Natural Sleep Apnea Remedies for Better Rest

Seven years ago I was diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea. I began using the C-pap machine, along with supplemental oxygen. One year ago I went back to the sleep lab for a re-study and was told I no longer had sleep apnea! I did not believe it and went back for a second night. Again, I was told I did not have sleep apnea! When I told my sleep doctor that I thought sleep apnea was not curable, he just shrugged his shoulders! It was a mystery to him....... Maybe. Since then, I have not used my machine because I can no longer get replacement masks. At first I was very fearful to not use it but I have gotten along fine.

I have 2 siblings with sleep apnea that have asked me what I did to cure it and I have thought and wondered about it a lot. I have finally come to the conclusion that increasing the amount of Vitamin C I take cured me. Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine and antitoxin. Of course there is no way for me to know for sure, it is just my best guess on what has cured me. I take about 3000 mg, spread throughout the day, and if I get up at night to use the bathroom, I take another one. I wanted to share this information for all the people who are out there suffering and even in danger of dying in their sleep due to this problem.

Many people have no insurance and cannot afford the study or the machine. I also take selenium, garlic and hawthorne berry on a regular basis, but I really think it is the Vitamin C. I also practice oil pulling from time to time. Also, I sleep with the head of my bed raised up a few inches on bricks and I sleep with 2 or 3 feather pillows. Occasionally I will wake with a headache and will have an irritated, raw feeling in my sinuses. That tells me I need to up my Vitamin C.

Another tip is that any good essential oil dabbed on your body somewhere, (use a tiny amount) will increase the oxygen levels in your blood. Your oxygen levels drop as you struggle to breathe if you have sleep apnea. I proved this to myself when the doctor wanted to keep me on supplemental oxygen even though I no longer needed C-pap. I used an essential oil (don't overdo it) before I went in for a blood oxygen saturation test and my levels were fine!

I grew up with birds and they're cleaner than people and certainly don't have ticks! That bird clearly LOVES that woman, but you couldn't imagine that, could you!

My husband had a sleep study and was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea. Mild or not, he snored up a storm! Then, his doctor (environmental medicine) told him he looked 'puffy' and to give up gluten. He did and by the 2nd night, his snoring totally stopped. Then his 30 extra pounds (from an allergic inflammatory reaction) melted off over the next 2 months. Now I know if he accidentally ingests gluten....he snores! Plus he used to get agitated although he didn't even know he was being a 'pain'. The gluten was also causing neurological symptoms. He's Irish and the Northern Europeans are the people most affected by gluten sensitivity.

Hi again....I wanted to list ingredients in Dr. Schulz's Formula, which does contain pharmaceutical grade bentonite clay, which I neglected to include above. The powder also contains flax seed, psyllium seed, apple pectin, activated willow charcoal, marshmallow root, slippery elm bark. peppermint leaf. and cayenne pepper blend. It is intended to cleanse and heal the gut, along with his formula #1. I highly recommend both! I mix it with purified water and a tiny bit of juice added for taste. I hope this helps someone!

