Reviewed by Veena Angle, MBBS, MD and Physician Brandon Yew

Ease Sleep Apnoea with Clinical and Traditional Treatments

Published February 15, 2023| 5 min read

If you find your sleep interrupted because you start and stop breathing suddenty, you may have sleep apnoea. Learn how to address the issue so you can wake up feeling refreshed.

Disgruntled woman closing her ears while looking at a man who’s sleeping with a wide-opened mouth as they both lie in bed.

Have you ever stopped and started breathing when you’re asleep? It can be a sign of sleep apnoea, which is potentially dangerous.

There are two types of sleep apnoea. Obstructive sleep apnoea happens when the air passage through your nose or mouth is blocked when you sleep. Central sleep apnoea occurs when your brain isn’t sending the right signals to the muscles that control breathing.

A shortage of oxygen to the brain activates a reflex that helps you catch a breath, but also interrupts your sleep cycle. In the long run, it can strain your heart and lead to potentially deadly consequences.

In conjunction with 2023’s World Sleep Day theme, “Sleep is Essential for Health”, we explore how sleep apnoea affects your health, and holistic ways to improve sleep quality.

What are the Root Causes of Sleep Apnoea?

Woman using a mobile phone while sitting on a rocky, high-altitude mountain cliff. — Living in a high-altitude location makes you vulnerable to central sleep apnoea.

Sleep apnoea can affect anyone, but some people are at higher risk than others. Obstructive sleep apnoea happens when the upper airway gets blocked frequently as you sleep, reducing or completely stopping airflow. The condition is common among men younger than 50, women older than 50, and men and women who are overweight or obese.

Central sleep apnoea affects adults over 60, those with heart conditions or who live in high altitudes, those taking opioid-based pain medications, and those who use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that sleep apnoea happens when internal factors weaken the vital organ systems. These factors – phlegm, Dampness, fluid retention, blood clots, and Qi (vital life force) Stagnation – develop if you:

Struggle to keep your emotions under control
Overuse alcohol and smoke cigarettes
Practice poor eating habits

Suffer work-related stress
Suffer trauma to the neck or airways
Have an inactive lifestyle
Have poor sleep quality
Have been diagnosed with a chronic medical condition

Have been using specific medications for a long time

Obstructive sleep apnoea

Close-up of an obese man with a half-unbuttoned shirt. — Obesity can lead to airway blockage, which prevents proper breathing.

The factors that contribute the most to obstructive sleep apnoea are:

Being overweight or obese: Excess weight narrows the soft tissue of the mouth and throat during sleep, blocking the airway
Facial structural problems: Having an underbite, an unusually small lower jaw, a large tongue, large tonsils or adenoids, or a neck circumference that’s more than sixteen inches
Genetic conditions: People with Down syndrome or Prader-Willi syndrome may experience airway obstruction due to an abnormal head or facial structure

Central sleep apnoea

This type of sleep apnoea can happen if you:

Take narcotic painkillers
Have a stroke, brain infection, or cervical spine disorders
Have Cheyne-Stokes respiration, which impairs the breathing of people with congestive heart failure during sleep

What are the Possible Treatments for Sleep Apnoea?

The condition is incurable but there are some ways to help reduce its frequency or severity. Try these recommendations:

Non-medical methods: Losing weight, changing your sleeping position, using sleep support items, using nasal sprays or adhesive strips, or decreasing or stopping opioid medication

Using positive airway pressure and adaptive ventilation devices: Increases air pressure inside the airway and lungs while you sleep
Customised mouthpieces: Helps hold the jaw and tongue in a position that takes the pressure off the windpipe
Nerve stimulators: Encourages breathing and prevents the tongue from relaxing back into the windpipe
Surgery: On your nose, mouth, or throat to prevent blockages

Herbal remedies

Never self-medicate. Instead, allow a licensed TCM practitioner to select formulas that treat sleep apnoea for you.

Ling Gan Wu Wei Jiang Xin Tang (苓甘五味姜辛汤) gets rid of fluid retention and supports the Spleen and Lung systems. Yang Yin Qing Fei Tang (养阴清肺汤) and Hui Yan Zhu Yu Tang (厌逐瘀汤) are able to eliminate pathogens, but Yang Yin Qing Fei Tang can also replenish Kidney and Lung yin (passive energy). Hui Yan Zhu Yu Tang, meanwhile, strengthens the Liver and Lungs.

Real Health Medical Senior Physician Brandon Yew

Acupressure massages

Ying xiang — Located in the nasolabial groove, at the level of the midpoint of the lateral part of the nasal wing.

tian tu — Located in front of the neck, in the centre of the depression above the sternum. It dispels Cold, Fire and phlegm and clears the upper respiratory tract.

lian quan — Lian quan is on the anterior midline of the neck, in the depression on the upper border of the thyroid bone.

Zhong wan — Located on the front of the upper abdomen, mid-point between the tip of the sternum and the navel. It dispels pathogens for improved qi and blood circulation within the upper abdominal cavity and revitalises the Spleen’s function.

An illustration image of Danzhong acupoint (RN17) — Located on the chest, at the level of the 4th rib, at the midpoint of the two nipples. It dispels pathogens for better qi and blood circulation within the chest and revitalises the functions of the heart and lungs.

Illustration of a foot with a red dot pointing at Tai Chong acupoint and another at San Yin Jiao acupoint — Pressing Tai Chong acupoint helps recuperate the qi, while San Yin Jiao acupoint helps nourish the kidneys, liver and spleen.

At home, you can massage specific points on the body to correct body constitution weaknesses that cause sleep apnoea. These include ying xiang (LI20, 迎香), tian tu (CVRN22, 天突), and lian quan (CVRN23, 廉泉).

Distal acupoints located away from the centre of the body can be used to keep pathogens away and improve the different organ systems. Some of these are zhong wan (CVRN12, 中脘), dan zhong (CVRN17, 膻中), and tai chong (LR3, 太沖).

Sleep apnoea may seem harmless, but it can damage your health if left untreated. Early intervention with the right combination of treatments can help you manage the condition.

Before you explore the idea of using traditional remedies, seek the help of a qualified TCM practitioner to avoid possible complications.