Some Remedies For Sleep Apnea

[WilsonFitbit]

Hello everyone! 😁

Sleep apnea 😪 is a potentially serious sleep disorder and a condition that causes you to stop breathing for short periods while you’re sleeping. Some people with Sleep Apnea usually don't take in enough oxygen which causes to gasp and often wake up. 

Let's see the Causes: 

• Complex sleep apnea syndrome, this is also known as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea, which occurs when someone has both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. 
• Obstructive sleep apnea, the more common form that occurs when throat muscles relax. 
• Central sleep apnea, which occurs when your brain doesn't send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. 

Some remedies for sleep apnea can bring great benefits. Here are some treatments to reduce Sleep Apnea symptoms:  

1. Avoid alcohol and smoking: Why Alcohol? Alcohol relaxes your throat muscles that control your breathing. It can lead to inflammation in your airways, blocking your airflow and it can also lead to snoring and an interrupted sleep cycle. 

Tobacco use can also add inflammation and swelling in your airways. This can worsen your snoring and your sleep apnea.

2. Try yoga: Exercise can improve sleep apnea, increase your energy and strengthen your heart. Sleep apnea is currently associated with decreased oxygen saturation in your blood. Therefore; Yoga can help you to improve your oxygen levels through its various breathing exercises. Yoga can reduce the amount of sleep interruptions you may experience. 

3. Use a humidifier: These are devices that add moisture to the air. Note that Dry air can irritate the body and respiratory system, so using a humidifier can help to open your airways, encourage clear breathing and also decrease congestion. 

Loud snoring can indicate a serious problem, but not everyone who has sleep apnea snores. Does anyone know other Sleep Apnea symptoms and remedies to treat it? 

I'd love reading your comments! 😃

[SunsetRunner]

I was diagnosed with extreme sleep apnea, I was always tired, no energy. My Dr. referred me to an over night sleep diagnostic center. I was given a prescription for a bi-pap machine. It took a lot for me to get used to wearing the mask and using the machine. I got so frustrated I quit using it. Untreated severe sleep apnea can cause increased chance of heart attack or stroke. Another symptom I had was I fell asleep at a red light. Yikes! A sleep technician gave me tips on getting used to my mask and machine. The first time I slept using the bi-pap for around 6 hrs. straight was amazing. I felt fabulous. I now use it every night and can't even tell if the machine is on. If you're having a hard time using c-pap or bi-pap there's plenty of great tutorials on YouTube. One quick tip, wear your mask and turn your machine on while you watch tv for about 10 min. Try doing that a bit. It becomes easier and well worth it. Losing weight also helps. A lot.

Hey @WilsonFitbit, I forgot 2 other symptoms I had. One was constant headaches, I would wake up with a headache. The other was having to urinate 5 or 6 times a night while trying to sleep. It really sucked. Both of these symptoms went away when I got used to using my machine for at least 5 hours a night. Peace

Moderator Edit: Merged posts

[WilsonFitbit]

Hello @SunsetRunner. It's great to see you participating in the community forums! 

Thank you very much for sharing your experience, the tips you've followed and for letting me know about other symptoms. I was investigating and I noticed that the CPAP machine is currently used to treat mild to moderate sleep apnea, but depending on the severity of sleep apnea, doctors may recommend BiPAP instead. But I think it depends on the patients, some may require high levels of CPAP pressure so they may feel more comportable using BiPAP. 

This is very interesting and I hope some other users can give us more inputs 😊

See you around. 

[Rosal10]

Wow

Great job

[WilsonFitbit]

Hi @Rosal10. Welcome to the community forums! 

I'd like to invite you to visit our Discussions board where you can share your experiences, meet people and create new topics. 😁

Have a wonderful day! 

[Guy_]

Hi @WilsonFitbit - thanks for starting this topic.

I tried a CPAP but wasn't able to get on with it.

Instead I tried to monitor sleeping position with the SimpleSleep app [available only on a Versa or Sense, originals, with a chest strap].

What this does is gently vibrate the watch for certain sleeping [or prolonged ]positions that give rise to Apnea so some of it can be avoided.

I'm hoping a later version will dynamically detect the Apnea and prompt you to stop.

[dking72315]

I have mixed sleep apnea, mostly Central, and I'm not overweight.   My Sense 2 has a difficult time measuring my sleep.  I know I don't sleep much, 3 hours is typical, but the Fitbit often tells me I had zero hours of sleep. It's disappointing since I get so much utility from the other Fitbit functions.