Beyond Tired: Recognizing and Treating Sleep Apnea - AI Podcast

Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health

Briana Mercola

Health & Fitness, Health, Alternative Health

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 24 April 2025

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Story at-a-glance

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects nearly a billion people worldwide. It causes breathing interruptions during sleep that prevent you from reaching restorative sleep stages
Common symptoms include loud snoring, gasping/choking during sleep, morning headaches, daytime fatigue, difficulty concentrating and mood changes that are often mistaken for normal tiredness
Risk factors for OSA include age, excess throat tissue, weak throat muscles, structural airway abnormalities and vitamin D deficiency, which affects sleep regulation and quality
Untreated sleep apnea leads to serious health complications including cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline, weakened immune function and increased accident risk
Treatment options include CPAP therapy, oral appliances, orofacial myofunctional therapy and lifestyle changes like optimizing breathing habits, maintaining healthy weight and adjusting sleep position

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Dr. Mercola's Cellular Wisdom.
0:04.0	Stay informed with quick, easy-to-listen summaries of our latest articles, perfect for when you're on the go.
0:09.5	No reading required. Subscribe for free at Mercola.com for the latest health insights.
0:14.5	Hello and welcome to Dr. Mercola's Cellular Wisdom.
0:18.5	I'm Ethan Foster, here to discuss a vital topic that may be
0:22.1	quietly affecting millions of people's health, obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA. Today we'll
0:29.1	explore what it is, why it happens, and how it can lead to serious health complications
0:33.9	if left unaddressed. Joining me is my co-host, Alara Sky, who offers clear insights
0:39.7	on natural health approaches. Thank you, Ethan. Obstructive sleep apnea is something people often
0:45.2	dismiss as mere snoring or occasional tiredness, but it carries significant risks. Let's begin by
0:51.3	defining OSA and explaining why it can disrupt not only sleep but overall health.
0:57.0	Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in your throat relax so much that they block your airway during sleep.
1:04.0	This causes pauses in breathing, which drop your oxygen levels.
1:08.0	Your brain then forces you to wake up briefly, sometimes just for a
1:11.6	split second, to restore proper breathing. That constant interruption prevents you from getting
1:16.5	deep, restorative sleep. Exactly. Estimates suggest nearly a billion people worldwide are
1:23.5	affected by OSA. Many remain undiagnosed, often because they assume snoring or tiredness is normal.
1:30.5	However, if untreated, these constant interruptions in airflow can lead to cardiovascular issues,
1:37.2	metabolic problems, and impaired cognitive function. One of the biggest red flags is loud
1:42.6	snoring, especially when combined with gasping or choking sounds.
1:46.0	Some people also wake up with headaches or experience a dry mouth.
1:50.0	Since OSA fragments your sleep cycle, daytime fatigue and difficulty concentrating can become chronic.
	...

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