Let’s start with the bad news. There are no 100% effective and permanent cures for sleep apnea. Not that we’ve ripped the band aid off, it’s time for the good news. There are some potential cures for sleep apnea that will at least help you either manage the symptoms or treat the underlying source of your sleep apnea so that it stops happening.
And those are exactly the sort of things that we are going to talk about below in this article. So keep reading!
The Possible Cures For Sleep Apnea
Here are 4 of the best ways to manage and prevent sleep apnea from ruining your sleep:
Lose Weight
Being overweight, especially if you are obese, is pretty much the leading cause of sleep apnea. If you get back down to a healthy weight, you might see your sleep apnea completely disappear!
And it’s important to lose that weight in a healthy way. Don’t do any fasting or extreme dieting. Because these will end up stressing your body and causing it to pack on more fat. For consistent results that last for the long term, you need to focus on changing your eating habits and exercising more.
Luckily, both of those things will also help your sleep apnea right now even as they are helping you lose weight!
Eat A Sleep Apnea Diet
A sleep apnea diet is one that not only promotes a healthy body weight but also decreases the amount of mucus your respiratory system is producing. Your diet should get rid of the following foods:
- Deep fried foods
- Soy and soy products
- Corn and corn products (check carefully these are hidden in a lot of foods!)
- Sugary food
- Dairy
- Eggs
- Wheat
- Red meat
- Jams & Jellies
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
Replace those mucus causing foods with the following mucus reducing foods:
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Turmeric
- Onion
- Hot peppers
- Broccoli & Cauliflower
- Leafy greens
- Berries
- Pineapple
- Citrus fruits
- Celery
- Asparagus
- Bamboo shoots
- Brussels sprouts
Making these changes will decrease the amount of mucus in your system so that you are less likely to experience blockages.
Exercise More
Whether you’re overweight or not, you should be exercising. Exercise strengthens your respiratory system and widens your airways so that they are less likely to become blocked or obstructed.
You should aim to get 30 minutes of exercise at least 4 or 5 days out of the week. To count as exercise, your heart rate should be elevated for the full 30 minutes.
Drink More Water
It might sound weird but drinking water may actually be able to help your sleep apnea. This is because dehydration causes the following symptoms (in addition to a lot of other unpleasant ones):
- Thicker mucus that doesn’t flow through your respiratory system as easily
- Drier, harder vessels and tissue which can’t expand as fully or easily
- Thicker blood which becomes less capable of transporting oxygen throughout your body (and since sleep apnea is already limiting your oxygen supply, this can be serious).
If you think you are drinking enough water already, you are probably wrong. As many as 3 out of 4 Americans are chronically dehydrated. So to treat your sleep apnea, try drinking a gallon (3.5 liters) per day every day. After 30 days, do a personal assessment of how you’re feeling.
Other cures for sleep apnea include various devices that you can wear while you sleep. These home cures for sleep apnea will work while you use them but don’t actually do anything to treat the underlying causes of your sleep apnea.
Alternative Cures For Sleep Apnea
There are also some natural cures for sleep apnea involving essential oils that can help provide relief and minimize the symptoms of sleep apnea.
- Lemon - This astringent essential oil will help cleanse your system and remove buildup that could be causing blockage. It also helps expand airways and vessels.
- Lavender - This helps reduce stress levels and allows you to fall asleep more easily.
- Peppermint - This is great for decongesting your respiratory system. It will help clear out mucus that may be the cause of your blockage.
- Thyme - This is widely used to treat many respiratory problems. It will help with inflammation, congestion, and muscle spasms.
We highly recommend doing an equal part blend of lemon, lavender, peppermint, and thyme essential oils to get the benefits of all of them. Here are the best ways to use this blend or any essential oil you choose:
- Massage it into the skin just below your noise before sleep
- Massage it into your chest just before sleep
- Ask someone to massage it into your back just before sleep
- Add drops of it to a humidifier and place the humidifier beside your bed.
- Boil a pot of water. Pour it into a wide brimmed bowl. Add drops of essential oil. Place your head over the bowl. Place a towel over your head so that both you and the bowl are covered. Inhale the steam. Do this just before bed.
While these can help with the symptoms and preventing sleep apnea episodes from occurring during the night, they are not as effective as the lifestyle changes we recommended in the first section above.
Final Word
Until science develops new cures for sleep apnea that actually cure it fully and permanently, your best cures for snoring and sleep apnea are definitely going to be the healthy lifestyle changes that you make. This will treat the underlying causes of your sleep apnea and prevent it from recurring. So start taking steps to cure your sleep apnea today!
