The Herbal Treatment of Sleep Apnea
Steven Frank
Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disturbance problems in America. It ruins the sleep of 25 million Americans with likely millions more undiagnosed sufferers. (1) The condition prevents the sleeper from entering REM (rapid eye movement) and delta sleep, causing them to become anxious, cantankerous, and tired during the day. Prolonged sleep disturbance and deprivation have very serious health consequences.
When diagnosed with sleep apnea, the patient is told to lose weight, drink less alcohol,
i'Prolonged sleep disturbance and deprivation have very serious health consequences”.
and quit smoking. Beyond that, surgery is offered, although it is painful and has provided only limited success. Dental mouthpieces can be difficult to sleep with and long-term effects on tooth alignment are questionable. Another common option is CPAP, which is a forced-air mask worn during sleep that insures proper inhalation. According to the Center for Sound Sleep, 50% of patients are not able to tolerate the mask and ultimately discontinue using the equipment. Some users develop respiratory infections from the mask.(2) Finally, there is an herbal and natural approach that we can explore.
Cause of the condition:
Before we evaluate the "solutions," let's consider what causes the condition. The current belief is that with obstructive sleep apnea, your soft pallet sags into the airway and blocks it. With central sleep apnea, it is understood that the signal to your diaphragm diminishes. Bear in mind, though, that this soft pallet that "sags into the airway and blocks it" is the same one that doesn't do that if you lie on your back during the day. When we begin to fall asleep, we move from stage one (drowsiness) into stage two sleep.
Stage two sleep is the transition stage before entering REM sleep, which is when we dream. Dreaming is critical to a good night's sleep. When we enter stage two sleep in preparation for dreaming, muscular activity is inhibited (blocked), which is called "reduction of muscle tonus." This function occurs primarily to keep the dreamer from physically acting out the movements of their dreams.(3)
The first problem is that the inhibition of signals from the brain tends to inadvertently reduce the signal that tells the diaphragm to breathe. For some individuals, upon entering stage two sleep, breathing will actually come to a stop (sleep apnea means "cessation of breathing"). The muscles of the soft palate in your mouth also become weaker, allowing for the soft palate to sag.
“For some individuals, upon entering stage two sleep, breathing will actually come to a stop”
Upon entering stage two sleep, the muscle tension holding the soft palate out of the airway is reduced due to the inhibition in muscular tonus that is used to keep you from acting out your dreams. This allows the soft palate to sag into the airway, and while this is happening, the same inhibition of muscle tonus is attenuating (reducing) the signals to the diaphragm. The result is that our breathing becomes shallower due to insufficient signal strength to the diaphragmatic muscles. For sleep apnea sufferers, breathing will come to a stop.
As our breathing becomes shallower, blood oxygen levels drop and carbon dioxide levels rise. For a young and healthy individual, this would elicit stronger and deeper breathing from the control system that regulates these activities. For an older individual, respiration reduces in intensity and blood oxygenation drops. This is where the safety back-up system comes in. When the blood gas levels become too far imbalanced, the brain intervenes and causes the body to make a large, rapid, immediate inhalation.(4) This causes a large pressure differential in the pharynx and literally sucks the sagging soft palate into the airway, which obstructs air flow and causes a loud "snort," thus partially or fully awakening the subject.(5) Most of the time, the subject is not fully awakened and isn't aware that this is even happening, but it still disturbs his or her sleep enough so that he or she returns to stage one sleep.
Upon awakening or returning to stage one sleep, the inhibition causing the reduction of muscle tonus for entry into
stage two sleep is released and respiration begins again in a somewhat normal manner. As the subject starts to drift off to sleep again, he or she moves into stage two, the muscle tonus drops, the soft palate sags, the signal to the diaphragm diminishes, and the cycle repeats. The resulting "snorting" awakenings typically occur every one to five minutes or so.
The Solution:
When your breathing is sufficiently deep enough, then you will not make a rapid inhalation, suck your soft palate into the airway, and snort, thus disturbing your sleep. The appropriate solution is to accentuate (increase) the ability of the brain to communicate with the diaphragm so that you breathe deeply and steadily throughout the night.
Sure, it is beneficial to strengthen the muscles of the soft palate. Yes, it is advantageous to reduce muscular tension in the neck. Both of these things will make a noticeable improvement in the condition. In fact, some foods, such as wheat products and cheese, should not be eaten near bedtime because they can cause congestion, which aggravates the condition. However, the most dramatic impact can be made by the administration of just a few common herbs.
Lobelia, when used in small doses, acts as a respiratory stimulant. It has been used for thousands of years to treat respiratory conditions. This herb, when taken before bed, can
The condition prevents the sleeper from entering REM (rapid eye movement) and delta sleep causing them to become anxious, cantankerous, and i tired during j ," the day”.
actually increase the quiescent level of respiration sufficiently to avert the dangerous drop in blood oxygen levels that occur upon muscular inhibition.(5)
Thyme has traditionally been used to enhance pleural activity. It actually improves the ability of the lungs to exchange C02 for oxygen and makes an excellent contribution to maintaining sufficient respiratory amplitude. (7) This combination of herbs taken before bed has been demonstrated to relieve sleep apnea in most cases. You can brew them into a tea to drink or encapsulate them and swallow them with some water.
References:
1. "Treating Sleep Apnea" (PDF). Effective Health Care Program. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. 11-EHC052-A (July). 2011.
2. Hsu AA, Lo C (December 2003). "Continuous positive airway pressure therapy in sleep apnea." Respirology 8 (4): 447-54.doi:10.1046/ j.14401843.2003.00494.x. PMID 14708553.
3. Macmillan Dictionary for Students Macmillan, Pan Ltd. (1981), p. 936. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
4. Green, Simon. Biological Rhythms, Sleep and Hypnosis. England: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 85. ISBN 978-0-230-25265-3.
5. Sleep Apnea, a new approach to an emergent problem, Steven R. Frank, 1st edition Sept. 2010, KlearLabs press, Denver Colorado ppg 23-24.
6. Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, Andrew Chevallier, 2nd edition, 2000, Dorling Kindersley Limited, Great Britain pg. 112
7. Nature's Pharmacy, Your guide to healing foods, herbs, supplements and homeopathic remedies, w/AANP, Jill Stansbury, N.D. etal., 2001, Publications International, ltd, Lincolnwood IL, pp 177.
Mr. Frank started his career designing modern medical equipment for large corporations. He then transitioned into developing specialty experimental equipment for medical researchers. After many years of working with allopathic medicine, Mr. Frank found his way into herbal medicine. Studying with herbalists, physicians, Chiropractors and physical therapists led Mr. Frank to the development of a number of products for the treatment of common physical injuries and maladies utilizing natural medical techniques.
Steven Frank can be reached for comment at: Nature ’s Rite 1 800 991 7088 stevefafiatmvsriteKmedies.com
