Sleep apnea is one of the most common causes of sleep deprivation, with an estimated 1 in 5 World wide. This condition occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat relax during sleep and block the airway, stopping breathing. These apnea episodes can last him 10 seconds or more and occur many times a night, causing him to be gasping for breath, snoring, and waking up frequently and suddenly.
It puts a lot of strain on your body and can lead to sleep apnea. raise blood pressure increase the risk of development of diabetes and heart disease.
obesity is particularly strong Risk factor But new research shows lifestyle and diet changes can reduce sleep apnea, even if you don’t lose weight. is shown.
In one recent study Presented at JAMA Network Open, Spanish researchers recruited 89 overweight and obese men with moderate to severe sleep apnea and divided them into two groups. . One underwent a simple diet, exercise, and lifestyle intervention. Participants were advised to eat healthier whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, olive oil, seafood, poultry, eggs and herbs. Avoid snacks and sugary drinks.
“It wasn’t a restrictive low-calorie diet,” says Almudena Carneiro Barrera, lead author of the study and a researcher at Loyola University Andalusia in Spain. “We just taught them how to eat healthy.”
Participants were encouraged to reduce their nightly alcohol consumption and smokers were encouraged to quit smoking.
A second group of participants, on the other hand, served as controls and received no lifestyle intervention.
Participants in both groups used a medical device called a CPAP machine. A CPAP machine provides a gentle, steady stream of pressurized air through a tube and mask that the user wears while sleeping. CPAP is the standard treatment for sleep apnea. Prevents apnea episodes, but can be uncomfortable. many people stop using Or have a hard time keeping it up at night.
After just eight weeks, the group that adopted healthier habits experienced a 51% reduction in the number of apnea episodes they experienced each night during their sleep hours. About 15% achieved complete remission of sleep apnea and 45% no longer needed her CPAP machine.
On average, the healthy habits group lost about 16 pounds (about 7% of their body weight). By six months, they maintained their weight loss, and the number of participants in sleep apnea remission had doubled. About 62% of them no longer need his CPAP machine.
It also significantly lowered blood pressure, reducing the risk of dying from stroke and heart disease by more than 30%, according to researchers.
By comparison, the control group lost an average of less than a pound in weight with little or no improvement in sleep apnea severity.
“The results far exceeded our expectations,” said Carneiro-Barrera. She and her colleagues are now recruiting 500 women with sleep apnea for a larger follow-up study.
Improvement without weight loss
Carneiro-Barrera said that the severity of sleep apnea decreased even in those who lost less weight on the lifestyle program.
There are many possible reasons for this.sleep apnea Linked For chronically high levels of inflammation. But a healthy diet and physical activity can reduce the amount of inflammatory substances circulating in the blood, says Susan, senior physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School. Redline says who studied diet and its lead to sleep apnea.
Studies show that different diets work. In recent researcha group of overweight men and women found that following a Mediterranean diet rich in fish, whole grains, plants, and foods high in unsaturated fats improved sleep apnea and reduced insomnia and daytime fatigue. Reduced sleepiness. The study found that participants experienced improvement in sleep apnea regardless of whether they lost weight.
randomized trial issued in July The Paleo diet, which is rich in red meat, fish, eggs, fruit, vegetables, berries, nuts, avocados, and olive oil, has been shown to help a group of overweight women lose weight and reduce the severity of sleep apnea. The diet they followed was restricted dairy, cereals, and foods with added salt or sugar, and refined fats such as corn and soybean oil.
Drinking less alcohol at night can improve sleep because alcohol reduces the tone of the throat muscles and makes it easier for the airway to collapse during sleep. one meta-analysis High levels of alcohol consumption were found to increase the risk of sleep apnea by 25%.
study show Regular exercise can also relieve the symptoms of sleep apnea, as it prevents fluid from building up in your neck and constricting your airways at night.
So how do you know if you have sleep apnea? There are telltale signs like loud snoring, waking up suddenly at night, waking up in the morning, dry mouth, sore throat or headache. If so, they may notice you gasping or choking during sleep. Fatigue, irritability, and daytime sleepiness are also common signs.
If you suspect you have sleep apnea, talk to your doctor or sleep medicine specialist. They can schedule you for a sleep test that can be done at home or in the lab. “Unfortunately, untreated sleep apnea is very common in the population,” says Red. line said.
