The latest statistics from the National Council on Aging (NCOA) indicate that a staggering thirty-nine million adults across the US suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, with thirty-three million of those, or 85%, reliant on a CPAP machine to sleep. While sleep apnea is a prevalent condition, there are also countless misconceptions and assumptions about its underlying causes, the best ways to achieve relief, and how lifestyle changes can impact the symptoms of long-term and even severe sleep apnea.
In the Sleep Apnea Solution, Dylan Petkus, MD’s book about sleep apnea, you can discover a wealth of information, actionable insights, and breathing routines that allow for better breathing and more restful sleep.
In this guide, we’ll explore some myth-busting insights to help you gain the right information to begin your journey to enhancing your natural sleep!
Sleep Apnea: The Myths Versus the Facts
One key aspect is understanding why and how the condition presents itself and what you can do to proactively boost restful breathing and sleep–especially if you’ve tried numerous remedies and medications with little success.
1. Sleep Apnea and Snoring
We’re often asked if you can have sleep apnea without snoring, and the answer is yes–you can. Although many patients struggling with sleep apnea also experience snoring, as noted by the study referenced earlier by the NCOA, it is possible to have sleep apnea and little or no snoring.
Why do we assume sleep apnea and snoring are intrinsically related? Part of the mechanism that causes sleep apnea is that our throat muscles relax and create an obstruction in the upper airway, prompting the problematic, if momentary, pause in breathing, which is known as an apnea event.
Snoring happens when there is a narrowing, or rather a partial obstruction, in the airway. Since the tube or airway is smaller, the air must travel through faster and makes a noise, also known as snoring. This process is similar to whistling because, with whistling, the opening through which air passes through the lips is narrowed, and the air must travel faster and produces the high-pitched whistling.
Many people discover that this sequence results in snoring, but you can be a heavy snorer without any sign of sleep apnea or have sleep apnea and be an incredibly quiet sleeper. This might be rare, but far from unheard of.
A heavy snorer might just have a narrowed airway that results in the snoring sound. Whereas someone that doesn’t snore but has sleep apnea might only have complete airway obstructions or central apnea events instead of partial airway obstructions that can result in snoring.
It’s also important to remember that different types of anatomy in the airway might influence the obstruction for different people, but the end result is still an obstruction that alters breathing patterns.
Symptoms such as headaches in the morning with no other discernible cause, fatigue, anxiety, and difficulties regulating your mood can also be linked to sleep apnea. Equally, they can be standalone issues or symptoms of something entirely different.
2. Weight Loss and Sleep Apnea
There are more misunderstandings about weight, holistic health, and sleep apnea that we could cover. Is sleep apnea reversible with weight loss? Just like snoring, there is a good percentage of sleep apnea cases in which healthy, well-managed weight loss may be beneficial–but it would be misleading to state that any amount of weight loss will cure sleep apnea. The Sleep Foundation notes that weight loss can ‘significantly reduce’ some symptoms related to sleep apnea, such as daytime fatigue, and contribute to improvements in blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular health.
It also found that losing 10% to 15% of body weight can correlate with a reduction of up to 50% in symptoms. The caveat is that this applies to people who are medically considered moderately obese and that it cannot and does not provide a complete cure.
Ample studies and clinical trials have confirmed that patients with weight-related health concerns may see a reduction in the severity of their sleep apnea symptoms, provided they lose weight safely. This happens because the extra pressure on the airways is removed. That said, weight loss is not a cure-all, nor will it mean that sleep apnea disappears or reduces automatically in line with weight loss.
For many people with sleep apnea, the weight can be a symptom of elevated inflammation and poor sleep affecting metabolism and making it harder to maintain a normal weight.
3. Sleep Apnea and CPAP Machines
Over years of study and research, we have found it helpful for people to follow certain breathing routines before bed to allow for more restful sleep.
As all CPAP users will know, these machines can be distracting, noisy, and difficult to travel with. CPAPs are a well-known medical tool, but some people find they cannot sleep due to the experience of claustrophobia.
Whether or not you require a CPAP, it can be helpful to learn natural methods that support better sleep like how to set up sleep with nutrition, a restful environment, and a 10-minute breathing routine that allows for easier breathing. Dylan Petkus, MD guides you through his experience and others’ in the Sleep Apnea Solution book and the Optimal Circadian Health online resources!
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.