Hi guys,

I am 45 yrs old and I have suffered from Sleep apnea since 2000. My weight ballooned from being 65kg to 104kgs in 2005. My dad had it really bad when we were young and unfortunately, all his six children inherited his illness. Life before I was diagnosed was an absolute nightmare. I was a walking zoombie for over 5 years until my brother told me I had it. I struggled for so long trying to get thru each day without falling asleep - Anyone with this illness knows exactly what I am talking about. My job suffered, my social life & homelife suffered. I chose to work night shifts as working days were a struggle as I couldnt get up early enough to get going. Normal people only need 6-8 hours - I needed 10-12 even 14 hours sleep to manage. If it wasnt for my brother, I would probably be 6-foot under or would have had a stroke by now. My husband & kids kept telling me to go see the doc. The doc wasnt much good as he never suspected sleep apnea with the symptoms I gave him. I found out what was wrong with me when several years ago the entire family went to a 1st birthday for my niece and we travelled a fair distance to get there. I feel asleep on the couch when we got to our destination while the others stayed up to prep for the next days cooking. My brother kept waking me up during the night because I had stopped breathing several times & they couldnt believe how loudly I snored. In the morning, he told me what was wrong with me and said to see the doc. The doc checked my blood pressure and told me I was walking dead because it was so high, he sent me to get tested and now I sleep with a CPAP machine and life has now been easier however no matter how much weight I try to loose, it always returned. I eat a balanced diet and am quite active however the weight just kept piling back on. Just by chance, I discovered by self diagnosis by surfing the net, I have what they call pneumoparotid - swollen parotid glands. Pneumoparotitis most commonly occurs in wind instrument players, glass blowers, and scuba divers. Those with sleep apnea will also develop this due to the blockage that occurs when the airways are blocked usually by the tongue, forcing the air into the parotid glands causing them to swell. I have looked like I had mumps for years! Even with my breathing machine, I couldnt get rid of the pneumoparotitis. To combat the embarrassing facial side bumps, I tired the ACV but couldn't stand the taste and smell so I suck on sour lemon drops & drink lemon water during the day and at night I drink baking soda water before bed (1 tspn in glass of warm water). The baking soda water is great for air and gas exertion - is working like a charm! I dropped 2. 5kgs in the first week (5wks ago) and have continued to loose the weight slowly, and as for the facial mumps - almost gone! I was told having the machine can help you loose weight and stabilize your HBP. My HBP stabilized some time ago but I do look forward to the day when I can throw the meds down the toilet because I wont need them anymore. I am looking forward to the day when my sleep apnea has been eliminated forever. My dad was not an overweight man however he got it from his dad and it didnt help that he smoked a pack a day, stressed and from being a workaholic and sadly died too young because of it. I still have all my siblings alive but I don't want any of us to pass the way my dad did - a massive heart attack.

I was interested in learning more about taking the pepsain capsules and your apnea going away, as well as your yeast symptoms. Did you have obstructive apnea or central? And do you know if you had yeast overgrowth and what symptoms went away from it? Thanks, Ava.

Hi John;

Since you can't find Lugol's locally, why not make your own at home? There are various sources on the web that have simple and easy to follow instructions. Obtaining the K and KI should be easy using a mail order chemical supply house or even eBay. Best wishes in health.

Forgot a couple of things. One is soy. There is organic and there is regular and there is GMO. One tiny soy this or that in a food can set my husband off. Write down all you eat and learn how to test yourself for products. Eat as pure as you can.

And sometimes it isn't the food subsatnce itself. For instance:

My husband had a fungal rash years ago on his knuckles. Like scratchy rough stuff that itched. At first we thought he was allergic to wheat. He isn't. I started buying healthy flours and making my own bread and it disappeared completely. It would only come back if he had eaten out somewhere using their bread, hamburger buns, dinner rolls, etc.

If you can't bake your own, go to a safe bakery and buy their bread before they put it in plastic bags. Grocery store bakeries are horrid. Read the labels and you will not believe what is in that stuff!

Even yucky white flour bread was ok if I made it myself.

You need to learn how to test yourself for herbs, vitamins, etc, too. Very neccessary. I hope this helps someone out there. Write down everything you eat and all the ingredients in it.

The only mistake you're making is that you are drinking it undiluted which is dangerous for your throat and stomach. Warm water, 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and a few drops of honey.

Hi Marsh,

Thank you very much for the thoughtful words! You said it correctly on things working for some and not others.

My main disappointment with melatonin is that not everyone is able to tolerate oral melatonin, but it seems that melatonin gotten through natural means seems to avoid this problem and most if not all side effects. I wrote about natural ways to get melatonin for this reason. I added other ways after I had posted the initial writing, so you will also have to read the replies to see a total of about 7 or 8 different ways to increase your melatonin levels naturally. Here is the link to that article :

https://www.earthclinic.com/supplements/how-to-increase-melatonin-naturally.html

Art

What doses of potassium are you taking a day?

