How Can Exercise With Oxygen Therapy (EWOT) Act as a Natural Support for Sleep Apnea?

It's not always easy to realize that you suffer from sleep apnea: you feel you are not sleeping well, and you think of numerous reasons, such as digestion, stress, or anxiety. It's hard waking up always fatigued with a headache and a sense of not being really rested. It shouldn't be overlooked as it could be an indication of sleep apnea.

Did you know that one in 7 adults—around a billion people globally—live with sleep apnea, a common sleep disorder? What’s even more surprising is that 80-90% of these cases go undiagnosed.

While conventional treatments like CPAP therapy can offer effective relief, you may find it uncomfortable or disruptive to your rest. That’s where Exercise with Oxygen Therapy comes in. EWOT offers a natural and gentle complementary technique for improving sleep apnea symptoms by addressing the root cause—restricted airflow and poor oxygenation.

Understanding Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea, a breathing-related sleep disorder, is characterized by frequent pauses in breathing while you’re asleep. If left untreated, this can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness, frequent breathing interruptions, and loud snoring. Studies have also shown a connection between sleep apnea and type-2 diabetes, stroke, heart attack, and even reduced lifespan.

Sleep apnea happens when your airways are blocked (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) or when your brain doesn’t send proper signals to the breathing muscles to take in air (Central Sleep Apnea).

Sleep Apnea can be classified into three types.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA):

OSA is the most common type of sleep apnea and happens when your upper airway is blocked. During an apneic phase, the diaphragm and chest muscles work hard as the pressure increases to open the restricted airway. Then, breathing restarts with a noisy gasp and physical twitch. Such episodes can disrupt restful sleep, reduce blood flow and oxygen circulation to organs, and can lead to arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat)

Central Sleep Apnea (CSA):

CSA occurs as the brain’s respiratory control system fails to signal the breathing muscles. This causes slow and shallow breathing. CSA is considered to be a rarer condition than OSA.

Mixed Sleep Apnea (MSA):

This type, also known as complex sleep apnea, is a combination of both OSA and CSA in the same episode of sleep apnea. MSA condition is perceived and addressed as obstructive apnea initially.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the symptoms of sleep apnea.

Healthcare practitioners use the parameter AHI to diagnose Obstructive Sleep Apnea, which stands for Apnea-Hypopnea Index. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine defines AHI as “the combined number of apneas and hypopneas that occur per hour of sleep.” Based on the AHI reading, OSA is categorized as:

• Mild OSA: AHI of 5-15; characterized by a tendency to feel sleepy during low-focus activities, like watching TV or reading.
• Moderate OSA: AHI of 15-30; characterized by a tendency to feel sleepy during moderate-focus activities, like attending meetings or presentations.
• Severe OSA: AHI over 30; characterized by a tendency to feel sleepy during high-focus activities, like driving or talking.

For diagnosing Central Sleep Apnea, the Central Apnea-Hypopnea Index (CAHi) is used instead of AHI.

What’s the Role of Oxygen in Sleep Apnea?

During an apnea event, your body experiences drops in oxygen saturation levels due to the blocked airways. What happens when your oxygen levels repeatedly dip? Your brain forces you to wake up just enough to resume breathing. This constant cycle of oxygen deprivation and waking prevents you from getting restorative sleep and causes strain on your body, including the heart and brain, leading to many chronic health issues.

Here are the 2 ways sleep apnea can affect oxygen levels in your body:

An Apneic Event Occurs When a Patient Completely Stops Breathing

In people with OSA, apnea occurs when the airway becomes completely blocked. This prevents the lungs from getting enough oxygen and stops the body from exhaling carbon dioxide. For a short bout, the person is unable to breathe. This interrupts the exchange of gases in the body and reduces the amount of oxygen reaching the key organs. These episodes can be brief, but they disrupt sleep and put strain on your body.

A Hypopneic Event Reduces Airflow

Hypopnea happens when the airway is partially blocked. This reduces oxygen reaching your lungs but does not stop the airflow completely. This partial obstruction leads to shallow breathing. Hypopnea episodes cause similar issues to apnea episodes but are less severe and can still contribute to health complications if they occur frequently over time.

