficiencies exacerbating sleep apnea symptoms

The major benefit is the lack of medications, devices, machines, or surgeries while taking action to promote better sleep and feel more energized every morning.

What is the newest treatment for sleep apnea? Some of the latest approaches involve surgical implants, although it is wise to consider anything labeled as ‘new’ with caution and to seek independent guidance from your physician before investing in any service or intervention that may not meet your expectations.