I'm so happy to hear your sleep has improved so much.... I'm hoping mine sleep will improve as well! I believe I have a few allergies or sensitivities at play too...Diet and a beloved cat! But, I am just thinking about the impact vitamin D uptake is possible for those people who are on statins, which may lower the cholesterol levels on the skin, which sunshine activates to make vitamin D. And also the use of sun screens which inhibits production of vitamin D.... and even nagalase, which is being implicated in vaccines, and said to wipe out the body's ability to uptake vitamin D. I have been curious about GcMaf, but I have not tried this myself.

By the way Mama to Many, thank you for all you contribute to here at EC! Best wishes!

Try going gluten free. Other people have cured sleep apnea by going gluten free.

Thank you so much for posting this... I am on iodine and supplements for adrenal stress and estrogen dominance. I suspect heavily that I have a thyroid problem but my holistic doctor hasn't yet put me on dessicated thyroid but she is keeping an eye on it. I ran out Iodine recently and began to have all sorts of issues and my thyroid swelled up. I have recently begun on it it again but the swelling hasn't gone all the way around. Ever since I have had these issues I have awoken, gasping for air and it's clear to me I have some sort of sleep apnea. But it only came along with all the other issues that I noticed. No matter what symptom I end up having, I keep coming back to thyroid issues and iodine even when I'm not looking for that specifically. I will definitely try to get some money to get back into that doctor and take another thyroid test and express to her my wishes to try dessicated thyroid.

Hello there. I just wanted to share my thoughts on this. About 4 months ago, I started having trouble breathing while falling asleep. I have since talked to my doctor about this and went to see about 3 other specialists (heart, lungs... ), who could not explain it. So I gave up on that matter. The thing is, although I wasn't checked for sleep apnea, I don't think that's my problem. It only happens to me when falling asleep and feels like gradually stopping to breathe, but not caring about it until I stop almost entirely. It gets worse when I eat something heavier in the evening. When I sleep, I seem to breathe just fine. It may be more likely that it's simply some sort of neurological reaction to my lifestyle.

Anyway, I have found out, that when I drink a multivitamin, my problems seem to dissapear. Doctors laughed me out with that and told me it's a placebo effect. I have since tried the vitamins separately, and although I haven't yet settled on a single vitamin, C doesn't seem to help by itself. My guess is B. If it was a psychological / neuro problem, B, from what I know about vitamins, would be logical.

Now I was never a much of a believer in any sort of medicine... Natural or prescription based. I have felt that most pills simply don't help me that much and if I think I can get through any illness without them, I do. But in the last few years, I have actually found, that vitamins and some natural remedies do in fact affect me. Not much, but if nothing else they definitely work pretty well as a prevention. I have always suffered from common colds and various other minor diseases, but I have not had a single problem for last two years in that regard. As to why, beats me. I think I am a pretty rational person. 22yrs old, studiyng robotics and cybernetics, strong believer in science. It however seems only logical to fight ilnesses by supporting natural immunity (I have been diagnosed with minor cell imunity deficiency inherited from my mother in that regard) instead of surpressing the symptoms, which is what most pills do.

Anyway, just my two cents worth of experience. I will try some of the suggested herbs as well and see what it does.

Hi yes I have suffered with this complaint for some time now, I tried using a CPAP machine for a while but it kept waking me over the course of the night so I stopped using it. I heard how this bloke was using a tennis ball tied to the inside of a T-shirt and wears it to bed, the T-shirt with the ball tied in place stops you from sleeping on your back so you have to roll to the side as this automatically allows your gut or stomach to roll away from the diaphrame and allow you to breath automaticly. But now after reading about IBT(inclined bed therapy) I seem to be having more of a restfull sleep and on my back as the incline of the bed draws the gut away from the diaphrame again allowing automatic sleep.

