Sleep Apnea: Causes & Cures

[Homemaker]

Hi, I'm new to this board, I've been reading it for a while but just now decided to join.
My hubby and I are missionaries to Paraguay, we have one little girl, 10 months old, and I love being a stay at home mom!

My question is this, does anyone know anything about Sleep Apnea (sp?)   My husband has been waking up breathless. His father has this condition, and he bought a machine that cost around $1000!!! That sounds very expensive and we are wondering if there are any natural remedies, or if there could be another reason for his waking up gasping for air.  Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! 

[WithLoveAndJoy]

I am not a expert by any means, but we suspected that my husband might have the problem (and have since nearly 100% ruled it out), and found that most sleep apnea occurs because the breathing tubes collapse in on each other or get blocked by the fleshy part of the pallate.


With that said, there is no herb that I am aware of that can prevent that from happening.  The best I can recommend is that my research recommended against taking any sort of relaxation herbs, sleep aids or drinking alcohol as those can make it more difficult for you to wake up if your throat closes off, and can complicate the situation severely.   But other than finding a way to open the throat while asleep, hence the $1000 machine, I don't believe that there is any other way to fix the problem.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help :-(

[healthyinOhio]

First, I would try to narrow the apnea down to which type and why.  The sleep apnea that most have is associated with snoring caused by not breathing for a short amount of time, as many as a few hundred times an evening.  This makes the level of oxygen in the blood drop.
The more rare is central sleep apnea where breathing is stopped because of the diaphram and chest muscles stop working. 
Also, it could just be the enlarged adeniods as was mentioned by elif.  My son had this same problem at 4-20  months of age.  We did everything we could naturally for almost a year(vit c, no dairy diet, oil of oregano, echinacea), but they were very enlarged and nothing seemed to work.  We opted for the surgery and he had it done at around 21 months of age.  The doctor said that his adenoids were so large that they were blocking his airways.  Had we not done the surgery, he could have easily died in his sleep at night. Since the surgery, he has had absolutely no trouble with apnea at night.  I am greatful for that, despite not wanting to do the surgery. 
It seems as if there are no supplements for this apnea because it is a genetic defect and not a sickness.  My father has apnea and his insurance covers the sleeping mask, but he says it is very uncomfortable.
Good luck in your research and let us know what happens to your hubby.

[Sanya]

My 5 yr old (at the time) nephew had sleep apnea...he was born a premmie.  He stayed with me for two weeks, right before he had surgery on his adenoids.  I gave him crushed, fresh garlic with honey on a daily basis and he began to sleep throughout the night without any problems.  His parents thought that the change in his living environment might have had more to do with his getting better at my house (two states away), so they went ahead with the surgery.  He no longer has sleep apnea, needless to say.  I'm so glad of that, too...its so hard to watch your loved ones suffer.  I hope your research turns something up for your hubbie soon.

[healthyinOhio]

I gave him crushed, fresh garlic with honey on a daily basis

How in the WORLD did you get a five year old boy to eat GARLIC???  That is amazing!

[fiveinarow]

My son also suffered from sleeping problems.  He would snore so badly and sometimes it would stop for a second or two.  I used to walk into his room and just keep my hand on his chest to make sure he was breathing.  I took him to the doctor and he told me that his tonsils were not big.  He is my third child so I know what a four year olds tonsils look like.  I was persistent and he finally sent us to an Ear Nose Throat specialist.  He took one look in my son's throat and told us they had to come out.  We had the surgery done and the doctor told us that he had the biggest tonsils he had ever seen on a child that age.  We were very lucky.  It has been almost a year now and he has not snored since then.  He also sleeps so much better and wakes up well rested in a pleasent mood.  His speech has also gotten better. My dad has sleep apnea and has the machine and the whole deal.  It is not smething to take lightly.  When they did my dad's study they found out that in an hour he stopped breathing at least twenty times.  He has gotten better since he has the machine and can't sleep without it. Sometimes medical intervention is necessary and I am so thinakful that there is technology avaiable WHEN WE ABSOLUTELY NEED IT and only then. 

[healthybratt]

This may wind up being a topic split, but I can't help wondering if we should really have our tonsils out or if there might not be a better way.  I don't have any tonsils and I seem to get sick less than my kids do, but my husband had his gallbladder out before I joined this forum and I'm finding that there was a better way for him.  I wish I had known sooner because he has digestive problems as a result of this loss.

[Sanya]

I gave him crushed, fresh garlic with honey on a daily basis

How in the WORLD did you get a five year old boy to eat GARLIC???  That is amazing!

