113. Sleep Apnea Masterclass

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Hey, what's going on everybody.

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Welcome back to the elemental Evan show.

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So good to be back with all of you today.

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I have a great episode on a topic that was actually brought to me

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through Instagram from a local friend and fan of the elemental Evan show.

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Today's episode is going to be all about sleep apnea.

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This is a very common issue that tons of people deal with here in.

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Not only the us, but also all around the world.

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So really excited to jump into today's episode, especially when it

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comes to dealing with stuff revolving around sleep, because obviously

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sleep is super, super important.

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I did a episode a little while back talking about how you can be taking

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all of the supplements, all of the medications, all of the health stuff,

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whatever you want, but it will never make up for a good night's rest,

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especially when it comes to trying to.

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Get over a sickness, uh, which I was going through, uh, while traveling abroad.

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So the best thing was absolutely getting a good night's rest.

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And if you're not getting a good nights rest, then you already

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know how annoying that can be.

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And if you deal with sleep apnea, then this is definitely something

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that is an issue in your life.

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So.

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To kick this off, we're going to jump into what exactly sleep apnea is.

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So I'll go ahead and kind of break down the definition of sleep apnea,

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and then we'll kind of move into what are the health issues as well as what

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can we do to improve sleep apnea and hopefully no longer have to deal with it.

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So.

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You have two main types of sleep apnea?

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The very first one, which is the most common one is called

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obstructive sleep apnea.

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So this happens when your upper airway becomes blocked

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multiple times while you sleep.

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Reducing or completely stopping airflow.

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This is the most common type of sleep apnea.

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Anything that could narrow your airway, such as obesity, large tonsils, or changes

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in your hormone levels can increase your risk for obstructive sleep apnea.

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So essentially that is literally just the airway being blocked

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or crushed in some way.

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Typically from your muscles being overly relaxed while sleeping.

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So your tongue.

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Uh, which is a massive muscle, right?

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Can relax too much in pressure.

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Uh, put pressure on the airways, making it difficult to breathe at night.

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There's also a lot of other muscles here in the neck area that if they are too

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relaxed, they're going to obstruct your airway and make it difficult to breathe,

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which is going to cause you to stop breathing at night and wake up and get out

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of that restful sleep that you were in.

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Now the other form of sleep apnea is called central sleep apnea.

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Now this happens when your brain does not send the signals.

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Uh, needed to breathe.

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Health conditions that affect how your brain controls your airway and chest

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muscles can cause central sleep apnea.

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So this is more of a neurological, uh, type issue.

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You're not getting the correct signals to breathe during night.

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Uh, or sorry, during while you sleep, uh, this is less common,

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but definitely a major issue.

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Now, when it comes to the major causes of sleep apnea.

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Depending on the type that you have, obviously it will vary, but when it comes

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to the most common form, the obstructive sleep apnea, it tends to be an over

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relaxation of the muscles in your head and neck as you sleep, which applies pressure

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on your wind pipe, making it difficult or impossible to breathe, kind of already

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explained that previously, but wanted to just really drill that point home.

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Obstructive sleep apnea is exactly what it sounds like.

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You're obstructing the airway.

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And it is making it so that you're not able to properly breathe.

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Now, when it comes to central sleep apnea, the causes tend to be slightly different,

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such as heart failure, low blood oxygen levels, nervous system damage, and other

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nervous system conditions such as ALS.

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Right?

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So these are all things that can cause the central sleep apnea.

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And as you can see, they are more neurological based right there.

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They're a little bit more of a deeper issue here.

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It's not just the relaxation of muscles.

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And obstructing of an airway.

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So, uh, quite different here.

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Now other things such as obesity or poorly developed facial structures can also

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play a large role in sleep apnea, which we will kind of get into those a little

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bit later when we get into the, you know, the things that we can do to improve, uh,

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sleep apnea and hopefully get rid of it.

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So.

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Uh, those were just two that I really wanted to kind of mention

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because they're pretty common.

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Now in terms of what health concerns might arise with having sleep apnea,

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as you know, most health issues do have some form of, uh, you know, down the road

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problems and sleep apnea definitely does.

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Especially when you consider the fact that you stop breathing for, you know,

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moments of the night and, you know, takes you out of your deep restful sleep.

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Uh, this is very, very detrimental to your health over the longterm, especially.

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Uh, so let's kind of get into it.

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The severe app, sorry.

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This severe implications of sleep apnea can include things such

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as heart damage, heart failure.

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Um, arrhythmias.

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So that is the improper beating of your heart, especially the atrial

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fibrillation, which can lead to blood clots and possibly stroke.

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So quite serious, as well as sudden cardiac death.

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Now, obviously these are the more severe, uh, implications of sleep apnea, but they

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are definitely things that could arise.

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So, uh, really worth noting and being aware of.

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Now on the less severe side, but still obviously extremely inconvenient

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to anyone dealing with sleep apnea or just anyone in general.

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Um, you have things such as disrupted sleep.

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Waking up drowsy sleepiness during the day snoring mood changes,

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hindered brain function, like inability to recall people's names

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and just poor memory overall.

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Uh, insomnia.