Also I'm trying to lose weight using Rhodiola root and walking for a least one hour a day usually at night as there are less cars and trucks around and your not breathing in as many exhaust fumes as in the day time.

Kind regards Gary

Hi, Art;

I have not had an actual diagnosis but the symptoms: waking up gasping for breath; heart palpitations; dry mouth; headache; slow breathing -- are all pretty much the prime definition of sleep apnea. I did not have these symptoms before taking melatonin, and once I discontinued the melatonin, they disappeared.

With all due respect, Earth Clinic is a site in which we note our symptoms, remedies, and side effects, and I feel fairly certain that were I lauding a benefit of melatonin, you would not be requiring a medical corroboration.

My experience is that, after a few months of taking melatonin, I developed nocturnal episodes of gasping for breath -- presumably through a relaxed/closed airway. When I discontinued the remedy, they disappeared. Take from that what you will.

Thank you,

Carola

Hello Arn,

What form of potassium do you use? chloride, gluconate, citrate, bicarbonate etc.?

Would you please share the brand(s) you use?

Thank you

Interesting, although I don't suffer from sleep apnea I have a very dry mouth during the night and I had thought of taping it. What a coincidence to hear from someone else who does it.... It won't be too comfortable though.... but then I got so used to sleeping with ear plugs that I can't sleep without them anymore, so it is maybe the same thing for the tape.

If fluoride makes it worse, then borax might make it better.

Mike, did you try the raw ACV remedy? I worry about it being a quick fix, the side effects - won't it burn some delicate digestive tissue? I strongly believe ACV should be diluted if taken at all. I am a woman in my mid-forties and I have noticed that both sinuses and big tonsils block my airway. My hypertension, snoring and apnea are violently scary. I wake people up two floors away. I am overweight and I am getting a juicer to start juicing more vegetables - I tend to lose a few pounds, fall ill then get the pounds back up again. I noticed that when I use the CPAP Machine, I don't feel well rested in the morning because I spent the night bound to an irritating foreign object.

Sleep apnea is a matter of life and death, remedies should be flourishing on YouTube, etc but we hardly have them. Except for the YouTube video on SA Ayurvedic cure - I watched it and was wondering where the hell I was going to get those ingredients from and if they would actually work? I once watched a TV program where a woman used a pet for her apnea - weird eh? She said when she wasn't breathing, her parrot would perch on her till she wakes up. That isn't practical for most of us who are allergic to pets, feathers, ticks and so on. I have researched many ailments and found cures but this one beats me. I will study the full Earth Clinic page on Sleep Apnea and see if there is anything I can try. Doctors just keep you bound to their prescriptions and gadgets so I don't even want to talk to them. There is research and some upcoming cures on deadly diseases like cancer, HIV, diabetes, etc. Somebody somewhere needs to help us with sleep apnea because I don't know if some of you have noticed that some kids seem to have this ailment, then it progresses. Yes, mine started as a Sleep Disorder - Insomnia.

I had a clear case of Insomnia when I was pregnant and the child snored from age 5 or earlier. My other child does not snore but clearly has a SD and HBP! I need a cure for myself and my family. People of EC, help! There are many people suffering in silence. Let's all come out of our shells here, discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of this thing sucking out LIFE GIVING OXYGEN FROM US and get our normal breathing back. I watched 'Fat Sick and Nearly Dead' on YouTube and another movie on how Diabetis got cured with eating raw food. Has anybody seen any inspirational thing on natural cure for Sleep Apnea? I want to know. In conclusion, stop suffering in silence, do a post here. A problem shared is half solved.

After I stopped eating bread I no longer snore, every once in awhile I'll eat pizza or something with bread and begin to snore again so yes I do believe there is a connection here, I'm not saying it's gluten but may be the wheat has been altered?