I put a little in the center of spoon and top it with honey.  At first he chewed, then he learned to just swallow it with water.  It is really important to drink a lot of water to get it down and to dilute it in the stomach.  It will cause a tummy ache if enough water isn't drank with it.  I do this with all my kids (9, 6, & 3; hubbie and me, too  ) at the first sign of any bug coming on.  It almost always nips it really quick!

[visionarymom]

In my early teens, I had sleep apnea, and never knew why.   I probably wouldn't even remember it except that I woke up gasping one night while staying with my cousins. They questioned me about it, but we never knew what was going on. Finally, after over 15 years, and having 2 kids, I was reading about immunizations, and the side affects of them. One very common side affect with several of them is sleep apnea! The lights turned on for me. At around 13 years of age, I had a tetanus shot, and shortly after that was when the apnea began.

You probably were required to be up to date on your immunizations going to Paraguay. If the apnea started after that, maybe it's related. Mine went away after a few years, as the potency of the tetanus shot went down.  No help here with natural remedies, but hopefully this will enlighten someone.

[Homemaker]

thanks everybody for the help. We will continue to do research and see what's going on.
 

[3boysmyjoys]

My Dad has sleep apnea and the only thing he could do was get the machine for sleeping.  He's doing much better now, though.

[Nickole]

Hey, thanks for the water tip with the honey and garlic.  Duh.  I got the honey/garlic idea from Rebekah in NGJ and I although my kids LOVE it and ask for it even when they are well, my son will get a tummy ache - SO we follow that up with catnip/fennel tea for the tummy.  I never thought of taking it with lots of water.  Gosh, THANKS!   

Nickole

[born-an-okie]

My father-in-law struggles with this.  He has A LOT of food allergies, and chocolate in particular seems to make the sleep apnea more frequent.  Don't know if this helps, but it could be related to a diet problem.

[txseawater]

He rattles the windows! I use earplugs and still end up on the couch many nights! He's always tired...

[daisey]

No help~~~only sympathy!!!   It is the same at our house.  Last night I thought about putting jacks next to him when he was on his side so when he rolled over he would get poked and roll back on his side or stomach.   
Not very nice I know but he isn't as bad when he lays on his side or stomach.

[BJ_BOBBI_JO]

My mom and one of my brothers have sleep apnea and sleep with one of the breathing machines on. When they sleep with that on they no longer snore like a rabid bear on the war path. And they wake up felling more rested. When they don't sleep with their machine on they snore  and wake up off an on all night long ( and don't realize it most of the time)and feel unrested in the morning.

If you do a google search you will find stuff about the connection to too much abdominal belly fat and snoring and sleep apnea. I know not all ppl who snore or have sleep apnea have to much belly fat but it does seem to be the case many times.

I know that snoring is diabolical to handle. When I was real young I got woke up by the sound of an angry bear downstairs. I stayed up stairs frozen in fear of that awful bear down in our kitchen. I was afraid to move. The sounds would get louder. After a while I got brave enough to go into  my brothers bedrooms and tell him about the angry loud bear downstairs. He kept putting me off  and tried to go back to sleep. Finlay after I bothered him enough he went down stairs to seek out the angry bear. He found that it was my mom snoring
( my parents bedroom was downstairs by the kitchen).   

I just could not believe it at 1st because my parents bed room was downstairs on the other side of the house and I could still hear her snoring from my bedroom. Needless to say my dad was very happy when my mom got put on one of those sleep apnea breathing machines. 

[daisey]

Problem with these sleep machines is that if you are tested for sleep apnea and don't fall into a certain catagory you can't get a machine.    My DH also has RLS and is snoring and moving all night long but when he went for a sleep test they said he didn't qualify because he didn't actually stop breathing.        He is always tired and I think he would sleep much better with a machine.   Wonder if you can get such a thing on ebay~~~think I will have to check.   

[herbalmom]

Wonder if you can get such a thing on ebay~~~think I will have to check.   

I have seen C-PAP machines on Craig's List. HTH Blessings ~herbalmom

[Mrs. B]

I would definitely get it checked, a pulmonologist might be a good start, but an ENT may be another option.   If he doesn't have sleep apnea there may be some other physiological blockage that could possibly be fixed to give you both some rest.
You could probably find a machine online, but generally you need to know how to set it up and control inspiratory and expiratory pressures so that you maximize the effects of the machine.  It is not always a one size fits all with Bipap/ cpap.  If the machine had been used previously I would also be cautious of germs... you would either need to replace as many parts as possible or sterilize them, and then you would need to clean the rest of the machine thoroughly. 
If you have a way of covering it I would definitely check with the MDs first and see if there is a fix there. 

