Sleep Apnea? This Will Drastically Improve Your Quality of Life

Sleep apnea ruins lives. Sleepiness and exhaustion throughout the day, difficulty exercising, and emotional problems are just a few of its symptoms.

But according to a new study from the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, there is one easy thing you can do that improves all markers of quality of life for those suffering from sleep apnea.

These researchers recruited 17 subjects with an average age of 51.9, all between ages 18 and 65, diagnosed with moderate-to-severe sleep apnea, and treated with continuous positive airway (CPAP) therapy between January 2020 and June 2021 in the hospital at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas clinics.

Before and after the three months of treatment, they underwent polysomnography (a series of physiological tests while asleep) and were asked to complete a collection of questionnaires, including the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.

The Epworth Sleepiness Scale measures the likelihood of falling asleep during various daytime activities. It has eight questions that subjects rate from zero (no sleepiness) to three (very sleepy). Accordingly, subjects are rated from zero (no sleepiness) to 24 (very sleepy).

The 36-Item Short Form Health Survey measures health-related quality of life on eight domains of health, including physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health problems, role limitations due to emotional difficulties, energy/fatigue, emotional health, social functioning, pain, and general health. The scale scores from zero (complete dysfunction) to 100 (complete wellbeing).

The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index measures quality of sleep based on 21 overall points. A score of 5 or below indicates no sleep disorder, while 6-10 indicates an episodic sleep disorder and 11-15 means a moderate sleep disorder; 16-21 indicates a severe sleep disorder.

After three months of CPAP treatment, these were the researchers’ findings:

1. The subjects improved significantly on the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, especially regarding general health, energy levels, and role limitations due to emotional problems.

2. On the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, they improved by 5.5 points, meaning that they moved from a moderate to an episodic sleep disorder.

3. On the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, they improved by 5.3 points from 10.9 to 5.6.

4. There was a strong relationship between daytime sleepiness and emotional wellbeing, with improvements in the former coinciding with improvements in the latter.

Therefore, CPAP can improve both your physical health—by reducing your breathing pauses during sleep—and also your sleep quality and health-related quality of life.

But there is just one problem with CPAP! Most people stop using it. They find it inconvenient and uncomfortable, and some have trouble sleeping with a mask.

Fortunately, there is another way to not just treat sleep apnea but cure it. These simple 3-minute throat exercises open up the breathing passages day and night—curing both snoring and sleep apnea. Learn these easy throat exercises here…