For autism, take kefir full of probiotics. There is water and milk kinds, also you need to get heavy metals out of his body. Detoxing is great.

I have a son with severe sleep apnea. I found some information on the internet that suggests a dental splint could help with sleep apnea.

Another possibility is checking out with a chiropractor about upper curvature of the spine that may be interfering with the airway space. The information came from a dentist in Washington.

Sleep apnea is a very tough condition to figure out. My son cannot tolerate a cpap machine which is the usual "cure."
Good luck to all, I hope we can get more posts on this site. I have an appointment with a chiropractor about my son's condition. I will post if I find out more.

I assume She is “limiting” her own options based on her own experience. Others are free to do as they wish.
Anecdotal evidence simply means 2 things: there were no scientific studies and probably never will be if there is no money in it and a particular remedy had a particular effect on a particular person.
Two examples:

• Valerian root benefits are tested by centuries, yet an allopathic medicine still says that its benefits are based on the anecdotal evidence.
• The best first aid for burns, other than severe burns, are foil and moist baking soda applied immediately. I found the advice here, on EC and it works even though it is based on the anecdotal evidence.

Where can you buy potassium? There is a little in my Vit D but I haven't been able to find it by itself.

Thank you for this helpful information. What brand of potassium and dosage? The same for magnesium as well, please.

I want my mother to try the potassium for sleep apnea. There are a few types of potassium at the health store, which one is the best to use? Thanks

Please also note, I massage my facial side mumps for a few minutes at least 2-3 times a day. I tried it only on my right cheek the first time and the next day my right glands were tender and very sore. Didn't do it again until the 3rd day however to my surprise, I noticed the swelling had gone down quite a bit compared to the left. So I have kept this up for over 5 weeks now and I dont look like I have mumps anymore. Swelling is still there only in the mornings because of my sleep machine - obviously air is still getting into the glands during sleep time. Might also try the GF diet! ....

Hello! Any feedback on the magnesium for sleep apnea? Thanks!

@ Twirled Piece from Laguna Beach, Ca

AND

@ Francisca from Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France

OMG - Wow! How do you know you won't die? What if you develop sinus congestion overnight and have no open nasal passage to breathe with? Tell me more, please!

Thanks!

I cannot remember exactly what age when I started snoring loudly but I think it was in high school. I was informed by a male cousin that I kept him awake with my snoring and grinding teeth. I outgrew the teeth grinding but the snoring worsened as I grew older. A colleague told me to consult a doctor because I may have sleep apnea. But I never did.

I tried Googling for the causes and symptoms of sleep apnea and I am convinced that I have them. I want to try the various remedies for sleep apnea being recommended here in EC and I'll start with mouth taping. Aside from congestion, is there other health risk for mouth taping?

Thank you so very much for that info. I needed that so much, I have problems sleeping, my 02 is very low with problems breathing. God bless

Just curious if this works if you have insomnia with sleep apnea? They have told me it's a possibility.

@ Steve from Niwot, Co., Thanks for that article. Where did you get it from?

@ Blazicekj from Prague, Czech Republic:

Hi, you said you would try those herbs for the apnea. How did that go? Have you learned anything new since posting? Thank you!

Thanks, I have recently been searching for info about this subject for a long time and yours is the greatest I have came upon so far.

I just read your post and it struck me. My husband is very Irish (both sides of his family). He has been dealing with sleep apnea and extra stubborn weight for probably 10 years now. I'm going to try this gluten free diet with him and see what happens. Also, our 4yr old son was recently diagnosed with Autism so we are already buying gluten- free foods for him and it seems to make a difference in his behavior. Maybe we should all get off of gluten at this point. Thanks for your post!

I cannot tell you how many people who have gone gluten free tell of the freedom they now enjoy in their health. I have been researching and have found that gluten does in fact play a role in sleep apnea. We have snorers over here so we are trying to wean off gluten. Not easy, but is definitely possible. Good luck to you.