Overview

Sleep apnea is a condition in which a person stops breathing while sleeping, and then tends to awake with a start when breathing is restarted by a gasp. This cycle of events can repeat hundreds of times per night.

Sleep apnea can be divided into two types:

  • Obstructive.
  • Neurogenic.

In some cases, disorders such as chronic fatigue and hypertension have been attributed to sleep apnea.

Please see conventional, complementary, and alternative medical treatments for important background information regarding the different types of medical treatments discussed on this page. Naturopathic, Complementary, and Alternative treatments that may be considered include:

Etiology

Low thyroid function, called hypothyroidism, has been associated with obstructive sleep apnea [Starr2005, pg 7]. Presumably this is due to obstruction caused by myxedema.

Neurogenic sleep apnea has also been associated with hypothyroidism, [DeGroot1996], [Starr2005, pg 126].

Differential Diagnosis

Treatment

Conventional Treatments

Treatments for obstructive sleep apnea include:

  • Dental appliances that reposition the mouth and tongue are often effective.
  • Continuous Positive Pressure breathing machines are effective but expensive, and annoy many patients.

Naturopathic, Complementary, and Alternative Treatments

Thyroid Optimization

Treat hypothyroidism if present.

Nutritional Medicine

Weight loss is often effective.

References