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 Sleep Apnea Solution, Dr. Dylan Petkus’s latest user-friendly book about sleep apnea, you can discover a wealth of information, actionable insights, and suggestions about the right breathing exercises to stimulate healthy breathing, paying attention to the environmental and metabolic factors behind the condition.
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.
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.
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.
3. Sleep Apnea and CPAP Machines
Over years of study and research, we have found that the missing link is learning breathing techniques that provide targeted enhancements to help people gain a restful night’s sleep–and that a CPAP machine is not an inevitability. 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.
If this sounds familiar, we recommend accessing our CPAP Freedom Roadmap to learn how healthy nutrition, a restful sleep environment, and a personalized sleep apnea assessment can help. More information about discovering the right way to boost your natural nighttime breathing is available on demand through our latest 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.