[mykidsmom]

I was a bad snorer for a long time.  Especially when I'm pregnant.   Weight was the biggest factor for me.  When I dropped 40lbs the snoring stopped.  However, there can be blockage issues in the back of the throat.  Sometimes the tonsils can be swollen, etc.  I went to an ENT that did an easy procedure where he used a laser to lessen some of the tissue on that glotis thingy in the back of the throat.  That helped a little but not much.  Mainly, if he needs to lose weight, that's your best bet.  Otherwise, try an ENT.

patti

[txseawater]

So, if the person needs to loose 40 lbs. they stop snoring once they've lost it? The Apnea is from weight? Or does that condition remain once they have it? Belly is the thing! New thread? How to assist men in weight loss / dietary changes  after 40

[seeker]

Dh snores b/c of a deviated septum... or so I thought. When he is fasting, he doesn't snore! Any thoughts on this one? 

[Mrs. B]

So, if the person needs to loose 40 lbs. they stop snoring once they've lost it? The Apnea is from weight? Or does that condition remain once they have it? Belly is the thing! New thread? How to assist men in weight loss / dietary changes  after 40

This can sometimes be the case.  Often it is the belly weight that is causing the snoring/apnea.

[YoopreMama]

Any other thoughts on causes/natural treatments?

[Whiterock]

I just read somewhere that it can be caused by a deficiency in CoQ10 and that getting more of that cures it for some folks.

WR

[Rikki]

This article was recently sent to me and I htought it had some good info regarding sleep apnea. The only people I know that have cured their apnea changed their diets, excercised and lost weight - most cases (not all) are in overweight people.

Anyway, here is the article:

Sleep Apnea
A condition I've been seeing more frequently in my practice now than ever before is that of obstructive sleep apnea. When a healthy person falls asleep, throat muscles naturally relax.  In a healthy person, this should not create any obstruction.  In persons suffering obstructive sleep apnea, the tissues tend to collapse or narrow the airway, thus reducing airflow.  This can happen for a variety of reasons.  One reason rarely looked at by sleep clinics, is that of allergy.  If a person consistently consumes foods they’re sensitive to, they can get swelling of tissues of their sinuses and throat, reducing t he airway diameter. 
In digestive disorders, the tongue can be used to identify imbalances of bacteria, hydration, acid levels, enzyme function, and pH..  Evaluating tongue health can identify anemia, cyanosis, and jaundice.  Since the tongue is involved in snoring and sleep apnea, ignoring digestive function when treating sleep apnea could be ignoring cause and going after only the effect. Before getting rigged to sleep like “Darth Vader” I would first investigate digestive function. 
The tongue and surrounding tissues of the throat are subject to effects of thiamine deficiency as seen in beriberi.  In this condition there is a swelling of tissue which occurs.  This can narrow the throat and trachea, impeding air transport.  When considering the increased role of refined grains in our society and their ability to deplete essential B vitamins, the addition of a whole food B vitamin in sleep apnea should be considered before going to any drastic measures.   This could save you a bundle and make for much more refreshing sleep.
Systemic infections can induce sleep apnea. High levels of certain immune factors have been found present in people with sleep apnea, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). Elevated levels of TNF-alpha can cause fatigue. With this in mind, immune support using elements like Echinacea containing high levels of alkalamide s and other immune strengthening herbs may have a dynamic impact on removing infections which could trigger sleep apnea.
Frequent interruptions in breathing means frequent drops in oxygen levels.  Reduced sleep quality triggers the release of stress hormones.  These compounds raise the heart rate and increase risk of stroke.  Elevated stress hormones also raise the risk of, and worsen fatigue.
With this information, it makes sense to treat sleep apnea. Most importantly is how you go about treating it. Work at getting rid of the cause first.  Evaluate allergies, correct digestion, balance B vitamins, and identify, reduce and remove infections.  A healthy system doesn't experience sleep apnea.  Sweet Dreams!
Dr John A. Briggs N.D.
20 N.E. Lillich St.
Clatskanie, Or  97016
503-728-4732

[ShawnaMarie]

I do medical transcription and am actually typing for a pulmonology clinic right now.  I can't give any help as far as natural treatments, but I wanted to say something about the CPAP machine.  Someone said something about buying them online, and I just wanted to say that whenever they set someone up on CPAP, they do a CPAP titration study to find out how many cm of pressure they need at night.  I am not sure how effective it would be to just guess at it.  So even if you get a machine online, you might still need to have the study done for it to be helpful.  I know sometimes if the pressure is too strong, the patients cannot handle it.  Hope this helps:)

[WellTellMommy]

Rikki, I think you've hit the nail on the head I can believe that if improper gut flora can lead to allergies, asthma , inflammation, & immune problems then it makes since it would show up in sleep apnea,R.L.S.,and other areas!