There’s no doubt a good night’s sleep is an important factor in our production levels the next day. If a night has been full of tosses and turns, waking up – and staying alert – is sure to be a struggle. For some, this is an ongoing, undiagnosed problem.

You may just be one of the millions out there with undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Although it is estimated that over 18 million have the disorder, it is suggested that 93% of men and 82% of women have never been diagnosed.

Basically, symptoms include one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep. If someone has ever told you you snore, you might just have a problem. According to Sleep Renewal,

Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes. They may occur 30 times or more an hour. Typically, normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound.

These breathing habits will cause you to shift from a deep to a light sleep. Although without a doubt breathing is an important activity we all undertake, some people don’t even do it the right way.

One easy way you can attempt to combat this issue is by practicing to breathe through your nose.

It is important to breathe through your nose because your nose makes a gas called nitric oxide and sinus mucous membranes. This gas increase oxygen absorption in your lungs by 10-25% and is produced in small amounts, but when inhaled into the lungs the capacity to absorb oxygen, Nitric oxide also can kill bacteria, viruses and other germs.

A stuffy nose can aggravate further collapse downstream if your palate and tongue structures are predisposed, then it falls back easily due to sleeping on your back and muscle relaxation in deep sleep takes place.

The following conditions can lead to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) when you leave it untreated – chronic fatigue, weight gain, high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

If you don’t breath through your nose naturally then there might be a blockage. Sounds weird, right? But there are a few causes of nose blockage that aren’t apparent:

• Deviated Septum
• Wings in Your Nose
• Is It An Infection or Allergies?
• Flimsy Nostrils
• A Nervous Nose?
• It’s All under Your Nose

While Sleep Renewal explains each symptom in full, it is important to practice nose breathing as a first step. It could also cure other conditions such as dry mouth, snoring, fatigue, and poor sleep. If you have an issue with snoring, read HERE for various ways to deal with that otherwise, pop into a Sleep Renewal and a specialist will help you.