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Night sweats, sexual dysfunction, which yes, this is for men not

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waking up with a kickstand because you are not getting the proper blood

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flow to certain parts of the body.

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Uh, and then also headaches is a really big one.

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So if you wake up with a lot of headaches in the morning, Uh, you might possibly

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be dealing with some type of sleep apnea and might be worth getting checked out,

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which also before I go any further.

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Uh, if you are dealing with sleep apnea, of course, of course, if

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you have not already spoken to a medical professional, please do so.

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Um, these are, you know, my health tips that I'm trying to give to you.

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I always focus on lifestyle changes and things that we can do that typically

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have no side effect and are usually somewhat free if not completely free

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to do, uh, this is just to increase your knowledge and really help you.

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But if you're really dealing with these issues and it's very severe,

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of course, Seek medical attention and speak to a medical professional, always.

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I am not a medical professional.

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Uh, so just wanted to clarify all of that before we go any further.

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But nonetheless.

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Um, those are some of the minor symptoms that you might be

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experiencing with sleep apnea.

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Now let's get into the good stuff.

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What are the ways that we could go ahead and overcome sleep apnea?

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So the most common advice that you'll find on the web is to lose weight.

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Now, this is absolutely great advice and can definitely help with sleep apnea.

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But the only problem is, is that there's a lot of people out there who

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have sleep apnea that are in a very.

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Healthy weight range.

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So obviously this is not applied to everybody.

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But for those of you who do carry a little extra weight or a lot of extra weight,

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this is a really, really great idea.

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Idea and a great place to start.

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Uh, if you are carrying extra weight, losing some of that weight can make

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a really, really big difference when it comes to sleep apnea.

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Um, even just small changes in weight, like.

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W maybe losing five to 10 pounds can be a really, really dramatic shift.

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So, uh, if you are dealing with weight issues, that could

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be a great place to start.

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And if you are already in a healthy weight range, then just continue

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on with your, uh, regular movement practice that you normally would do.

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Uh, if you don't have movement practice, even if you are a healthy weight,

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um, please have a movement practice.

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Uh, it will help everything overall, your entire body, your health, everything.

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So please get outside and move.

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Uh, the second thing is to try to alter your sleeping position.

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So.

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While laying on your back is obviously a very common sleep position.

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This might not be the best position for you.

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If you were dealing with sleep apnea, because obviously with

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gravity, you are going to have these relaxed, uh, especially if you have

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the obstructive sleep apnea, your muscles, relax, and can pressure,

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uh, put pressure on your airways.

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So simply moving over to the side and laying on your side.

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Uh, for some people it's not that comfortable and it's not always

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the recommended sleep position, but for this purpose, it might be

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what you would possibly need to.

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Uh, improve your sleeping and allow those airways to stay open.

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So that's number two.

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And then number three is going to be a little bit of a multiple park option here.

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But the first thing you can do is you can purchase, sorry, you can purchase mouth

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guards that can do a few different things.

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One of them is they can actually keep your tongue in a certain position so

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that it doesn't, uh, go further back into your throat and obstruct your airways.

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Uh, and there's also one that can help with keeping your jaw a little bit

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forward your lower jaw and keeping those.

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Uh, airway's back there open.

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They also have certain tapes that you can put on your nose, uh, to

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help widen your nostrils and allow for easier breathing at night.

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All of these are really, really great options and we're trying.

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In my research, I found that there were multiple mouth guards and they

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varied in price as well as function.

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And I'm sure in quality.

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So just remember when you are purchasing those or looking for those.

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Uh, to really do your research and remember that you're probably going

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to get what you pay for on those.

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So, uh, going a higher route might mean a better outcome.

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And then the last one is to simply do a little mouth taping.

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Now I know that might sound counterintuitive.

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Uh, you know, you're having problems with breathing.

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Why would you want to keep your mouth close?

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Well, we're not meant to breathe through our mouths.

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We're actually meant to breathe through our nose and at nighttime.

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When you are not consciously able to tap in and remember to breathe out of

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your nose and not out of your mouth.

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There's many times where you can wake up and start breathing out of your mouth,

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which relaxes all of these muscles, even deeper in your neck and your throat.

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And it can lead to just worse sleep apnea.

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We really want to focus on breathing through our nose at all times,

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even during the day when you are.

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Going out for an exercise or sitting on your laptop or whatever.

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It may be.

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Try to actively remember to breathe through your nose

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and not through your mouth.

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And this is going to strengthen all of those muscles in the back

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of your throat and your neck.

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And can really also help with sleep apnea.

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So with mouth taping, it's very simple.

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You take.

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Small piece of tape, place it on your mouth.

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Um, sometimes you might need to cover the entire mouth or even just

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a small piece might work for you.

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And this will help you to breathe through your nose and keep those airways nice

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and open and keep the muscles toned.

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Now, if you are experiencing issues with this at nighttime, with your sleep

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apnea and mal taping, that of course be intuitive with this and do not use

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But if it is making things worse, although I mouth tape every

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single night, I do not have sleep apnea, but it does wonders for me.

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And it is incredible.

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I absolutely love Taping.

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And I noticed the difference in my sleep when I do it.

