You’re exhausted, groggy and barely able to function… no matter how many hours you manage to doze each night.
If this scenario sounds familiar, you might think it’s time for a new mattress-but the real underlying problem could be much more sinister. Why? Because like millions of chronically tired Americans, your body may actually stop breathing while you sleep.1
Apnea-which literally means "without breath"-can arise in several different ways. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common, during which your upper airways become blocked, and your body’s airflow is restricted. Central sleep apnea (CSA), on the other hand, takes place when your nervous system’s respiratory drive temporarily shuts down-resulting in 10 seconds or more of breathlessness.
But whether it’s OSA, CSA or a combination of both, the results are equally disruptive to both your sleep and your health.
While persistent fatigue, brain fog and snoring are some of the most common red flags, sleep apnea has been linked with a slew of serious health dangers that may not be so obvious. Elevated inflammatory markers such as C-Reactive Protein (CRP), increases in clotting mechanisms and cardiac arrhythmias-all pave the way to heart disease, the most deadly consequence of apnea.2-5 But other complications-such as abnormal blood sugar metabolism, gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) and a significant increase in mood disorders-are also strongly linked to nightly sleep apnea.6-9
So how can you stop apnea when you don’t even know it’s happening? The first step is to have your doctor test you for the condition. If the test indicates you have sleep apnea, respiratory devices and surgery are two ways to address this common nighttime disorder. But you’ll be happy to hear that natural support may work as well.
The second step is to take a salivary hormone test (such as VRP’s Comprehensive Hormone Panel) to assess your levels of cortisol. Research has found that sleep apnea patients have elevated levels of this stress hormone-and that cortisol imbalances can return to normal with supplementation and the restoration of healthy sleeping and breathing patterns.10-11
That’s why anyone struggling with sleep apnea who tests positive for high cortisol levels can benefit from a combination of botanicals-including Magnolia bark (Phellodendron amurense) and Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)-designed to combat excess levels of this hormone.11-12 You’ll find these stress-busting botanicals paired as the proprietary blends Relora and Sensoril in a single formula called Cortisol Control, available now from Vitamin Research Products.
In addition to these cortisol-balancing herbs, nutrients such as N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), melatonin, green tea extract and L-Tryptophan are all beneficial supplements to aid in achieving a good night’s sleep and diminishing the life-energy draining effects of sleep apnea. Animal studies have shown that NAC can increase levels of the protective antioxidant glutathione, defending against the damaging effects of oxygen loss on both heart cells and impaired respiratory function.13-14 Melatonin delivers many of the same benefits, with research revealing that it widens the blood vessels of animals exposed to low oxygen conditions.15
Similarly, extracts of green tea have been shown to inhibit low oxygen-induced cognitive dysfunction-while clinical studies reveal that a nightly dose of L-Tryptophan can deliver significant improvements in non-REM sleep among patients struggling with obstructive sleep apnea.16-17 You can find all of these beneficial nutrients readily available as safe, natural supplements from Vitamin Research Products.
References:
1. National Institutes of Health website, www.nhlbi.nih.gov, accessed June 15, 2010.
2. Kokturk O, Ciftci TU, Mollarecep E, Ciftci B. Elevated C-reactive protein levels and increased cardiovascular risk in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Int Heart J 2005;46:801809.
3. Kasasbeh E, Chi DS, Krishnaswamy G. Inflammatory aspects of sleep apnea and their cardiovascular consequences. South Med J. 2006;99:58 67.
4. Guilleminault C, Connolly SJ, Winkle RA. Cardiac arrhythmia and conduction disturbances during sleep in 400 patients with sleep apnea syndrome. Am J Cardiol 1983;52:490494.
5. Harbison J, O’Reilly P, McNicholas WT. Cardiac rhythm disturbances in the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: Effects of nasal continuous positive airway pressure therapy. Chest 2000;118:591-595.
6. Punjabi NM, Polotsky VY. Disorders of glucose metabolism in sleep apnea. J Appl Physiol. 2005;99:1998-2007.
7. Harsch IA, Hahn EG, Konturek PC. Insulin resistance and other metabolic aspects of the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Med Sci Monitor. 2005;11:RA70-RA75.
8. Demeter P, Visy KV, Magyar P. Correlation between severity of endoscopic findings and apnea hypopnea index in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease and obstructive sleep apnea. World J Gastroenterol. 2005;11:839-841.
9. Sharafkhaneh A, Giray N, Richardson P, et al. Association of psychiatric disorders and sleep apnea in a large cohort. Sleep. 2005;28:1405-1411.
10. Henley DE, Russell GM, Douthwaite JA, Wood SA, Buchanan F, Gibson R, Woltersdorf WW, Catterall JR, Lightman SL. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation in obstructive sleep apnea: the effect of continuous positive airway pressure therapy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Nov;94(11):4234-42.
11. LaValle, J. and Hawkins, E. Relora-The Natural Breakthrough to Losing Stress-Related Fat and Wrinkles. North Bergen, NJ: Basic Health Publications; 2003:16.
12. Bhattacharya, S. et al. "Anti-stress activity of sitoindosides VII and VIII, new acylsterylglucosides from Withania somnifera." Phytother Res 1987, 1:32-37.
13. Dunleavy M, Bradford A, O’Halloran KD. Oxidative stress impairs upper airway muscle endurance in an animal model of sleep-disordered breathing. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2008;605:458-62.
14. Liu JN, Zhang JX, Lu G, Qiu Y, Yang D, Yin GY, Zhang XL. The effect of oxidative stress in myocardial cell injury in mice exposed to chronic intermittent hypoxia. Chin Med J (Engl). 2010 Jan 5;123(1):74-8.
15. Bertuglia S, Reiter RJ. Melatonin reduces microvascular damage and insulin resistance in hamsters due to chronic intermittent hypoxia. J Pineal Res. 2009 Apr;46(3):307-13.
16. Burckhardt IC, Gozal D, Dayyat E, Cheng Y, Li RC, Goldbart AD, Row BW. Green tea catechin polyphenols attenuate behavioral and oxidative responses to intermittent hypoxia. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2008 May 15;177(10):1135-41.
17. Schmidt HS. L-tryptophan in the treatment of impaired respiration in sleep. Bull Eur Physiopathol Respir. 1983 Nov-Dec;19(6):625-9.