6 Things To Know About CBD And Sleep Apnea

What is sleep apnea?

It is a disease that affects everyone who suffers from it. Sleep apnea is an involuntary cessation of breathing one or more times per night. It is considered that sleep apnea that occurs more than five times per hour is problematic and can become dangerous. In France, this syndrome affects about 4% of French people

In addition to being very impressive for those who witness it, sleep apnea lasts on average, more than ten seconds and can last up to thirty seconds. Add this to a large repetition and you will get several hundred sleep apneas each night

There are several types of sleep apnea that we will see together

• Between 5 and 15 sleep apneas per hour, it is considered mild
• Between 16 and 30 sleep apneas per hour, it is considered moderate
• If the number of sleep apneas per hour exceeds 30, it is considered severe and requires medical attention

For the person who suffers from it, it is important to know that sleep apnea corresponds to a stop of breathing or a reduction of it, which causes a lack of oxygen supply in the brain. The person will then wake up because the brain orders it to do so, in order to resume breathing

However, the person is generally unaware of this and, on the contrary, thinks he or she has had a good night's sleep and wakes up tired. These awakenings are called "micro-awakenings" and as the name suggests, they are extremely short, and the person is not necessarily aware of them

For a person who suffers from these sleep apneas, it is extremely difficult to know if he or she is sleeping alone, or if no one notices. The fatigue felt on a daily basis is quite disabling and requires long periods of rest. But there are signs that may suggest this health problem. Indeed, they are generally associated with night-time snoring and daytime sleepiness, which is the consequence of a poorly restorative sleep and therefore a fatigue in the following day

What are the causes of sleep apnea?

Many factors come into play and it is important to know them well in order to eliminate sleep apnea from your daily life. First of all, sleep apnea is much more likely to affect people who are overweight, elderly or who snore a lot

However, this does not mean that if you are one of these people, you will suffer from sleep apnea, as there are many factors involved

Obstructive sleep apnea

In the vast majority of cases, sleep apnea is caused bythe relaxation of the tongue and throat muscles. This will result in blocking the flow of air into the lungs. The person will try to breathe, but it will be impossible and he or she will wake up to take a breath of air. In this case, older people are more prone to this cause, as their muscles are less toned and therefore weaker. In addition, people suffering from obesity can be victims of this cause, because the fat around the neck muscles reduces the width of the airways

Central sleep apnea

But another, rarer and more dangerous factor comes into play. This one directly involves the brain, which completely stops sending the message that it is necessary to breathe to the lungs and the muscles needed for breathing. In these cases, the person does not make the effort to breathe because the brain does not command it. People who are prone to this disorder are usually those who suffer from serious diseases, such as heart disease or neurological diseases, such as meningitis, Parkinson's disease and many others. There are several risk factors, such as alcohol, smoking, or medication. But this disorder can appear after a stroke

There are people who suffer from both types of sleep apnea. That is, they suffer from obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea

What causes it?

For the people most affected or suffering from this syndrome for several years, daily life is very much impacted. Indeed, sleep apnea causes a poor quality of sleep, and during the following day, fatigue will be extremely present and daily tasks will be difficult to perform.

In addition, neurological disorders may appear, such as memory problems, concentration problems and mood disorders, as well as irritability. These disorders are exactly the same as those caused by insomnia, because they are related to the lack of sleep of the individual

It is therefore extremely important not to perform tasks that require great vigilance if you suffer from sleep apnea, because the accident rate is higher due to the lack of sleep. This is why it is best to avoid driving and avoid important tasks that are dangerous to you, but also to others.