Is it Normal for Oxygen Levels to Drop During Sleep?

Oxygen saturation levels indicate the amount of oxygen you have in your bloodstream. The normal range is 95-100%. A slight drop in oxygen levels during sleep is quite normal, but significant dips could be a sign of sleep apnea or other medical issues.

When you sleep, your breathing pattern naturally shifts and becomes less consistent as you move through the stages of sleep. Have you ever experienced short durations of slow breathing and short breathing pauses? Though this is normal, the shifts in the breathing patterns can cause your blood oxygen levels to drop temporarily.

That said, the blood oxygen levels during sleep should not drop below 92%. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), if blood oxygen levels fall below 88% during a sleep study, it’s officially low. However, many experts believe that an oxygen level below 95% at sea level could still be a concern. However, just a couple of low readings below 95% could be a fluke, as body position, body temperature, altitude, and movement can all affect the pulse oximeter reading.

If you experience any of the following, it could mean you’re not getting enough oxygen during sleep.

• Sleep apnea
• Snoring
• Morning headache
• Disruptions in the sleep cycle
• Restless sleep
• Daytime fatigue
• Lack of concentration and focus

Did you know apnea episodes trigger reactions much like stress? Your heart rate, blood glucose levels, blood pressure, and stress hormone levels all increase. Imagine this happening every night–quite unsettling, right? But the good news? It’s treatable! Traditional treatments like Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) work by keeping the airway open during sleep.

Oxygen therapy is sometimes considered an alternative treatment option for sleep apnea, especially OSA if patients are not drowsy or cannot tolerate CPAP therapy. With oxygen therapy, oxygen levels improve, but it may increase the duration of apnea-hypopnea episodes.

Does Exercise Help Sleep Apnea?

Yes.

Research has shown the benefits of exercise training in addressing moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. Exercise serves as an economical, adjunct, nonpharmacologic treatment approach and helps you prevent the complications of OSA, including cardiovascular diseases, fatigue, and glucose intolerance.

Another study has found that exercise training reduced AHI scores and improved sleep quality in inactive obese/overweight adults with OSA.

• Here’s how exercise can help you with OSA:
• Fewer pauses in breathing
• Increased actual sleeping time
• Reduced daytime sleepiness
• Better cardiovascular and lung health
• Improved muscle strength
• Improved focus
• Healthy weight management
• Better quality of life

How Can EWOT Fit Into Your Sleep Apnea Routine?

By now, you know the benefits of exercise and oxygen therapy in managing OSA.

Exercise with Oxygen Therapy (EWOT), as the name suggests, is the practice of inhaling higher concentrations of oxygen while exercising. EWOT helps your body improve its ability to absorb oxygen more efficiently during the session and even long after. Basically, the idea is to combine the benefits of physical activity—improved cardiovascular and lung function—with the restorative power of increased oxygen flow.

Let’s take a look at how the synergistic combination of exercise and oxygen supplementation can help OSA patients:

• Weight Management: As EWOT promotes exercise-induced weight loss, it can also reduce AHI and severity of OSA.
• Better Sleep Quality: The exercise-oxygen duo promotes deep, restful sleep.
• Increased Energy & Focus: EWOT increases your energy levels by increasing the production of ATP, your body’s energy molecule.

Wondering if EWOT might be the right choice for managing OSA for you or someone you care about? Let’s find out.

EWOT could be a good fit for you if you:

• Have mild to moderate OSA
• Carry excess weight
• Prefer natural, non-pharmacologic complementary approaches.

That said, if you have any pre-existing medical conditions, we recommend you consult your healthcare practitioner before incorporating EWOT into your daily routine.

Takeaway

Though the research on the benefits of Exercise with Oxygen Therapy (EWOT) for managing sleep apnea is still ongoing, preliminary research has shown its potential. If you experience the symptoms of sleep apnea, consult a healthcare practitioner for diagnosis and treatment. You can also get your hands on an EWOT System for better management of sleep apnea symptoms alongside the conventional treatment approaches.