Sleep Apnea
Apnea is a temporary suspension of breath. Sleep apnea is a brief interruption in breathing during deep sleep—sometimes numerous interruptions in a single night—that is quite common in young children but also occurs in some adults. It may also happen at high altitudes. Sleep apnea is often accompanied by loud snoring and an abnormal breathing pattern.
Apnea in older children and adults is less life-threatening. But because the person’s sleep is briefly interrupted each time the breathing stops, sometimes dozens of times in a night, it can be physically exhausting. It strains the cardiovascular system and respiratory system and may create excess carbon dioxide in the blood. It may lead to drowsiness and irritability during the wakeful state and an inability to concentrate, due to insufficient sleep.
In Ayurvedic terms, sleep apnea occurs because tarpaka kapha is blocking prana vata. So treatment centers on controlling excess kapha.
TO CONTROL KAPHA. The first remedy is pippali. Take ¼ teaspoon with 1 teaspoon honey and 1 teaspoon ghee on an empty stomach in the morning and evening.
- Instead of pippali, you can substitute trikatu churna (which consists of equal amounts of pippali, black pepper, and ginger).
- For an effective decongestant, take ½ teaspoon sitopaladi along with ¼ teaspoon yashti madhu in 1 teaspoon honey, twice a day. This will help both as a congestion remedy and as a preventive measure.
Sleep Apnea in Premature Babies
Premature infants sometimes have sleep apnea. Because the respiratory center in the hypothalamus has not fully matured in these babies, from time to time the child may completely stop breathing and can turn blue or purple.
If this happens, don’t panic, but act quickly: If you tickle the soles of the feet, or sprinkle cool water on the belly at the diaphragm, the baby will start breathing again.
This condition may cause SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome. It is a serious condition that needs prompt medical care. But when the breathing control center becomes mature, the baby’s sleep apnea should go away.
NASYA. Instill 5 drops of warm brahmi ghee or plain ghee in each nostril in the morning and before going to bed.
FOR OBESITY. One of the primary causes of sleep apnea is being significantly overweight. If that is the problem, you can treat obesity with this herbal formula:
kutki 1 part
chitrak 1 part
shilajit ⅛ part
Take ¼ teaspoon of this mixture 2 or 3 times a day before breakfast, lunch, and dinner with warm water.
- Regular walking or other exercise will also help the obese person to breathe better. Be careful not to undertake exercise that might be too much for you if you are very heavy and have not exercised in some time. Stick to walking, or consult with your doctor if you want to do more.
CHANGE YOUR SLEEPING POSITION. Anyone with sleep apnea would do well to experiment with different sleeping positions to see if the condition eases. In particular, obese people, who are often in the habit of sleeping on their chest or on their back with their hands on their chest, might try sleeping on their left side. Just this one shift could remedy or at least reduce the problem.
KEEP THE HOUSE HUMIDIFIED. Sometimes dry, hot air creates a choking sensation in the nose and can be the cause of sleep apnea. A warm, comfortably humid atmosphere will be best. Preferably, use a hot water humidifier; ultrasound humidifiers are not recommended.
PANCHAKARMA. Under the supervision of an Ayurvedic physician, it would be helpful for a person with sleep apnea to undergo panchakarma purification therapy (see chapter 4). This includes abhyanga (oil massage), virechana (purgation therapy), and nasya (nasal administration of medications) among others. This procedure is cleansing and rejuvenating.