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Now.

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Going on to number four, we have using a humidifier.

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So they have also found that dry airways can lead to sleep apnea and

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breathing through the mouth as well.

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So having a simple humidifier in the room while you're sleeping

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with a essential oil, that is anti-inflammatory such as eucalyptus oil.

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Um, there's also peppermint oil and lavender oil, I believe are, uh

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anti-inflammatory and these can be really beneficial for the airway.

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Airways and allowing them to stay open at night and keeping you from, uh,

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obviously dealing with sleep apnea.

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So that can be a very simple, uh, thing to try.

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And then the last one is going to be.

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Stop drinking alcohol and smoking of anything.

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Right?

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So these two things can both lead to greatly relaxed.

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Uh, muscles in your neck and throat, which obviously is going to lead to that.

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Uh, sleep apnea, the obstructive sleep apnea.

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Or they can also cause inflammation, especially cigarettes, right?

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They can cause inflammation in our airways.

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Which is not something we want to be dealing with and

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it can lead to sleep apnea.

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So if you are a heavy drinker or smoker, or if you even just have a

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simple nightcap in the evening or a night smoke, whatever it may be.

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Try going two to three, maybe four weeks without any alcohol or any kind

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of combustible, um, type of ingredient.

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And.

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Uh, see what happens.

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See if you notice a great change in your sleep apnea in those, you

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know, two to three to four weeks.

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And if you notice a ma massive shift, then continue on with it.

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Right.

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Um, I honestly believe that if you are a heavy drinker or a smoker and you deal

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with sleep apnea, this is probably going to have a really good outcome for you.

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Now, uh, the last, last, last thing that I wanted to hit

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on was herbs and supplements.

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So of course I love looking into herbs and supplements for

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every health issue possible.

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Um, but for this one, I did not find very good research in terms

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of herbs and supplements that are very beneficial for sleep apnea.

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So unfortunately, I'm not going to include any one in particular, but that doesn't

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mean that there is not still some, you.

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No efficacy in herbs and supplements for sleep apnea.

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Uh, absolutely.

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There can be herbs and supplements that do amazing things for sleep apnea.

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And you know, what might work for one person might not work for another.

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So maybe that's why the research isn't so good.

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Who knows, but whatever it is, regardless, still feel free to look into those and

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try a few of them out for yourself.

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Anything that helps you get a better night's sleep is going

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to be beneficial in my opinion.

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So things like passion, flower, lemon, balm, uh, Camomile tea.

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Magnesium.

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These are all going to be really beneficial things for sleep

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overall, and they could be things that you could try as well.

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Now, personally, I just always take my chocolate gold blend from Organifi.

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And drink that before bed, because that is like the best

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nightcap you could possibly have.

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It's like a cup of hot chocolate and it's loaded with really great things

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like lemon balm, reishi, mushroom, which is incredible for sleep and for just

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so many different things in the body.

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Um, we also have magnesium in there and tumeric as well, which

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is highly anti-inflammatory.

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Uh, it's a really great blend for.

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Relaxing winding down.

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And easing your way into bed.

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Uh, so yes, I drink that almost every single night.

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I would say five, five out of the seven nights a week.

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I'm definitely drinking the chocolate gold blend and possibly even more than that.

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So if you want to get some of that.

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Uh, head over to Organifi.

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I have them linked in the show notes and you get a 20% discount code just for being

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a listener to the elemental event show.

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That's my little, thank you to you guys.

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Um, they were an incredible company.

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They third-party test all of their products for glyphosate.

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It's all USDA organic approved.

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So, you know, you're getting the highest of the highest quality

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ingredients in all of their products.

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Uh, definitely go check them out.

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Like I said, that's linked in the show notes, Organa five, and you get a

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discount code linked right there with it.

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And that is just for being a listener.

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You get 20% off your entire order, and hopefully that will help you

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ease into sleep and maybe even stay asleep the entire time and

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not deal with some sleep apnea.

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Go ahead and try all of these different things.

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See what works for you.

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See what doesn't and remember it's all an experiment with your body.

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Uh, so, you know, feel free.

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To try things.

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And these are all very safe measures to try.

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Thank you all very much for tuning into today's episode.

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I appreciate all of you so, so much.

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I appreciate your listenership.

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Um, subscribe on whatever platform it is that you're on, whether it's YouTube or

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apple podcast, Spotify, Google podcast.

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Uh, please go ahead and subscribe, leave a review on apple podcast.

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If you're on there, it takes like 30 seconds to a minute and

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helps people to find this show.

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And please share this episode with someone who came to benefit

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from hearing this episode.

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A lot of people deal with sleep apnea, so this can be very beneficial

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for, uh, tons of people out there.

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And please feel free to share it.

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Feel free to share it on any of the social media programs or,

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uh, platforms that you're on.

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I'm on mainly Instagram and YouTube at elemental.

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Evan, feel free to follow me on there and reach out to me with any questions

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or concerns, or maybe if you want to hear an episode, something specific, then

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go ahead and reach out to me on there.

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Just like my good friend did on Instagram for this episode.

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RD all much love to everybody.

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Connect your elements and do everything with good intentions.