Consider using herbal treatments for patients with sleep apnea

Steven Frank August 26, 2016

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 who are undiagnosed sufferers. The condition prevents the sleeper from entering REM and delta sleep, causing them to become anxious, irritable, and tired during the day. There are also serious health consequences of prolonged sleep disturbance and deprivation.

When diagnosed, the patient is told to lose weight, drink less alcohol, and quit smoking. Beyond that, surgery is a possibility, though it is painful and has limited success. Dental mouthpieces can be difficult to sleep with and their long-term effects on tooth alignment are questionable.

Another common option is to use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device. This forced-air mask, worn during sleep, does insure proper inhalation. Experience has shown though, that 60 percent of patients are not able to tolerate the mask and ultimately discontinue using it. And some users develop respiratory infections from the mask.

A novel approach

There is, however, a different approach that is less physically intrusive than surgery or a dental appliance, and far more comfortable than CPAP. Those devices and techniques address the symptoms of the problem, but leave the cause unaddressed. The cause, addressed succinctly, can be mitigated to a point where sleep is not disturbed.

The cause of the condition

To better evaluate the solutions, consider what causes sleep apnea. When people begin to fall asleep, they move from stage 1 (drowsiness) into stage 2 sleep. Stage 2 is the transition state before entering REM (rapid eye movement). REM sleep is where a person dreams.

When entering stage 2 sleep in preparation for dreaming, muscular activity is inhibited (blocked). This is called “reduction of muscle tonus.” This function occurs normally and appropriately to keep the dreamer from physically acting out the movements of their dreams.

The first problem is that the inhibition of signals from the brain to the skeletal muscles tends to inadvertently reduce the signal that tells the diaphragm to breathe. In patients with sleep apnea, upon entering stage 2 sleep, their breathing will actually come to a stop (apnea means “cessation of breathing”).

The muscles of the soft palate in the mouth also become weaker. This allows the soft palate to sag. While this is happening, the same inhibition of muscle tonus is attenuating the signals to the diaphragm. The result is that breathing becomes shallower, due to insufficient signal strength to the diaphragm muscles.

When breathing ceases, blood oxygens level drop and carbon dioxide levels rise. In a young and healthy individual, this would elicit stronger and deeper breathing from the control system that regulates these activities. In an older individual, the respiration reduction causes a significant imbalance in blood gases. This is where the safety back-up system comes in.

When blood gas levels get too far imbalanced, the brain intervenes and causes the body to make a large and immediate inhalation. This causes a large pressure differential in the pharynx and literally sucks the sagging-soft palate into the airway. This obstructs air flow and causes an explosive “snort” that partially or fully awakens the subject.

Most times, however, the subject is not fully awakened and thus isn’t aware that this is even happening. But it still disturbs their sleep enough so that they return to stage 1 sleep.

Upon awakening or returning to stage 1 sleep, the inhibition causing the reduction of muscle tonus for entry into stage 2 sleep is released and respiration begins again in a somewhat normal manner. As the subject starts to drift off to sleep again, they move into stage 2, the muscle tonus drops, the soft palate sags, signals to the diaphragm diminish, and the cycle repeats anew. The resulting snorting awakenings typically occur every one to five minutes.