breathing exercises for sleep apnea

[anna.lucky]

Hi all, I'm new here and the reason I joined is to learn about what NATURAL methods may help with sleeping problems. I am against pills and overall interested in natural treatments..
I heard special breathing exercises can help with insomnia and even sleep apnea… the ones that teach you to breathe using your diaphragm… anyone heard/tried anything like this?

[Todzo]

Hi all, I'm new here and the reason I joined is to learn about what NATURAL methods may help with sleeping problems. I am against pills and overall interested in natural treatments..
I heard special breathing exercises can help with insomnia and even sleep apnea… the ones that teach you to breathe using your diaphragm… anyone heard/tried anything like this?

Hi anna.lucky!

Yup, busy learning Qigong and Yoga.

I have over a year in using a pulse oximeter to guide eucapnic breathing - I find very useful!!

I also do some 85% of maximum heart rate interval training and many hours per week aerobic training. Highly recommended!

I think part of what is messed up is our breathing reflexes and these things help!

Have a great year!

Todzo

[49er]

Hi all, I'm new here and the reason I joined is to learn about what NATURAL methods may help with sleeping problems. I am against pills and overall interested in natural treatments..
I heard special breathing exercises can help with insomnia and even sleep apnea… the ones that teach you to breathe using your diaphragm… anyone heard/tried anything like this?

Hi Anna,

Welcome!

Breathing exercises can definitely help with insomnia:

http://sleepdisorders.about.com/od/slee ... somnia.htm

Have not seen anything that indicates they can help with apnea.

I am a little confused by your post. I understand your reluctance to not take meds for insomnia but a cpap machine for apnea can't be compared to meds for insomnia. Now granted, the statistics for long term use are not great but that is another issue.

Can you tell us more about your situation?

49er

[Stanley56]

Hi all, I'm new here and the reason I joined is to learn about what NATURAL methods may help with sleeping problems. I am against pills and overall interested in natural treatments..
I heard special breathing exercises can help with insomnia and even sleep apnea… the ones that teach you to breathe using your diaphragm… anyone heard/tried anything like this?

Hi Anna,

Welcome!

Breathing exercises can definitely help with insomnia:

http://sleepdisorders.about.com/od/slee ... somnia.htm

Have not seen anything that indicates they can help with apnea.

I am a little confused by your post. I understand your reluctance to not take meds for insomnia but a cpap machine for apnea can't be compared to meds for insomnia. Now granted, the statistics for long term use are not great but that is another issue.



49er

49er,

Please expound on the bold portion of your post. Thanks.

[49er]

Hi all, I'm new here and the reason I joined is to learn about what NATURAL methods may help with sleeping problems. I am against pills and overall interested in natural treatments..
I heard special breathing exercises can help with insomnia and even sleep apnea… the ones that teach you to breathe using your diaphragm… anyone heard/tried anything like this?

Hi Anna,

Welcome!

Breathing exercises can definitely help with insomnia:

http://sleepdisorders.about.com/od/slee ... somnia.htm

Have not seen anything that indicates they can help with apnea.

I am a little confused by your post. I understand your reluctance to not take meds for insomnia but a cpap machine for apnea can't be compared to meds for insomnia. Now granted, the statistics for long term use are not great but that is another issue.



49er

49er,

Please expound on the bold portion of your post. Thanks.

Can you tell us more about your situation?

Hi Stanley56.

Sorry, I did not mean to bold that portion of my post.

This is a 2006 citation:

http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare ... rders/3587

A retrospective analysis of 528 new users of CPAP machines showed that only 17% were using them as prescribed, said Carl Stepnowsky, Ph.D., of the University of California at San Diego.

Another 63% "are below what we would usually consider to be acceptable, which is four hours a night," he reported here at Sleep 2006, the joint meeting of the Sleep Research Society and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

I haven't seen any recent studies of this magnitude but I am sensing that things aren't any better when I did research this morning on barriers to cpap adherence for other reasons. Unfortunately, as Murphy's law would dictate, I can't find those sites.

But this article from 2010 indicates that things still aren't rosy in the compliance issue:

http://hme-business.com/articles/2010/0 ... iance.aspx

Anyway, I prefer not to discuss my situation since I have already gotten off topic and don't want to hijack the initial thread.

49er

[chunkyfrog]

Welcome, Anna. Take didgeridoo lessons (from a real bushman, if possible); but don't stop using your cpap.

[Stanley56]

49er,

I actually bolded that part of your post thanks for your reply though. I misunderstood what you were trying to say. I thought you were saying that statistics were not good for people that used CPAP long term.

[Todzo]

Hi all, I'm new here and the reason I joined is to learn about what NATURAL methods may help with sleeping problems. I am against pills and overall interested in natural treatments..
I heard special breathing exercises can help with insomnia and even sleep apnea… the ones that teach you to breathe using your diaphragm… anyone heard/tried anything like this?

Hi again Anna!

I can tell you that I have and do find breathing exercises useful.

I can also tell you that exercise is helpful. I am still working on getting up to and maintaining the recommended 10,000 steps a day that often determine an active lifestyle. I would recommend that you pursue an active lifestyle. Resistance training is also helpful. I think much of the help in all of this is getting outside. In my case there are not too many cars in the area and I can avoid where they run most of the time. Clean air is so good!

I think it is good to take a bit of sun. Being careful to not over do. I watch the UV index carefully and simply spend some "minutes per side" when I can. I watch to see that the effect is a bit of tanning without the pink of burn. Start with very little and work your way up. I think this kind of exposure produces good things that go well beyond vitamin D.

Several years working with a dietitian has proven good. As I continue to study and practice in this area I have recently come across two very useful tips. First, set a protein goal and reach it early in the day. This helps greatly with appetite control. Second, eat a great variety of veggies and some fruits. This helps seed (probiotics) and feed (prebiotics) our microbiome.

Many people find aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine helpful. Some claim cured!

Considering that most find that they cannot effectively use CPAP you are wise to be looking into other things I do believe.

May we find the best treatments!

Todzo

[BlackSpinner]

Have done many many breathing exercises, relaxation techniques and herbs to deal with migraines and other issues. They are great, but useless to stop apnea. Your throat collapses, no amount of diaphragm work makes a difference when your airway is blocked.

CPAP is the most natural and least invasive therapy, it is nothing but slightly pressured air.

[mgaggie]

Welcome, Anna. Take didgeridoo lessons (from a real bushman, if possible); but don't stop using your cpap.

I have to say when it was first mentioned to me about didgeridoo's helping breathing on here I thought "what on earth have we fooled americans into believing this time?". Only to find out from my mum that she had heard it on the news!

[BlackSpinner]

Welcome, Anna. Take didgeridoo lessons (from a real bushman, if possible); but don't stop using your cpap.

I have to say when it was first mentioned to me about didgeridoo's helping breathing on here I thought "what on earth have we fooled americans into believing this time?". Only to find out from my mum that she had heard it on the news!

However it means practising daily and it only helps a bit for mild OSA.

[mgaggie]

You also need the $400+ for the didge too

[BlackSpinner]

You also need the $400+ for the didge too

Actually you can make one using PVC pipe and some beeswax.

You also need patient neighbours.

[chunkyfrog]

-----or deaf ones; and with no sensitive pets.

[mgaggie]

My dog wouldn't like it, she will attack me when I use my nintendo wii. Who knows what she'd do if I started playing a didge