CBD can play a role in combating sleep apnea due to its benefits and different properties. We will see this together

CBD improves the quality of sleep

It has been shown that CBD could play avery important role in falling asleep by acting in several ways. In addition to this, CBD, thanks to its very interesting action on sleep, will be able to prevent certain sleep apnea attacks

When we consume CBD, it will bind to our endocannabinoid system and to the CB1 and CB2 receptors. If the person has had a very stressful and complicated day, CBD can help them fall asleep by preventing the brain from binding to these stressful events

What is very interesting is that for people suffering from sleep apnea, CBD can help them by improving the quality of their sleep and indirectly, prevent sleep apnea from happening. It is important to note that sleep apnea can be a source of stress, and by relaxing the mind and body, the frequency of occurrences can become more spaced out

CBD helps fight the consequences of sleep apnea

We have talked about the causes of sleep apnea, but the consequences are numerous and very disabling in everyday life. It is important to know them well in order to adapt one's daily life

• Decreased vigilance;
• Persistent fatigue (increased risk of accident);
• Irritability
• Changes in moods

These consequences are mainly the same as those of sleep deprivation, as sleep apnea can greatly affect the quality of sleep of individuals. But CBD can fight against these different consequences

Indeed, the latter tends to improve the alertness of individuals by allowing the mind to relax so that it does not think about anything else or focus on a single event or situation.

In addition, people consuming CBD and suffering from sleep apnea, have also observed that it could help them in the change of mood and in the observed irritability. The latter, when consumed, will bind to CB1 and CB2 receptors which are located throughout the body and particularly in the brain, in which it will activate and improve the production of the happiness hormone

This will help the daily life of the individual and prevent him from getting lost in these thoughts and mood swings that can be disabling for those around him or for himself

The dosage of CBD plays an important role

CBD is known to be a relaxant to consumers and can help them find a balanced daily life. For example, CBD, consumed in small doses, can act as a stimulant for consumers by acting like caffeine

Indeed, the latter activates the adenosine receptors, which play a stimulating role for the brain and can help individuals to fight against the moments of fatigue during the day and the consequences related to these phenomena

On the contrary, when consumed in high doses, or at least at a higher dose, it will then have the opposite role. The latter will then act as a natural sleeping pill and help individuals to find a deeper, restorative sleep and consequently, improve their daily life

By doing so, consumers reduce the risk of suffering from sleep apnea while sleeping as they will be more rested and less prone to the daily stress and worry of experiencing these apneas

CBD offers an entourage effect and effective terpenes

In cannabis sativa, or hemp, there is not only THC and CBD present. In fact, hundreds of terpenes, which are chemical compounds, are present and play a major role in the beneficial effects of CBD

In addition, the entourage effect can play an important role in providing all the necessary substances for these benefits to be successful. Terpenes have been shown to play a relaxing role when consuming CBD. These are also more present when the individual consumes CBD oil

Thus, the individual is more relaxed and no longer under daily stress, which greatly improves the quality of sleep and thus reduces the risk of suffering from sleep apnea

CBD improves sleep duration

This information comes close to the improvement of the quality of sleep by CBD. The latter improves sleep duration, but especially deep sleep, which is also the most restorative sleep for the mind and body.

Studies from 2008 and 2013 have shown that CBD promotes the process of falling asleep and the duration of sleep by increasing the amount of deep sleep. This allows individuals to improve their daily life in a fairly short period of time and eliminate sleep apnea due to the relaxation associated with this consumption

In addition, sleep apnea usually acts in multiple sleep phases, which allows the individual to reduce the risk of it by improving the amount of deep sleep, where apnea is least frequent

CBD reduces the risk of nighttime awakenings

A study published in 2015 also found that CBD could play a major role in combating nightmares and therefore, limit the risk of nighttime awakenings

This is caused by the action of CBD on our mind which allows it to relax and unwind by also increasing the happiness hormone, resulting in not thinking about negative things or events

Moreover, night awakenings related to sleep apnea also seem to be reduced according to several consumers suffering from this pathology, since the latter, as we have seen above, allows the individual to enjoy a deep sleep over a longer period of time

The quantity and quality of sleep is also strongly impacted in order to allow the individual suffering from sleep apnea to find a normal, stable and balanced life.